River Waveney Trust – River Access for All Project Officer

Salary: £30,815

Hours: Full-time role

Duration: 2-year fixed term contract, with the intention to extend or make permanent.

Location: Blended model: Office space in Bungay provided with the option for home working some days. Candidate must be based within easy travelling distance of the Waveney Catchment due to the number of site visits and face-to-face meetings required for the role.

The River Waveney Trust is an environmental charity dedicated to improving and protecting the River Waveney, making it a better place for people and wildlife. We are part of the Rivers Trust movement, a network of over 60 Rivers Trusts across the UK. We work on a variety of projects with partners, communities and volunteers to deliver a wide range of projects including river restoration, natural flood management, farm advice, river access, river monitoring, volunteer events, community engagement and education.

This is a great opportunity to join our team as a Project Officer for an initial 2-year contract. The post holder will work closely with our current Community and Volunteering Officer who will also be working full-time on the project.

The role will suit an approachable and collaborative individual with experience of leading on community/engagement projects and working with volunteers, ideally also with experience in river focused conservation projects.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities and welcome applications from all groups, communities and personal circumstances. The staff team is welcoming, open and inclusive and places a high value on supporting each other to work to the best of our abilities. See the River Waveney Trust workplace culture document for more information.

The main responsibilities will be to:

Lead on our new ‘River Access for All’ project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Run a ‘River Waveney Bathing Water’ community history project to gather and preserve photo and memories of using the river for bathing, including creation of a local exhibition and an online public platform to preserve for future generations.
Lead on actions following the recent Bathing Water Designation application for Falcon Meadow.
Design and install a bathing water platform at Falcon Meadow, Bungay.
Work with and support long-term River Waveney Trust (RWT) River Warden volunteers to continue their work along the river, supporting surveys, training, ensuring health & safety and co-ordinating access work parties.
Carry out tree management within the main river channel for biodiversity and access, using both volunteers and contractors.
Coordinate strategic vegetation cuts to improve access and water flow along the river channel.
Commission a feasibility study to facilitate a new access point to the river for the community in Diss.
Attend external events to promote the work of the Trust.
Share project news and events across a wide range of media types, reaching as diverse a range of people as possible.
Inspire and recruit new volunteers.
Ensure a high standard of health and safety at all times.

We understand that not everyone will have all the skills in the job description, so please get in touch if you would like to discuss suitability for the role before making an application.

Download the full job description here.

Download the River Waveney Trust workplace culture document here.