Senior Regulation Advisor
Closing Date: 22 June 2025 | Salary: Grade 6: £41,132 - £44,988 per annum| Location: Flexible
Team / Directorate: Marine Regulatory Policy & Approaches Team / Evidence, Policy and Permitting
Starting salary: £41,132 rising to £44,988 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)
Contract type: Fixed Term until 1 April 2027
Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week (Part time, annualised hours, compressed hours or term time working considered - discussions at interview stage welcome)
Post number: 203908
The role
Are you ready to help shape how Wales delivers major infrastructure in a way that protects our environment and ensures regulatory rigour? We’re seeking an experienced regulatory professional to play a pivotal role in implementing Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) responsibilities under the new Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024.
As Senior Advisor for Regulatory Approaches (Infrastructure), you’ll lead the development of new regulatory approaches to support the streamlined consenting process introduced by the Act. This includes helping to define how consents such as marine licences and other regulatory permissions are managed when deemed within an Infrastructure Consent (IC), and ensuring our involvement aligns with legal and environmental requirements.
You’ll also play a key role in embedding a fully cost-recoverable pre-application advice service across NRW, developing the guidance, tools, and training required to support both internal teams and external stakeholders.
Key responsibilities include:
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Designing NRW’s regulatory approach to assessing whether applications (marine and non-marine) should be deemed within an Infrastructure Consent.
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Developing practical guidance and training to support internal teams and ensure consistency across consent regimes.
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Leading NRW’s interaction with stakeholders, including PEDW, Welsh Government, and developers during pre-application and consenting phases.
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Supporting the creation of a chargeable, fully cost-recoverable pre-application advice service under the new Act.
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Coordinating input across regulatory functions to ensure a joined-up and legally sound process.
This is a key opportunity to influence how Wales balances infrastructure growth with environmental sustainability. If you’re confident working across regulation, policy and stakeholder engagement – and you want to help shape the future of consenting in Wales – we want to hear from you.
As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.
To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Ryan Knowles ryan.knowles@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk.
Interviews will be confirmed at a later date.
Successful external applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. We aim to make offers of appointment within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.
What you will do
- Be the principle point of contact with the relevant UK and Welsh Trade Associations, Government Departments and environmental regulators, both UK and European, to share information and work together on the development of operational policy and new legislation, interpretation of relevant legislation, advice and guidance for the specific sector(s) and areas of responsibility.
- Maintain a detailed working knowledge of the assigned sector(s) identifying the implications of legislative, technology and market changes for Natural Resources Wales and the sector(s).
- Support the development and training of staff across NRW by applying technical, legislative and regulatory knowledge and experience.
- Lead and project manage specific and complex issues inc. commissions by RBG to enable consistent and appropriate understanding and application by staff that enables effective regulatory service provision.
- Contribute to the delivery of the team’s business plan, the directorate delivery plan and NRWs corporate plan.
- Support the mentoring and coaching of Advisors within the team to ensure that the team has sufficient technical and legislative resilience for your assigned area of work.
- Advise on evidence needs and opportunities, commission evidence & project manage evidence projects, in line with the agreed evidence programme.
- Design monitoring and evaluation frameworks of regulation interventions to inform assessment of the need for improvements in regulation and permitting processes by NRW.
- Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post
- Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post
- Be committed to your own development through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
- Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.
- Required to take part in incident response activities.
Your qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills
- In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method.
- Knowledge of Welsh, UK and EU legislation related to your specific sector(s); Welsh, UK government Policy drivers in your specific sector(s).
- Experience in informing and influencing government departments/regulators, preferably on environmental issues.
- Experience in forming and maintaining close links with internal and external partners/stakeholders to deliver the outcomes of both a specific function/project/team and the wider organisation.
- Experience of understanding and applying regulatory activities.
- Be able to work at pace and have a track record of delivery.
- Being innovative and demonstrating drive to achieve targets.
- You will be expected to keep up to date with changing regulatory policy and proposed changes to legislation via membership of a relevant professional body or other equivalent means.
Welsh language level requirements
- Essential: Level A1 - Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh)
Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.
Benefits
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
- 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
- generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
- commitment to professional development
- health and wellbeing benefits and support
- weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose
See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.
Please keep reading
If you think you have what it takes to do this role, but don’t necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch and we will be happy to discuss the role with you in more detail.
We’re passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, gender expression and gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, culture, or religion. We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of our values.
We are committed to equal opportunities and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.
We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on variety of topics, stay current in their field and continue to learn as their career progresses.
We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills.