Lead Installations and RSR Permitting Officer

Team / Directorate: Evidence, Policy and Permitting

Starting salary:  £45,367 rising to £50,877 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)

Contract type: Permanent

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: 203939

The role

You will lead and support the Installations and Radioactive Substances Regulations Permitting Team in providing scientific technical leadership, enabling the team to assess complex environmental permit applications and fulfil NRW’s duties to make sound decisions to issue, refuse or vary environmental permits, to time and budget. You will support the team in understanding the Environmental Permitting Regulations processes, scientific technical guidance, and wider legal requirements, across a broad range of large industrial sectors; including refineries, waste incineration, treatment and landfilling, paper and pulp, food and drink, metals processing, intensive farming, combustion, chemicals, and activities that use radioactive substances. 

The role sits within a close working team, you will nurture strong connections and be responsible for supporting and steering training of your peers, sharing knowledge, experience, and best practice, to facilitate risk-based decision making and produce robust enforceable permits; protecting human health and the environment, and encourage best practice in the operation of regulated facilities. You will have a high level of specialist expertise across several industrial sectors from either regulatory or operational experience. You will be the focal point for complex permitting queries from both internal and external customers, working with the wider Industry Regulation community to resolve issues that arise within your specialist area. You will be the lead expert for applications of high public and/or political interest, representing the Permitting Service at public events.

In addition to the core permitting responsibilities, you will contribute to work planning, risk and resource management, instigate process improvements, and participate in industrial cluster groups to deliver outcomes and embed SMNR within current regulatory frameworks. 

The role suits hybrid working, as the team is responsible for assessing environmental permit applications from large industry across all of Wales. As with many roles, there is great benefit from face-to-face team meetings and general desk-side training and support, so you will be required to attend the Cardiff office regularly to participate in certain activities and fulfil specific tasks. 

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Holly Noble at holly.noble@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.

About us

The Installations and Radioactive Substances Regulation Permitting team sits within NRW’s Permitting Service, part of the wider Regulation and Permitting Department. 

NRW’s Permitting Service primary role is to protect the environment and communities through the assessment and determination of applications for environmental permits. Permitting is the foundation of environmental regulation and crucial to the economy, people and wildlife of Wales. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing future generations and new technology developments and decarbonisation projects within industry are becoming reality in response to this. 

What you will do

• Determination of applications for Environmental Permits from installation sites of high public and/or political interest, managing effective communication with all interested parties, including government and national stakeholder groups.
• Analyses highly complex data and information to inform and assist policy and legal colleagues within your area of expertise.
• Build effective working relationships with key individuals within NRW and other UK Competent Authorities to ensure that the value of Permitting to our regulatory role is maximised.
• Take responsibility to ensure that the work of the Permitting Team is clearly documented and that decisions taken on permit applications are transparent and consistent.
• Take responsibility for ensuring that the Installations Permitting Team have the required tools and skills to ensure fair and consistent approach to decision making in line with our legal remit.
• Ensure that the Installations Permitting Team delivers appropriate decisions on permit applications within the statutory timelines by monitoring progress against targets, identifying risks to delivery and managing those risks.
• Lead or support the Permitting Service technical leads group to ensure consistent ways of working and that we have the correct tools and processes in place to identify skill gaps and develop our people so that we can effectively deliver for our customers in a timely manner.
• Specifically lead on the development of the technical development framework and the mentoring and coaching of Installation Permitting Officers to ensure that the team has sufficient technical and legislative resilience to be able to advise on and assess the full range of the installation sectors permitting requirements.
• 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.

1. Substantial experience of managing the assessment of highly complex, politically sensitive installation permit applications, including interaction with government organisations and members of the public, within your specialised area.
2. Substantial working knowledge of the technologies used and the environmental protection methodologies relevant to the Installations Permitting regime.
3. Advanced and specialist understanding of specific legislation and associated Directives and how they relate to the permitting process.
4. Proven coaching and mentoring skills.
5. Strong customer focussed approach to delivery.

Welsh language level requirements

• Essential: 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

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. 

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