National Peatland Action Programme Specialist Officer

National Peatland Action Programme Specialist Officer

Role ID: 203792

Directorate: National Operations

Team: National Peatland Action Programme

Location: Flexible in Mid Wales, Flexible in South Wales

Grade/Salary range: 06: £42,662 - £46,662

Working pattern: Full time - 37 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Welsh Language level: A1 – Beginner

Closing date: 19/10/2026

The role

If you're driven by demanding fieldwork, working outside, and the reward of seeing real change take shape, this role will be a great fit. As a Peatland Restoration Specialist in the National Peatland Action Programme (NPAP), you'll spend time in some of Wales's wildest landscapes—often wet, often muddy, and always rewarding. Whether you're navigating deep heather, negotiating boggy ground, or working through relentless Welsh rain, you'll be doing it with purpose: restoring peatlands that are vital for climate resilience, biodiversity, and water management.

You'll take projects from concept to completion, developing technical specifications, securing consents, managing budgets, and overseeing contractors to ensure high quality delivery. Your work will involve mapping, surveying, and designing restoration interventions across both NRW-managed land and privately owned sites, while providing expert advice to colleagues, partners, landowners, and stakeholders. You'll also contribute to monitoring, reporting, and knowledge-sharing as NPAP continues to expand, building a rolling portfolio of projects at different stages of progress.

This is hands-on, boots-on-the-ground conservation - demanding, varied, and deeply impactful, your chance to play a key role in tackling the climate and nature emergencies - while working with a passionate team, across some of Wales' most precious landscapes.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office within the place base / location above and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

Travel to various offices and frequently to remote locations inaccessible without the ability to drive is required so a full and current driving licence is essential.

Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams from Monday, 2nd November 2026 . 

What you will do

• Lead and co-ordinate specialist technical advice and guidance from a range of sources; ensure that decisions are based on sound technical judgement, in line with current legislation and best practice.
• Work with other project team members, other NRW staff and external stakeholders, to plan and develop the detailed programme of site restoration, assessing the technical requirement for a wide range of restoration projects and produce technical specifications to be followed by contractors.
• Work with the Peatlands Programme Procurement & Grants Officer post to tender and let projects in a timely manner and in full accordance with NRW Policies and Procedures.
• Undertake field-based supervision of contractors, ensuring liaison with owner/occupiers, other NRW staff and partners' staff.
• Ensure that all necessary consents for project delivery works are in place, including (where relevant) European Protected Species Consents, SSSI consents, Ordinary Water Course Consents, Flood Risk Approvals and Planning consents.
• Develop and manage multiple and overlapping contracts covering all aspects of the project, ensuring that project specifications and project delivery are consistent and compliant with NRW Health and Safety and project delivery policy, including adherence to Construction Design and Management regulations where relevant.
• Support other NRW staff in designing, procuring and managing restoration contracts in cases where these staff are leading on project delivery.
• Maintain detailed records of progress with programme implementation to support reporting. Present and share results and learning via written reports and other methods.
• Contribute to regular progress reports and updates led by the Programme Manager.
• With the support of other NRW and partner staff, produce a standardised project assessment and monitoring proforma and implement it/promote its use by others to ensure all projects benefit from a standardised baseline assessment.
• Attend and actively contribute to regular meetings of the team and support the Team Leader at Project Board and Steering Group meetings.
• Manage the budget allocated to project elements you are responsible for and maintain relationships with third party suppliers to meet value for money and spend profile requirements.
• Support project delivery by partners engaged through the NRW funding Mechanisms, including the provision of technical and logistical support and scrutiny of proposed approaches to ensure optimal restoration outcomes.
• Work with Environment and Land Management Team staff, tenants and Landowners to help deliver Management Agreements.
• 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.