The role
As a Senior Marine Licensing Officer, you’ll be responsible for assessing complex and high-profile marine license applications. You’ll carry out detailed technical assessments, consult with experts, and ensure decisions are robust, defensible, and well-documented. You may also act as an expert witness in public inquiries, supporting evidence-based, transparent regulation.
This is a busy, desk-based role where you’ll manage multiple cases simultaneously—balancing deadlines, problem-solving, and applying risk-based decision making under tight statutory timescales. You’ll also play a key role in mentoring and supporting the wider team, helping to maintain high technical standards in marine permitting. If you’re looking for a role that combines technical challenge, environmental impact, and decision making in a supportive team setting—this is it.
What you will do
- Lead on complex license determination and decision making under marine permitting legislation by carrying out appropriate technical assessment in accordance with NRW policies and procedures where available, and issue, refuse or vary permits within timescales.
- Lead on influencing and implementing mentoring and coaching frameworks to aid technical development of other permitting officers within Marine Licensing and where applicable throughout the permitting service, ensuring consistency in approach.
- Extensive experience of permitting decision making using a range of technical guidance as required by the Marine Licensing regime.
- Lead on supporting operational teams by providing specialist expertise in pre-application discussions and post license work for a range of application types within the field of Marine Licensing.
- Identify and deliver opportunities for process and procedural changes.
- Deliver an efficient and effective service by coordinating change that leads to improved internal and external stakeholder experience of the Permitting Service.
- Co-ordinate and lead in preparing defense in relation to legal challenges against license decisions for your assigned area of work.
- Represent the Permitting Service on relevant internal technical groups and relevant external stakeholder events.
- 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.
- Education to degree level or equivalent in a relevant scientific discipline.
- An in-depth understanding of the Marine Licensing process and how to apply relevant legislation.
- Strong customer focused approach to delivery.
- Track record of delivering timely optimal solutions by effective information analysis and applying risk-based decisions.
- Effective planning and organization skills when dealing with competing workloads.
Welsh Language level requirements
- 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 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.
Salary range: £41,132 – £44,988
Application deadline: October 5, 2025
