Sustainable Farming Scheme Programme Support

Team / Directorate: Sustainable Land and Nature Group / Evidence, Policy and Permitting

Starting salary:  £32,544 rising to £35,377 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)

Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment until 31/03/2026

Work pattern:  Full time, 37 hours per week (Part time, annualised hours, compressed hours or term time working considered - discussions at interview stage welcome)

Interview Date: 3 September 2025

Post number: 203984

The role

Play a key part in shaping the delivery of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) Management Plan service. You will take on the role of administrator, initially supporting the SFS Operational Readiness Team (a team of five), with the potential to expand your support to the SFS Designated Sites Management Plan delivery team as the service evolves.

You’ll be instrumental in supporting and coordinating team workflows to ensure the most effective use of time. This includes managing diaries, monitoring progress, and organising activities to align with the agreed service level targets

This is a newly established team, reporting to the Sustainable Land and Nature Manager within the Environment, Planning and Performance (EPP) directorate, offering an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of a new and impactful service.

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 Russell De'ath

russell.de-ath@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk 

Interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams  

Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

About us

The Sustainable Land and Nature Group plays a vital role in delivering the vision set out in our Corporate Plan: a Wales where nature and people thrive together. We focus on terrestrial ecosystems and species, as well as promoting sustainable approaches to land, forestry, and woodland management.

Our work spans the following advisory areas:

• Terrestrial ecosystems
• Terrestrial species
• Sustainable land management
• The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS)
• Woodlands and forestry
• Soil

What We Do:

• Lead integrated environmental planning for land and nature.
• Manage and deliver Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) Land and Nature Programme, ensuring joined-up outcomes across multiple services.
• Set NRW’s policies, strategies, and desired environmental outcomes related to land and nature, including terrestrial biodiversity, sustainable farming, soils, woodlands and forestry
• Identify strategic evidence needs and collaborate with our Evidence department to deliver a targeted and applied evidence programme.
• Provide expert policy and technical input to environmental assessments such as SoNaRR, specifically regarding our land and nature remit.
• Develop strategic policy positions, guidance, and technical advice both internally and for our external partner.
• Work collaboratively across NRW with services including Regulation and Permitting, Evidence, Operations, Land Stewardship, Incident Management, and Natural Resource Management, to deliver integrated environmental outcomes through the Land and Nature Programme.
• We strive to safeguard and restore the health of Wales’ land-based natural resources, ensuring their long-term resilience for both nature and people.

What you will do

• Fulfil the role of administrator, initially to the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) Operational Readiness Team, and then to the SFS Designated Sites Management Plan (DSMP) service delivery team, supporting and co-ordinating the teams workflow to enable optimum use of time, managing diaries, monitoring and organising to co-ordinate with the service level agreement.  
• Provide secretariat support at various meetings and boards (including working cross-directorate as necessary). 
• Develop good working relationships internally and externally with all key stakeholders as needed in order to co-ordinate complex responses within your area of work. 
• Deal with enquiries and acting as first point of contact for more complex enquiries relating to the delivery of the SFS DSMP service, ensuring courtesy and confidentiality and adherence with GDPR. 
• Be the business administrator for the SFS DSMP service, including supporting the Programme Manager in co-ordinating the management of risk, action, decision and issues logs, recruitment decisions and communications and supporting the on-going development and maintenance of the DSMP service risk register. 
• Provide essential support to the SFS Operational Readiness Programme manager and other technical leads on their projects as according to business and project needs. 
• 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.

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. Previous experience in an administration type role.
2. The ability to work unsupervised.
3. Self-motivation and intuition.
4. Ability to communicate effectively internally and with external stakeholders. 
5. Strong ability to analyse and interpret information is essential. 
6. Ability to use data, information and knowledge confidently and present data using Microsoft systems.

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

We’re passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.  

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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