Canal & River Trust
Project/Programme Planner (Boating Transformation Programme)
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About the Trust
We're one of the UK’s biggest charities and we care for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs because we believe life is better by water. We're looking for people who support our cause and want to make a difference for future generations. Could this be you?
Along with our waterways we also manage museums, archives and the country's third largest collection of historic buildings, as well as the nature and wildlife that calls our canals home. All of this enables us to provide wellbeing opportunities for millions of people each year.
Join Our Team: Transforming Boating Project / Programme Planner (internal title) opportunity
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
The Transforming Boating Project Planner will play a key role in delivering the Trust’s ambitious multi-year Transforming Boating Programme. You will coordinate and optimise the planning, scheduling, and delivery of the Trust's national asset maintenance, repair, and renewal programme, ensuring key milestones, dependencies, budgets, and operational outcomes remain on track. Working across multiple operational and engineering teams, you will maintain programme plans, oversee national stoppage schedules, monitor performance, and provide clear reporting to support investment decisions and effective programme delivery.
Unlike some traditional project / programme planning roles focused primarily on policy transformation and consultation programmes, this role sits at the heart of the Trust's operational asset management function, supporting the delivery of critical infrastructure programmes that keep our waterways open, safe, and navigable.
Working Hours & Location
This is a home based role which follows a 37 hour working week and will be assigned to one of the Trust's key operational hubs. Regular travel across England and Wales as required to competently perform the role. A valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.
Role Overview
You will coordinate and track delivery of the Trust’s multi-year Transforming Boating Programme, ensuring key milestones, dependencies, and outcomes remain on schedule. Working across multiple teams, you’ll manage project plans, monitor performance, and provide clear reporting to support effective decision-making and successful programme delivery.
Key responsibilities
- Establish, maintain, and optimise the national programme schedule for asset maintenance, repair, renewal, and principal inspection activities, ensuring delivery aligns with organisational priorities and operational requirements.
- Coordinate the development and management of national stoppage programmes, balancing engineering requirements, customer impacts, resource availability, and budget constraints.
- Manage a defined financial element of the national works programme, overseeing annual expenditure plans of approximately £4m-£10m whilst contributing to the successful delivery of the wider £25m national programme.
- Utilise SAP Logistics, Accounting and Information System modules to monitor programme performance, resource allocation, financial forecasts, work delivery status, and reporting requirements.
- Lead programme monitoring, forecasting, and reporting processes, identifying trends, risks, opportunities, and efficiencies across the asset portfolio.
- Manage formal programme change control processes, ensuring amendments to scope, budget, priorities, or delivery schedules are reviewed, approved, communicated, and accurately reflected in programme plans.
- Work collaboratively with Regional Engineers, Waterway Managers, and operational teams to ensure maintenance and renewal priorities are effectively planned and delivered.
- Analyse programme performance data to identify opportunities for asset efficiencies, improved delivery methods, enhanced value for money, and continuous improvement.
- Support the development of long-term investment programmes through robust planning, financial analysis, and programme forecasting.
- Display the Trust values and behaviours at all times.
- Ensure that diversity and inclusion are integrated into all aspects of Trust life and promote inclusion by challenging behaviour, practices, actions, or decisions that are counter to the objectives of the Trust's policies and values.
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Key Relationships
- Boating Transformation Programme Manager: Direct line manager, providing day-to-day direction, overseeing delivery progress, supporting risk management, and coordinating timelines across programme workstreams.
- Transforming Boating Officer & Boating Change Manager: Working closely with the wider transformation team to support programme delivery, align activities to strategic objectives, monitor KPIs, and contribute to reporting for senior leaders and governance boards.
- Internal Cross-Functional Teams: Building strong relationships with colleagues across Licensing, Enforcement, Welfare, Operations, Communications, and Legal teams to support collaboration, understand current processes, and help embed programme outcomes across the Trust.
- Citizens Boater Panel & Stakeholder Groups: Coordinating engagement activities, onboarding, administration, and communications to ensure customer insight and lived experience inform programme decisions and delivery.
- National Boating Organisations (NBOs) & Local Boating Communities: Working collaboratively to support consultation activities, community engagement events, towpath hubs, and the distribution of accessible information and feedback opportunities.
About You
You will be an experienced programme planning professional with a strong background in infrastructure, engineering, maintenance, or asset management environments. You'll combine analytical capability with excellent stakeholder management skills and be comfortable working with complex programmes, substantial budgets, and technical asset information.
Most importantly, you will be motivated by maximising programme efficiency, optimising asset investment, and supporting the long-term sustainability of the Trust's nationally important infrastructure.
Skills & Qualifications
Technical skills:
- Significant experience in project or programme planning and scheduling within a large, complex, or matrix organisation.
- Strong knowledge of project management methodologies such as PRINCE2, Agile, MSP, or similar approaches.
- Experience managing project plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, and delivery schedules.
- Strong data analysis and IT skills, with the ability to extract, interpret, and present information through clear reports and KPI dashboards.
- Experience maintaining project governance documentation, including risk registers, status reports, and programme updates.
- Proven ability to identify and implement process improvements that enhance programme delivery and efficiency.
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General skills:
- Experience leading or supervising colleagues, supporting performance, prioritisation, and delivery against deadlines.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build relationships and drive progress across multiple teams.
- Confident communicator, able to engage effectively with colleagues at all levels and provide clear updates on programme progress.
- Strategic thinker, able to manage competing priorities, navigate ambiguity, and adapt to changing circumstances.
- Highly organised, with the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams and maintain focus on key delivery objectives.
- Collaborative and resilient approach, with the ability to keep initiatives moving forward in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
Contact & Application
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at CRT.recruitment@canalrivertrust.org.uk. We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates.
What We Offer
In addition to your annual base salary of £45,450 - £50,085 (depending on experience) we also offer a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits. For a full breakdown of our benefits, check out our brochure here: EVP - 1.
Our values
We care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone can thrive. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments - whether for a disability, neurodiversity, or health condition - please let us know what you need and how we can support you. We’ll work with you to make any necessary changes.
All of our jobs can be considered on a part time, flexible or job share basis.
We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. You are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. We recognise not everyone who is classified as disabled under the Equality Act personally identifies this way, or with this definition of disability. Please do not let this discourage you from applying under the scheme.
At Canal & River Trust, we are committed to fair, transparent, and ethical recruitment practices. As part of our hiring process, we may use AI to analyse applications and support us work more efficiently. However, all hiring decisions – without exception - are made by our hiring managers.
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us
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