Officer Forest Operations

• Closing date: 12/10/2025
• Salary: Grade 5: £36,246 – £39,942 per annum
• Location: Llandovery
• Starting salary: £36,246 rising to £39,942 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: 200537

The role

Are you ready to shape the future of Wales’ forests? As an Officer for Forest Operations, you’ll play a hands-on role in delivering impactful land and forest management programmes across some of the country’s most beautiful and ecologically important landscapes.

You’ll be making technical decisions that directly influence how our forests are cared for, protected, and enhanced. From planning and implementing forest operations to managing surveying and GIS mapping, your work will help ensure sustainable forest practices and conservation efforts are delivered to the highest standards.

This is more than just a desk job—you’ll be out in the field, making a real difference. You’ll have the autonomy to contribute to landscape scale forest planning, manage forest operation contracts, manage delegated budgets, and collaborate with experts across Natural Resources Wales. Plus, with flexible working options and a supportive team, you’ll have the freedom to grow your career.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the NRW office at Llandovery 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 Michael Cresswell at Michael.Cresswell@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams (subject to change)

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.

What you will do

• Support technical advice for specific sector or technical issues.
• Implementation of team work plans, and delivery of agreed actions to contribute to business planning.
• Participate in NRW technical or represent NRW on external forums as a technical representative.
• Interact with peers in NRW to promote consistent industry and specialist subject practices.
• Have responsibility for direct delivery of delegated programmes and agreed delegated budgetary control, including all relevant compliance and adhering to procurement process.
• 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

Applications to this role will be assessed based on the following criteria both at shortlisting and interview. In your job application please demonstrate, using the STAR method, how you meet the requirements outlined below.

1. Experience of working across a wide range of land management disciplines.
2. Knowledge of sustainable forest management, UKWAS and forest certification schemes.
3. Experience of community liaison and public engagement activities.
4. Knowledge and experience of designated sites, and all aspects of forest practise, including land liabilities, forest planning and forest operations.

Welsh Language Level requirements:

• Essential: Level A1 – Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh)
• Desirable: Choose a language level

Please note if you do not meet the level 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 of working for us

• agile and flexible working
• 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.

You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English and any application submitted will be treated equally. Applications are welcome from individuals who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time.