Head Of Natural Capital Developments

Location: Brecon

Salary: £47,420 - £51,515 per annum

National Parks were designated in order to protect beautiful areas for the benefit of the nation. They came about as a result of the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, which put a legislative framework in place for the establishment of National Parks in England and Wales.

The Role

The primary purpose of this role is to drive the scale and pace of investigating, developing and piloting one or more natural capital trading platforms (NTPs) and payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes, specifically for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority and to share the learning with the Eryri and Pembrokeshire Coast National Parks. Working with other experts, the role will research and compare models at various scales and consider their value for nature recovery, biodiversity and sustainable land use, agriculture and management. Where required the post holder will also develop and test new models, leading to preferred options that are feasible, robust and viable for Wales.

The post holder will work with key stakeholders across Wales and the UK to provide finance and funding solutions for a pipeline of projects, considering stacking and blended finance solutions and accelerate the National Parks’ involvement in these mechanisms to support farming and countryside management in these living and working landscapes.

The Head of Natural Capital Development will be part of the Senior Management Team charged with transforming the way in which the organisation operates so that it can deliver in a more integrated and place-based way resulting in more impactful outcomes to protect and enhance the special qualities and environment of the National Park for the wellbeing of current and future generations.

Key Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the Senior Management Team to develop the Authority’s strategic approach to Nature Capital Development.
• Lead on investigating, testing and piloting viable NCTP and PES models and their scalability within the Bannau Brycheiniog NP in line with National Park purposes and the Parks’ special qualities. In doing this the postholder will work closely with existing actors in this space including the National Parks Partnership.
• Lead on sharing the learning with Wales’s other NPs and the National Landscapes.
• Work within the project governance framework to lead and manage the research and development for one or more viable models, including:
  • Establishing and convening the Project Board and wider technical advisory group    
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Tracking the projects and interventions underway in the Parks
  • Researching the required scheme governance models (with legal support)
  • Piloting various models within cluster groups
  • Identifying the risks and guarantees required for all parties
  • Securing initial start-up funding or investment.
• Build the community of practice within the BBNP that will take forward understanding and expertise in NCTP / PES schemes, shareable and scalable in the other NPs and National Landscapes.
• In parallel with the NCTP / PES work, explore other funding options, blended finance solutions and the employment and job creation opportunities that the pipeline NbS projects offer.

Skills and Qualifications

• Knowledge of financial governance and law including regulation philanthropy, fundraising, audit and reporting.
• Current knowledge of Natural Capital / PES / nutrient trading trends, emerging opportunities and best practice.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant discipline
• Developing short- and long-term commodity trading mechanisms
• Substantial experience and track record of developing and delivering collaborative commercial strategies and plans that support land management and nature recovery for Net Zero.
• Working leading and reporting in a Nature Capital / PES private finance for nature and business development role of related environmental area.
• Developing and supporting land management cluster groups, cooperatives or similar to design and deliver innovative or collaborative land management for nature recovery or Net Zero.
• Proven experience of developing strong partnerships and relationships with a range of external stakeholders including with the private sector, donors and investors
• Ability to create and implement strategic plans
• Ability to foster an open and trusting culture with the ability to lead change through others and inspire high levels of performance
• Outstanding relationship management and networking skills, and the ability to foster joint working across team boundaries
• Analytical thinker able to apply a significant degree of evaluative judgement and provide practical and creative solutions
• Strong communicator with the ability to communicate ideas and activities to a range of audiences using a range of formats (written, verbal, digital)
• Political sensitivity with an ability to make progress in complex policy areas and a strong belief in the value of local democracy and accountability, ideally experience of working with elected members
• Full driving licence

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for this reputable organisation, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

Closing date: 11am on 16th September 2024