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Join Our Team: Volunteering Leader
We’re excited to welcome a new Volunteering Leader at our North West location
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Working Hours & Location
This role follows a 37 hours, over a 7 day working pattern. The post holder will also be required to work an annualised hours system which includes working any 5 days out of 7 including statutory holidays. They will also be part of a 24-hour operational standby team responsible for providing emergency cover for the waterway.
The Volunteering Leader will be based at Calveley, Tarporley Hub. Working along the Middlewich Branch, Llangollen and Shropshire Union Canals.
Role Overview
This is an exciting opportunity, which offers a great variety of activities and tasks from day to day. You will be the public face of the Trust, working extremely closely with volunteers and with members of the public who visit and use our waterways. Your work will be a combination of day-to-day routine tasks and more exciting and involved project work. You will lead volunteers and the team to enable them to work safely and efficiently and help to foster a safe, secure and vibrant waterway network, where visitors are delighted with their experience. The role includes leading and attending events to publicise the work of the trust, promote our activities and recruit new volunteers.
Key Responsibilities
- Working outside, undertake on-the-job organisation, control and leadership of volunteer groups, volunteer task days, volunteer lock keepers and our in-house team.
- Leading and attending events to publicise the work of the trust, promote our activities and recruit new volunteers.
- Delivering works planned to be conducted by our volunteer teams and our local team.
- Develop volunteering opportunities on our locks.
- Deliver training to volunteers in accordance with set standards
- Identify opportunities for volunteers and update records of work and time delivered
- Ensure all equipment (PPE, plant, materials etc.) are appropriate for the task, in good condition and are used correctly.
- Prepare appropriate safe systems of work, induct volunteers onsite and manage safe delivery.
- Support communication within the team including sharing relevant corporate messages and provide feedback from the volunteers to the Area Operations Manager in order to enhance the planning of works.
- Active involvement in the day-to-day tasks of the team and volunteers e.g. lock keeping, water control, vegetation management, small projects, planned maintenance and also actively assist the Area Operations Manager in the planning of tasks. Ensure that environmental and heritage issues are taken into consideration in all work that is undertaken.
- Delivering pre planned maintenance of structures and undertaking minor repairs as part of a small team.
- Recording works completed and celebrating volunteer contributions.
About you
We are looking for an organised, proactive, engaging volunteering leader to support the Area Operations Manager. You will provide guidance to a growing number of active volunteers and our in-house team that helps maintain, conserve and improve the environment and heritage of the waterway network for local communities and visitors to enjoy.
Skills & Qualifications
- Experience of working within relevant environment e.g. volunteering, environmental works, customer service operations or maintenance.
- Experience of leading a small team
- Great organisation and prioritising skills
- Effective and engaging communication skills
- Computer literate – with good knowledge of Microsoft Office package
- Full UK Driving licence essential
- You will need to be self-motivated, able to work flexible hours to meet volunteering and business needs and communicate well with customers, volunteers and staff at all levels.
Contact & Application
We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates.
What We Offer
We offer an annual salary of £28,470. Enjoy a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits.
Canal & River Trust is the UK's largest canal charity, caring for a 2,000-mile network of stunning canals and navigable rivers.
Join Our Team: Head of Culture and Inclusion
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive
Our Head of Culture and Inclusion will join our team with a specific lens on cultural transformation which is key in relation to supporting our Trust vision and strategy. This role reports directly into the People Director and will be a member of the People Leadership team having one direct report (Inclusion & Diversity Manager)
Working Hours & Travel
This role follows 37 hours, 5 days a week, work pattern.This is a home‑based role, with UK wide travel to key sites.
Role Overview
In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for turning strategy into delivered outcomes through evidence-led programmes, strong governance, and clear accountability across leaders and teams. You will measurably strengthen an inclusive, high trust culture that enables performance and wellbeing; to increase colleague voice and engagement; and to ensure your Inclusion & Diversity ambitions translate into sustained behavioural change and business impact.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development and delivery of a clear Culture & Inclusion strategy that embeds inclusion, belonging and fairness across the organisation.
- Drive a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring inclusive behaviours, practices and decisions are actively reviewed, measured and evolved
- Build and sustain trusted relationships with senior leaders, Boards and key stakeholders to influence inclusive leadership and organisational change.
- Partner across the organisation to ensure culture and inclusion priorities are integrated into resourcing, talent, learning, performance and reward frameworks.
- Operate credibly across fast paced, complex environments, balancing strategic focus with pragmatic delivery under pressure.
- Champion inclusive, values led behaviours at all levels, adapting communication and influence to engage diverse audiences and workforce groups.
- Use insight, data and qualitative feedback to assess cultural health and inclusion outcomes, translating findings into actionable improvement plans.
- Ensure strong governance, planning and prioritisation of Culture & Inclusion initiatives to deliver impact with pace and consistency.
- Act as a visible advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion, supporting leaders and teams to role‑model inclusive practices and decision-making.
About You
You are an experienced culture transformation lead with demonstrable proven outcomes which have driven cultural change and made significant business impact. Confident influencing at all levels, you combine commercial awareness with a passion for belonging, fairness and continuous improvement.
Experience and Skill
- Demonstrable evidence of building and delivering multi-year culture and inclusion and diversity roadmaps with measurable outcomes in complex organisations.
- Demonstrated mastery of listening and insight methodologies, including survey design, driver analysis, segmentation and workforce lifecycle analytics, translating insight into clear, actionable priorities.
- Deep expertise in inclusive leadership and systemic inclusion levers across policy, process, behaviours and environment, with a strong bias toward practical education, habit change and sustainable impact.
- Proven experience designing governance frameworks, KPIs and benefits realisation measures, with regular reporting and assurance to Executive teams and Boards.
- Confident and compelling communicator, able to craft simple, engaging narratives from complex data and influence effectively across senior stakeholders.
- Strong credibility and lived experience working in partnership with colleague networks and communities, ensuring authentic representation, trust and meaningful engagement.
Contact & Application
If you would like more information or a briefing pack, please get in touch with the recruitment team. We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates.
What We Offer
This is a middle manager role with a package commensurate.
Canal & River Trust is the UK's largest canal charity, caring for a 2,000-mile network of stunning canals and navigable rivers.