Senior Development Planning Advisor

PLEASE MENTION GREENJOBS WHEN RESPONDING TO THIS CAREER OPPORTUNITY Senior Development Planning Advisor
Full time
Contract type: Permanent
Are you a planning professional with strong technical expertise and a passion for shaping sustainable development?
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is seeking a Senior Planning Advisor to lead on complex, high-profile casework within our Development Planning Advice Service (DPAS). This is a unique opportunity to influence major development proposals across Wales including infrastructure, housing, transport, and agriculture ensuring environmental priorities are at the heart of decision-making.
In this role, you ll provide expert advice to Planning Authorities, Welsh Government and applicants, drawing on topics such as conservation sites, European Protected Species, flood risk, water quality, air quality, contaminated land, and landscape. Your expertise will directly influence how development takes place in Wales ensuring it aligns with national priorities for climate, biodiversity, and natural resource management.
We re looking for someone with substantial experience in planning, environmental management or ecological consultancy. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced planning professional to make a lasting impact and help grow a respected, forward-thinking environmental planning service.
As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the NRW office in Bangor 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 through Microsoft Teams between 3 - 10 December 2025
Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Oversee and provide assurance of advice to Local Development Plans and other sub-regional strategies and plans, including the advice on strategic environmental assessment of such plans.
Produce advice to nationally significant infrastructure projects or complex, high-risk development proposals ensuring NRW advice is robust, evidence based and delivered to deadline.
Contribute professional judgement and assistance to decision-making in respect of strategic and complex individual development proposals and plans managed by other team members.
Assure information prepared in relation to challenges against NRW development planning advice.
Provide operational input to the development of NRW policy, process and guidance.
Ensure that NRW policy, process and guidance is consistently applied within the team.
Influence local development projects and strategies early in their evolution.
Responsible for the technical development of team members.
Provide functional advice and experience to multifunctional place planning such as Area Statements.
Contribute to the development of the teamwork plan.
Manage and deliver continuous Improvement projects for the Service.
Maintain auditable records of actions and outcomes to justify and demonstrate that all legal and procedural requirements have been met.
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).
Excellent knowledge and substantial experience of environmental assessment and development planning processes.
# Excellent understanding and significant experience of the development sector.
# Experience of community liaison and public engagement activities in relation to major projects.
# Excellent written and spoken communication skills and an ability to represent both the technical and strategic aspects of Development Planning work to non-specialists, both within NRW and externally, in a concise and effective way.
# Able to manage projects and lead virtual task groups.
# Welsh Language level requirements


~ Level A1 - Entry level


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.