People and Places Team Leader

Step into a role with real impact. As Team Leader, you’ll guide a passionate team of ten in driving forward NRW’s Corporate Plan and the principles of Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) across Wrexham, Flintshire and Denbighshire. This is a uniquely varied patch—home to the iconic Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, Moel Famau, the Berwyn National Nature Reserve, stunning coastal habitats, and key industrial hubs. Working closely with colleagues across NRW and a wide network of partners and stakeholders, you’ll play a pivotal role in reducing pollution, tackling climate change, and enhancing biodiversity at a landscape scale. You’ll influence and deliver major priorities, from Area Statements to Public Services Board objectives, while leading and supporting your wider team to excel. With responsibility for budget oversight, performance, and the delivery of strategic outcomes, this is an opportunity to shape environmental action where it matters most.

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.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Elsie Grace at [email protected]

Interviews will be face to face week commencing 30/03/2026 (details of location will be shared in advance)

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.

This role meets the criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Natural Resources Wales welcomes applications from non-UK citizens who are eligible to apply under this route, subject to confirmation by the Home Office.

Please note that while we may be able to support the Certificate of Sponsorship required for a visa application, the organisation does not cover the cost of the visa itself, including any associated fees for dependants.

The applicant must still meet the UK Skilled Worker Visa Eligibility and Requirement. For further information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

What you will do

• Lead the team and take full accountability for their performance, development and wellbeing.
• Lead the embedding of SMNR in your place, working closely with the managers and team leaders reporting to the Head of Place (HoP); set priorities and delivery agendas across NRW’s functions.
• Work collaboratively with Strategy, Policy and Evidence (SPE), Corporate Planning, HoPs, Managers, and other place teams.
• Take full accountability for co-producing, monitoring and reviewing delivery of an Area Statement and a fully integrated, prioritised and resourced place plan for the HoP.
• Influence and negotiate with external partners to develop agendas and projects to deliver Area Statement and Wellbeing priorities.
• Represent the HoP at Public Services Boards as required.
• Lead cross border working with partner organisations in England where appropriate, and across the other NRW places and marine.
• Lead for the place in developing project opportunities, coordinating all outward facing funding within the place to ensure all funding is aligned to PSB objectives and Area Statement priorities to deliver the Wellbeing goals.
• You will represent the Head of Place at external stakeholder discussions across the breadth of NRWs remit to influence agendas and develop ideas and projects for co-delivery.
• Lead the delivery of the Service Plan across Operations for the service for which your Head of Place is lead.
• Contribute to development of the NRW Business Plan and Head of Service Plans incorporating priorities into the Place Plan with Area Statement priorities and PSB wellbeing actions.
• Network with the People & Places team leaders across Wales and EPP to influence and realise opportunities for sustainable management of natural resources across place boundaries where appropriate, set and manage work plans, monitor delivery, share learning.
• Lead multiple project teams as required. Set up and lead specific projects as required by the HoP such as internal change projects. Be accountable for managing the performance and delivery of project teams for whom you do not have direct line management responsibility.
• Monitor progress against Corporate and Place plans, identify risks, review and report achievement for the Head of Place.
• You will lead the team in planning delivery and streamlining stakeholder engagement across the place remit – (forestry, conservation, National Nature Reserves, flood, water, fisheries, recreation, access etc.) developing new networks as required.
• You will lead on one of the technical functions for which the team is responsible such as:
  1. Business planning.
  2. Outward funding & Partnerships.
  3. Protected sites.
  4. Water resources or WFD.
  5. Flood risk management.
• You are likely to have delegated responsibility for budget management.
• 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).
• Required to take part in incident response activities.
• 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. Significant line management and programme management experience.
2. Understanding and leading on SMNR and partnership working in the place is the key specialism for this role. This requires being able to understand the full remit of NRW in the place, being able to talk with credibility to Senior Managers, internal and external stakeholders across all functions to see the opportunities for innovation, joining up of agendas and delivering multiple benefits.
3. Significant experience of leading and delivering work through a network of teams and delivery partners outside of your direct control.
4. Experience of developing innovative thinking and new ways of working.
5. Excellent influencing skills at the senior level of organisations.
6. Excellent communication and inter-personal skills.
7. Excellent organisational skills
8. Ability to assess multiple, complex, sources of information and translate into good decisions.

Welsh Language level requirements

• Essential: Level A2 – Elementary

Welsh language levels

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.

Unless otherwise stated in the ‘Role’ section of this advert, Natural Resources Wales is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Although we hold a Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licence, it applies only to specific roles that meet both the eligibility criteria and salary requirements set out by the UK Government under the Skilled Worker visa route.

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.