The role As a Specialist Advisor in Benthic Ecology, Marine and Costal Environments (MaCE), you will lead on delivering expert technical advice on marine benthic ecology, particularly in relation to marine developments such as offshore renewable energy projects. Your insights and guidance will play a pivotal role in shaping Government and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) decisions, policies, strategies, and programmes. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate closely with colleagues across NRW, contributing to our organisation-wide Marine Programme, including the Offshore Renewable Energy Programme. You will also establish and foster partnerships with key stakeholders, including other Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, Welsh Government officials, sector representatives, and their consultants. Your work will directly influence sustainable development in Wales’ marine environment, ensuring a balance between progress and ecological preservation. Reporting to the Renewable Energy Advice Team Leader, you will be part of a dynamic team dedicated to supporting Wales' vision for renewable energy and a thriving marine ecosystem. 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 Becky Tillson. rebecca.tillsoncyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. 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 Prepare technical assessments, drawing on a range of complex information and data in relation to marine benthic ecology. Provide specialist technical advice internally to directly inform NRW’s external casework responses, and also internal casework determination where NRW is the regulator, (for example, marine licenses). Internal advice will also directly inform NRW’s marine and coastal management functions. Provide specialist technical advice externally to (a) developers and regulators at a local, regional and national level, (b) regional and national stakeholder fora and (c) expert witness role at inquiries as appropriate. Lead development of relevant casework guidance. Develop procedures, tools and guidance and lead the delivery of new ways of working. Inform the development of NRW, Welsh Government and other Partners policy, statutory advice and guidance documents. Liaise with external stakeholders such as sector representatives, Welsh Government, partners, JNCC and other Environment Bodies in the UK to ensure the timely and effective delivery of project, policy or strategy obligations. Advise on evidence gaps and project manage agreed evidence projects, in line with the agreed evidence programme. Contribute to task and finish groups, commissioned through the Business Boards, to prepare defined products as required. 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 and that of your staff 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. Knowledge of: Welsh, UK and EU legislation related to marine and coastal ecosystems and assigned sector(s); Welsh, UK Government policy drivers in marine and coastal ecosystems and assigned sector(s) and the issues and opportunities in Wales. Substantial experience in provision of specialist technical marine advice, at a regional or all-Wales level, in marine benthic ecology. Experience of: technical analysis and interpreting a range of environmental information and data; analysing large data sets. Specialist technical knowledge related to marine benthic ecology. Working with/in Welsh Government, statutory nature conservation bodies, eNGOs, public bodies and marine sector representative bodies. Good project management, work planning and prioritisation skills. 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% 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.