Head of River Restoration

Westcountry Rivers Trust is recruiting a Head of River Restoration.

The starting salary for this role is between £44,000 and
£47,000 per annum (dependent on experience).

The role is 37.5 hours per week.

Benefits while working for Westcountry Rivers Trust

• 25 days Annual Leave per annum, with a reward for long service – an additional 1 day per
  year for each year worked over 5 years, up to a maximum of 30 days for employees serving 10
  years.
• An additional 3 days Leave for the Christmas Closure period.
• 9% Employer Pension, plus Life Assurance cover
• Flexible and Hybrid Working

About Westcountry Rivers Trust

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect
rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism,
reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health. Everything the Trust does is
informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach,’
considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within them.

Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities,
businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and
coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a
more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of climate
emergency and the ecological crisis is forcing society to invest in building catchment
resilience.

Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots
organisation, brought into existence from the bottom up. In the early 90s, a group of
individuals, passionate – but concerned – about the waterways around them, began to stitch
together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust
we know today.

Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an
‘ecosystems approach,’ considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers
that flow within them.

It was this new perspective – not to mention the hands-on and tireless approach to river
restoration – that grabbed the attention of so many supporters and funders and which lies
behind the flourishing rivers trust movement. Since then, the Trust now has circa 75 employees
with an annual turnover of c£3m running multi-annual projects spread across a wide range of
funders.

The Role

Our mission is to conserve and restore the rivers of the Westcountry. We are
seeking an innovative, experienced and flexible person to head up our work restoring the iconic
rivers of the region.

The Head of River Restoration will be responsible for delivering, developing, and
coordinating all aspects of River Restoration across the works of the Trust. The role requires
someone with excellent technical knowledge, a strategic approach, and a proven ability to
motivate a team to deliver our projects. The role is to lead a team ranging from apprentices to
experienced professionals, and to work closely with stakeholders, including government
agencies, private companies, community groups and other environmental organisations.

The role involves working closely with our Head of Fisheries and Ecology to co-manage the
wider River and Fisheries team which makes up one of the three delivery arms of the Trust – the
other teams being Land, and Evidence and Engagement. 

The Head of Department role will provide leadership for the team and develop and deliver its
strategy in line with the Trust charity plan and charitable objectives. As a member of the
Trust’s Management Team this role will also be pivotal to the effective management of the
Trust, working collaboratively across teams. This role will provide clear and effective
leadership to the team, challenging everyone on the team to be their best, promoting a
collegial spirit, individual ambition and inclusion of everyone on the team for the shared
delivery / goals.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and manage the River Restoration team
• Oversee project budgets, timelines, and resource allocation
• Win project funding for River Restoration activities
• Collaborate with a wide range of partners and stakeholder groups
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of river restoration projects, using data to inform
  future delivery programmes
• Prepare reports, and support others in the Team to do the same

• Leadership: Providing leadership and direction to the department, and ensuring a positive
  and productive work culture is developed and maintained.

• Strategic Planning: Developing strategies, plans and tactics to meet WRT’s wider strategic
  goals.

• Resource Management: Managing the department’s resources effectively, including people,
  money, and equipment.

• Team Management: Building and leading a high-performing team, including recruiting,
  training, evaluating, and motivating staff members,

• Communication: Facilitating communication within the team and between the team and other
  parts of the Trust. This includes sharing information, providing updates, and resolving
  conflicts.

• Quality Assurance: Ensuring that the team’s work meets quality standards and regulatory
  requirements and implementing processes for continuous improvement.

• Collaboration: Collaborating with other departments or external partners on projects,
  initiatives, or cross-cutting teams.

• Problem-solving: Addressing challenges and obstacles that arise within the team, finding
  creative solutions, and making decisions to keep projects on track.

• Performance Management: Monitoring and evaluating the performance of the team and
  individual team members, providing feedback, and taking corrective actions as needed.

• Stakeholder Relations: Building and maintaining relationships with funders, stakeholders,
  external project partners, and regulators.

