Local recruitment: Water Engineer

Canal and River Trust

Birmingham, UK 🇬🇧

Milton Keynes, UK 🇬🇧

Warwick, UK 🇬🇧

Gloucester, UK 🇬🇧

Abergavenny, UK 🇬🇧

London, UK 🇬🇧

Job Purpose

See compensation detail in our ‘What We Offer’ section below. 

Remote working –  base location flexible within easy access to any of our current main Hubs:  Birmingham, Hatton, Milton Keynes, Gloucester, Govilon, London

We’re the charity who look after and bring to life 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, because we believe that life is better by water. Every role across the Trust plays its part in transforming our canals and rivers into spaces where local people want to spend time and feel better, bringing wellbeing benefits to millions. 

Water is the lifeblood of the inland waterway network that we care for. Without effective management of water, the Trust cannot deliver its charitable objectives. Our Water Engineers, part of the national Water Management team with the Operations Directorate play a crucial role. On a day-to-day basis, you could be supporting asset engineers and project managers to understand impacts of droughts on our canals and come up with mitigation solutions to offset reductions in water supply, through to working with reservoir engineers and hydraulic modellers to assess major infrastructure projects and their impacts on flood risk management. 

As a Water Engineer you will apply engineering expertise, judgement and knowledge to assist the effective and efficient management of water across the network to meet navigational and other demands for water, whilst helping to comply with relevant legal, environmental and operational constraints. Supporting our continued delivery of selected asset inspections, you will identify engineering issues/problems and offer some potential solutions to straightforward challenges, assist the compilation of simple packages of works for the delivery teams. 

Our Water Engineers act as the primary contact for the majority of operational water control issues, including flood risk management concerns; liaising with the rest of the Water Management team to help ensure proportionate, timely and appropriate responses are made to internal and external customers. 

Location & coverage

This role will be offered on a remote working basis, with a requirement to attend our main hub spaces as and when required for team working and collaborative meetings. The successful candidate will be primarily home based however will be expected to travel several days a month to attend site visits and meetings, which may include occasional overnight stays. The role will cover the regional waterways within the Southern parts of our network, including: Southwest, South Wales, London/Southeast and Southern England

The regularity & flexibility of travel will be discussed further at interview stage. 

See our canal network here: (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network). Accessibility to this network is essential.

Knowledge, Skills/Qualifications & Experience

You might be working with consultants and other technical specialists to prioritise works on pumping stations, weirs and sluices, or negotiating with regulators such as the Environment Agency and stakeholders such as local authorities to ensure the Trusts water management roles are properly accounted for and protected in external projects and schemes affecting our infrastructure. You’ll be updating guidance to ensure operational colleagues have accurate and relevant information to control water safely and effectively in droughts and floods, and advising senior management to decide on how to tackle future pressures on our network such as ageing infrastructure and climate change.

Key accountabilities: 

  • Under direction or supervision of Principal and/or Senior Water Engineers provide specialist advice on water engineering issues, to Regional and central teams, and especially Asset Engineering colleagues. Support Hydrologists and other Water Engineers to ensure that water engineering requirements and concerns are accounted for in any planned engineering works or other relevant projects. Assist in providing practical water engineering support to simple/moderate complexity restoration and new canal projects.
  • Carry out, or assist, Principal Inspections of canal feeder assets following agreed procedure(s) (e.g. AIP), liaising with Regional and Asset Engineering colleagues to ensure inspection programme delivered to time and quality requirements as monitored by others.
  • Under supervision, provide formal Water Management team response to statutory consultee matters for straightforward planning applications and Flood Risk Assessment queries relating to the Trusts waterways, against defined issues (flood risk management, water resources), escalating more complex matters.
  • The Canal & River Trust wants to create a sustainable and evolving canal and river network that is a national treasure – accessible to and cherished by all.  Core to delivering this vision the job holder will be committed to equality and diversity whereby fellow employees, customers, our partners and volunteers feel respected, included and valued.

About you

This role is based with our Water Management team, and we are looking for someone with engineering experience, ideally within the water sector who has good knowledge and confidence in identifying and successfully managing small/medium sized projects. Our successful applicant may previously have worked in roles including Wastewater and Surface Water drainage design, experience carrying out Flood Risk Assessments, and have knowledge of EA and LLFA, consents, permits, licences and planning matters.

Technical: 

  • Degree (e.g. BEng) or equivalent in relevant subject e.g. Civil / Water Engineering. 
  • Student/Graduate member of a professional body e.g. ICE. 
  • Working towards appropriate Membership grade of a professional body e.g. ICE. 
  • Demonstrate some relevant experience (e.g. engineering principles, training, academic modules).
  • Some experience of inspecting waterway related assets and recommending improvements/works.
  • Awareness, knowledge and understanding of civil and hydraulic engineering processes.
  • Experience in delivering small technical projects or well-defined projects.

General: 

  • Computer literate in MS Office.
  • Good level of written communication skills and numerical ability.
  • Basic presentation skills.
  • Ability to manage own time effectively, prioritising tasks and seeking guidance where appropriate.
  • Some experience of basic, relevant Trust or comparable customer service standards and expectations.
  • Valid driving licence. 

To apply:  click on the “Apply for this job” button and follow the process – complete the application form & upload current CV. 

Interviews: Initial interviews will be conducted virtually.

If you have any questions about this role before applying, please do not hesitate to contact CRT.recruitment@canalrivertrust.org.uk

What We Offer

In addition to your annual base salary of £35,000 – £37,500, we also offer Car Cash Allowance (£390 per month), a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits we are also open to flexible working arrangements. These include:

  • Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, where we will double your contribution to a maximum of 10%.
  • 25 days paid holiday (plus paid Bank Holidays), increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
  • Home working status with ‘hub’ facilities available should you need the flexibility to work outside of home.
  • Annual £200 personal learning & growth award to spend on any learning related activity.
  • Free access to specialist counselling on a range of issues, e.g. health, financial, well-being and domestic matters.
  • Access to a range of employee benefits including store discounts, boating holiday discounts and holiday purchase scheme.
  • 2 days paid volunteering leave per annum, allowing you to volunteer for a local community project etc.
  • Free fishing facilities across our canal network.

At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.

All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.

When you join the Canal & River Trust you become a member of an engaged team working to preserve our heritage for future generations. Come and share your passion and knowledge with a team that makes a difference to millions of people every day.

Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us 


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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