Canal & River Trust
Volunteering Leader
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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: Volunteering Leader
We're looking for a Volunteer Leader to join our Operations team in Central London.
Help shape the future of our waterways by supporting volunteers to keep our canals open, safe and thriving. If you enjoy working outdoors, leading people and making a visible difference in your local community, this could be a rewarding opportunity.
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Working Hours & Location
Our teams work an annualised hours pattern, averaging 37 hours per week across a seven-day rota, including weekends and public holidays.
You'll also take part in our essential 24-hour operational standby rota, helping provide emergency response cover across our network.
Your base location will be Docklands, London E14 9ST, although the role involves regular travel between sites using a range of transport, including public transport where required.
On-call responsibility
Volunteer Leaders take part in an on-call rota alongside other Canal & River Trust colleagues:
- Approximately 1 week in every 5
- Availability from 4:00pm to 8:00am on weekdays, plus the full weekend
- A Trust vehicle will be taken home during on-call periods to respond to callouts
Role Overview
As a Volunteer Leader, you'll play a key role in supporting our Operations team to maintain and improve Central London's waterways and towpaths.
This is a hands-on operational role where you'll lead and support groups of volunteers carrying out practical maintenance and improvement work across the canal network. Working closely with our Operations colleagues, you'll help identify priorities, organise volunteer activities and ensure work is completed safely and effectively.
Every day is different, offering the opportunity to develop people, solve practical problems and make a lasting impact on the waterways that thousands of people enjoy.
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Key Accountabilities:
As a Volunteer Leader, you will:
- Work alongside the Operations team to identify where volunteer support can make the greatest impact
- Recruit, train and support volunteers to deliver practical maintenance activities
- Ensure volunteers are equipped, trained and able to work safely
- Plan, organise and lead volunteer groups across the network
- Deliver projects that support our purpose of keeping our waterways and towpaths open, safe & clean.
Typical activities include:
- Painting and site improvements
- Fly-tipping and litter removal
- Vegetation clearance
- Planned preventative Lock maintenance
- Minor repairs and surface repairs
- Water control tasks
Please note: This is a practical operational maintenance role. While you'll spend most of your time working outdoors, the role focuses on maintaining the canal network rather than ecological or conservation work alone.
About you
We're looking for an organised, proactive and engaging individual who enjoys working with people and is passionate about making a difference.
Working closely with the Area Operations Manager and the wider Operations team, you'll support a growing community of volunteers who help protect, maintain and enhance our waterways for everyone to enjoy.
You'll be confident leading volunteer groups, organising activities and handling day-to-day administration. Above all, you'll have a strong commitment to safety and creating a positive volunteer experience.
It would be beneficial if you have experience in:
- Health & Safety processes, including risk assessments and method statements
- Safeguarding
- Practical or maintenance work
- Volunteer coordination or team leadership
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
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.
Full UK Manual Driving License - Essential
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.
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What We Offer
We offer an annual salary of £29,670 + £4,000 per annum Inner London Allowance. Enjoy 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.
Learn more: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits
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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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