• Innovation: Encouraging innovation and staying abreast of developments in the field,
  exploring new technologies, methods and best practice.

• Risk Management: Identifying and mitigating risks that could impact the department’s
  operations or the organisation as a whole.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Work in partnership with the peer Head of Department and provide effective leadership,
  mentorship and guidance for their team, bringing together team aspirations, ideas and
  opportunities.
• Develop and co-deliver a team strategy which aligns with the Trust charity plan and
  charitable objectives.
• Share collective responsibility with the Management Team for managing resources and
  delivery across the Trust.
• Foster a collaborative and supportive environment for staff to thrive, that is inclusive of
  all and promotes a common sense of purpose and collegiality.
• Responsible for the effective line management and performance of staff in the team which is
  underpinned by following the Trust procedures, including managing capability, performance and
  disciplinary processes.
• Working with Leadership Team and Bid Team to build ideas into projects and identify and
  create opportunities for bids.
• Write effective and well – planned bids up to £500,000, aligning with the Trusts charitable
  objectives and capacity to deliver and input into larger bids and projects.
• Ensure that effective health and safety systems and procedures are implemented, actively
  managed and monitored in the team with the support of the H&S Advisor. Review accidents and
  ensure follow up actions are implemented.
• Working closely with Management Team, responsible for overall planning and management of
  resources and risk across the team.
• Acts as an ambassador for the team and Trust with external partners, stakeholders and
  donors seeking opportunities to enhance our reputation and build relationships.
• Manage a programme of projects, receiving reports from a number of project managers,
  ensuring that project deliverables are met and delivered on time.
• Effective project management of complex projects which are managed directly.
• Manage team budgets, ensuring that resources and budgets are allocated effectively and
  transparently.
• Ensure that staff members understand the values, philosophy and culture of the Trust, and
  that they communicate this in a coherent and positive way to clients, partners, stakeholders
  and the general public.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade, spirit and purpose of the post as requested
  by a Director of the Trust

Person specification.

• Professional approach, seeking to provide a level-headed consistent tone and working
  environment.
• Team player, works with other Management Team members to jointly manage problems.
• Enthusiastic and collaborative, builds interest within the team to tackle problems.
• Listening and inclusive, draws in comment and engagement from across the team.
• Open/Honest/Transparent, ensures challenges are articulated calmly, assertively and in a
  balanced manner.
• Ambitious, seeks to achieve the very best from themselves, their team, and their projects
• Proactive, identifies and tackles problems early, and before they become serious issues
• Tenacity, works diligently to tackle key long-term issues

 Knowledge and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable experience of effective leadership and a proven ability to lead, develop and
  motivate colleagues.
• A collegial and inclusive approach to line management.
• Demonstrable experience of managing a programme of projects, direct project management,
  project planning and design.
• Demonstrable experience of managing resources and risk effectively including budgets.
• A degree, qualification or comparable education or experience in Environmental
  Science/Ecology/Geography or related discipline.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Experience of writing successful bids and identifying bid opportunities.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills for a wide range of audiences, including
  internal and external partners, contractors, as well as community interest groups.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, negotiation and relationship building skills.
• Your own means of transport to attend various sites and meetings as required across the
  Westcountry.
• Some travel to attend meetings in various locations around the UK possibly internationally,
  depending on projects being worked on.

Qualifications/Membership

• A degree in an Environmental science, including Ecology, Hydrology or a related field. A
  higher degree would be an asset but is not essential.
• At least 7 years’ experience in river restoration or a related field, with at least 3 years
  in a management or leadership role.
• Deep and wide knowledge of river ecology, hydrology, and river restoration techniques
• Proven ability to manage complex projects.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience in securing and managing budgets.
• A commitment to environmental conservation and restoration

Westcountry Rivers Trust’s office is in Stoke Climsland and whilst we have adopted hybrid
working there is an expectation to work from the office on a regular basis.

Apply by midnight on Sunday 14th July 2024.

Interviews will be held in person at our offices in Stoke Climsland on
23rd July 2024.

For queries about this role or the application process please contact [email protected]