Disaster Recovery, Test and Maintenance Manager

Vacancy Disaster Recovery, Test and Maintenance Manager Role ID 204260 Directorate Finance and Corporate Services Team Service Delivery and Operations Location Flexible Grade/Salary range 09: £61,762 - £67,422 Working pattern Full time - 37 hours per week Working hours 37.00 Contract type Permanent Welsh Language level A1 - Beginner Closing date 12/07/2026

The role

This role sits within the Service Delivery and Operations Team in NRW's Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) department and carries overall accountability for Disaster Recovery, Testing and Maintenance across all DDaT services. You will ensure that robust disaster recovery capability is in place, regularly exercised and aligned with organisational business continuity requirements. You will also oversee the development and delivery of a fit-for-purpose testing approach, using risk assessments to determine appropriate levels of assurance, and you will lead the planning and management of maintenance activities to ensure live services remain stable, secure and compliant with DDaT policy and process.

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. There will be a requirement for you to attend our offices, but any required face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

You will work a flexible shift pattern to cover service hours of 8am to 6pm, with occasional weekend working to meet business needs. You will also participate in a time-specific rota to provide an Out of Hours ICT Service to an agreed level.

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

Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams

About Us

There's never been a more important time to join NRW (Natural Resources Wales) to make a real difference to the future of Wales' people and nature. We are focussed on making our services better and simpler for citizens, business and stakeholders of Wales.

Established in 2013, NRW adopted a cloud first model without legacy technologies or migrations. Separated into sub-teams, we develop, manage and support a large Azure multi-region deployment supporting life preserving services for the nation 24x7. With over 100 web applications, associated databases and API's, real-time environmental modelling, public alerting and reporting and IOT data collection of over 650 remote locations - interesting and exciting work with purpose is never far away.

Our ambition is to grow more talent in data, digital and technology in Wales over the coming years. To do that, we are collaborating with specialist design and development partners to enhance capacity and skills for the coming years. By creating blended teams of people from our own teams in NRW, and our delivery partners - we work collaboratively to shared goals and outcomes that deliver for the nation of Wales aligned to NRWs Digital and Corporate Strategy.

What You Will Do

• Provide overall accountability for disaster recovery across DDaT services, ensuring recovery capability is in place, exercised regularly and aligned to organisational business continuity requirements
• Ensure that service recovery requirements are clearly defined, agreed and maintained across the estate, including RTO, RPO, recovery priority, key dependencies, and documented recovery arrangements aligned to business criticality.
• Align DR, testing and maintenance services with the DDaT strategy
• Deliver DR, testing and maintenance services to DDaT customers to the levels agreed and within budget, delivering value to the business. Engaging promptly with DDaT commercial where services are not being delivered as expected.
• Maintain effective business relationships using service management functions at strategic, tactical and operational levels.
• Work with Project Managers, Product Team Managers and Service Managers (including Release Manager) to ensure the supportability, maintainability and DR capability of new services.

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• Provide operational, tactical and strategic management of the DR, testing and maintenance t team.
• Ensure DR, testing and maintenance team members deliver appropriately and supporting the teams in delivery of their responsibilities.
• Deputise for The Service Delivery Manager operationally as appropriate. Work as part of the DDaT Management Team.
• Contribute to the operational, tactical and strategic delivery of ICT services as part of the DDaT Management Team.
• 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.

• Degree level qualification in ICT related subject or Industry Standard qualification (or equivalent experience)
• Extensive experience of running ICT teams in a complex environment.
• Commercially aware and able to understand complex budgets. Driven and focussed. Willingness to excel and strive for success. Personable and articulate. Good under pressure and ability to delegate.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written, and proven experience at presenting/leading meetings with a positive, proactive and pragmatic approach.

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• Ability to take responsibility but understand when escalation is necessary, flexible, detail-orientated and a 'completer-finisher'
• ISTQB Advanced Test Manager Qualification (or equivalent) with proven experience of implementing strategic vision for testing
• Certified Business Continuity Management Professional (CBCMP) or equivalent with proven understanding of the importance of DR and failover for live services
• Understanding of ITIL best practice
• Proven experience of working with operational teams delivering upgrade, update and maintenance activities
• Proven experience in designing and embedding pragmatic IT process and procedure
• Experience of working within a public sector framework
  
  

Welsh Language level requirements

Essential: Level A1 - Entry level

Welsh language levels

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.

Additional Information

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

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.

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.

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