Project Manager role in river conservation, education, community engagement and farmer engagement

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Project Manager 
Location: Merseyside/Cheshire/Greater Manchester
Salary: £25,000 per year
Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week. Flexibility required (some evening & weekend work)

Deadline for Applications: Friday 4th August 2023

Background

Mersey Rivers Trust (MRT) is an environmental charity focussing on the protection and enhancement of rivers and waterbodies in the Mersey Catchment. It operates in an area covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. The Trust works with partners, local communities and volunteers to deliver a wide range of projects including river restoration, reduction of flood risk by Natural Flood Management techniques, river monitoring, volunteer events (eg river clean-ups/invasive species control and citizen science), community engagement and education events, farm advice/plans and biodiversity net gain.

The successful applicant will be able to effectively deliver projects as well as undertake communications and engagement activities.

Role Overview

Our project portfolio continues to grow and we are now looking to recruit a competent, dynamic and enthusiastic person with experience in delivery of river improvement and engagement projects. The role will include engagement activities with stakeholders, landowners and local communities, training and managing our volunteers, as well as delivery of physical improvement works such as invasive species control, river restoration and wetland creation projects. The role holder will report to one of our Senior Project Managers.

The successful candidate will have knowledge of topics such as catchment management, river conservation, river restoration and be confident in communicating with stakeholders, landowners, local communities and our volunteers. 

The post holder will be home-based and will need to travel throughout the Mersey Basin catchment.

Key Duties:

The main duties of the role will be to support Mersey Rivers Trust staff in the delivery of its portfolio of projects and engagement activities in Mersey Catchment including the management of specific projects.

The role holder will be supervised by a Project Manager or Senior Project Manager but will be expected to take ownership and lead specific tasks following appropriate training/competence development.

Specific duties will include: 

• Support and lead the organisation of outdoor public volunteer events (e.g. invasive species control and litter picks) and support the co-ordination of volunteers.
• Supporting the delivery of educational activities e.g. working with schools on environmental river based initiatives and events.
• To support the delivery of environmental enhancement and nature-based solutions projects (e.g. Natural Flood Management schemes, river restoration schemes, Invasive Species control).
• To support the Senior Project Manager in project management and reporting activities, including financial reporting, as well as management of contractors.
• To help promote water environmental messages to the public through presentations, displays, events, social media and general publicity.
• To assist in the development of monitoring and evaluation systems and to document, monitor and evaluate all projects in line with funding requirements.
• To support the preparation of funding bids for the Trust.
• To attend regular internal and external meetings as required.
• To work in a flexible manner and to undertake any other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time, which are commensurate with the grade of the job.
• To travel within the Mersey River Basin as required (Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside).
• To carry out all of the above duties with full regard to the Trust’s Equal Opportunities, Non-Discrimination, Safeguarding, Environmental, Health and Safety policies.

Candidate Profile

• GCSEs (or equivalent qualifications) in maths and English is essential. Education to A level (or equivalent qualifications) in relevant subjects or equivalent relevant vocational qualifications is desirable.
• Valid driving licence and own vehicle, insured for business use is essential.
• Competent and confident in the use of email, Excel and Word. Experience in GIS and Powerpoint would be desirable, along with social media (Facebook, Twitter).
• A confident and clear communicator with experience in delivering engagement projects with a variety of stakeholders and local communities.
• Experience of successful environmental project delivery working as part of a team, ideally in the river environment and/or in catchment management.
• Understanding of how different physical improvement projects are meant to perform in relation to river catchments, river channels and river ecology.
• Experience in working with contractors and volunteers is desirable.
• Self-motivated and able to work effectively from home without supervision and to a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to work flexibly, including some early mornings, some evenings and some weekends/bank holidays.
• Ability to prioritise and plan activities to meet strict deadlines.
• Reliability, good attendance and work performance.
• Strong team working skills and able to work collaboratively with partners, contractors, volunteers and community groups.
• Good organisational / admin skills and attention to detail 
• A knowledge of farming/agricultural practices would also be advantage but not essential.

General Notes

• Travel around the Mersey Catchment will be necessary and therefore a current driving licence and access to an appropriately insured vehicle is essential.
• This position will from time to time require work during some evenings, weekends and public holidays. A time-off in lieu system is operated by the Trust.

Term and Conditions

The following terms and conditions are typically offered to Mersey Rivers Trust staff and are set out as a guide only. Terms and conditions may vary according to circumstances and this summary does not form part of any subsequent employment 

Contract duration: Permanent.

Annual leave: 28 days annual leave (including 3 day Christmas shutdown) pro rata plus bank holidays.

Time off in lieu: The Trust operates a time off in-lieu system for work at weekends, evenings or bank holidays. We do not pay overtime or double time. 

Location: Home-Based. Some working may be required from time to time in our offices in Manchester. The work will include some home-based computer / planning activities, alongside working across the Mersey catchment area, both indoors (e.g. in community spaces) and outdoors.

Travel expenses: travel expenses will be paid for all work-related travel within the Mersey catchment (Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire plus small areas of Lancashire (parts of West Lancs and Rossendale districts) and part of the High Peak district of Derbyshire. Candidates living outside the catchment area will need to cover their own travel costs from their home to the catchment boundary. 

To apply: 

If you wish to apply, please send a CV (no more than two sides of A4) and covering letter (no more than two sides of A4), outlining how you meet the requirements of the person specification and job description and why you want to work for the Trust. Please email your application to the Operations Director of the Mersey Rivers Trust, Paul Henbrey (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Applications must be received by email no later than the end of 4th August 2023.

Interviews will be held in August or early September either via Zoom or face-to-face depending on circumstances.

If you would like more information about the role before submitting an application, you may contact Paul Henbrey 07747 446103 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or John Sanders 07821 117396 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).