Industry Regulation Permitting Officer

Role ID: 202603
Location: Flexible
Grade/Salary range: 5: £36,246 - £39,942
Working pattern: Full time
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: 28/09/2025

The role

Are you ready to make a real difference? Join us in a pivotal role where your scientific expertise will help protect Wales’ environment and public health, while supporting sustainable industrial growth.

As a Permitting Officer, you will be required to work both independently and collaboratively to assess complex environmental permit applications across a diverse range of large industry sectors in Wales, from refineries and waste incineration to food production, metals processing, and activities involving radioactive substances.

Using your strong scientific background (particularly in chemistry and maths), you’ll carry out robust technical assessments in line with legislation, technical guidance, NRW policies and procedures. Your decisions, to issue, refuse, or vary permits, will directly influence how major industries operate, ensuring they meet environmental standards and adopt best practices.

You don’t need to be an expert in every sector. Based on your experience, you’ll lead on specific areas, becoming a trusted specialist within our team. Whether your background is regulatory or operational, your insights will be key to shaping smarter, more resilient environmental regulation.

Beyond permitting, you’ll play an active role in engaging with internal and external stakeholders to resolve technical queries, contribute to work planning and drive process improvements. You’ll also participate in industrial cluster groups and help embed the principles of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) into our regulatory frameworks — ensuring our approach remains forward-thinking, integrated, and impactful.

This is your chance to be part of a progressive organisation, working at the intersection of science, policy, and industry — all while helping to safeguard Wales’ natural resources for future generations.

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.

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 role sits within a small closely working team of specialists that share knowledge, experience, and best practice. You will be responsible for supporting, mentoring and training of your peers to facilitate risk based decisions to produce robust enforceable permits.

What you will do

• Determine the outcome of complex Environmental licence/permit applications through sound decision making for applications for their assigned regime by carrying out appropriate technical assessment in accordance with NRW policies and procedures where available, and issue, refuse or vary permits to time and budget.
• Determine applications using a range of technical guidance and technical software and/or modelling programmes as required by your assigned regime.
• Aid technical development of permitting officers within your assigned permitting team, through direct coaching and by supporting the delivery of the Technical Development Framework using your expertise in your related area.
• Represent the permitting team in your area of expertise on relevant internal technical groups, and internal/external stakeholder meetings.
• Act as lead for complex permit/licence determinations, including less complex nationally significant infrastructure projects.
• Co-ordinate and lead in preparing defence in relation to legal challenges against permit decisions.
• Provide technical support in your subject matter area to operational teams to include pre-application advice and support the delivery of structured training as required.
• Contribute to improved efficiency and performance of the permitting team, identify opportunities for changes to process and guidance and support a culture of continuous improvement for both your assigned regime and for across regime working.
• 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. Knowledge of the relevant legislation and how it relates to the permitting process.
2. Practical experience of assessing relevant licence/permit applications or using them in a compliance role.
3. Track record of delivering timely optimal solutions by effective information analysis and risked based decisions.
4. Experience of coaching and mentoring skills.
5. Experience of customer service delivery and the ability to influence and persuade to achieve environmental outcomes.
6. Experience of delivering process improvements/efficiencies.

Welsh Language Level requirements:

1. 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 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.