Conservation officer salary in Wales
Wales is dominated by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) on the public side, Wildlife Trusts Wales, RSPB Cymru and a smaller heritage cohort. Welsh local authority CO pay is on NJC 2026/27 (same as England); Welsh income tax remains UK-aligned for 2026/27.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
NRW is the principal public-sector employer for nature-conservation specialists in Wales, with about 2,000 staff (NRW Annual Report 2023/24). It runs its own banded pay framework (A through F) parallel to the UK Civil Service grades, with B-band approximately equivalent to EO and D-band to SEO.
Welsh local authority CO pay
The 22 Welsh local authorities use the NJC pay spine identically to England and apply the same London-weighting-free regional supplements (NJC schedule). Wildlife Trusts Wales and RSPB Cymru follow their parent body's federation pay structure.
Take-home in Wales
For 2026/27, the Welsh Government has set the Welsh rate of income tax to align with UK rates (10 percent reserved + 10 percent Welsh + 5 percent higher set to make basic 20 / higher 40 / additional 45). Take-home is therefore identical to England at the same gross.