Civil Engineering Works Inspector

Job Description

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: Works Inspector opportunity

Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.

Our Third-Party Works Team helps developers, utility companies and local authorities carry out projects safely on or near our 2,000 miles of historic waterways, guiding them through our Code of Practice and ensuring every scheme protects our heritage, environment and customers. The team supports hundreds of projects each year—from small local works to major infrastructure schemes— offering specialist guidance, engineering input, inspections and approvals. Their work ensures that third‑party activities are safe, compliant and carried out without detrimental impact on navigation, towpaths, wildlife, heritage structures or public use.

We are looking for a Works Inspector to support the delivery of construction, repair and maintenance of third party works across our waterways and assets.

You’ll be responsible for inspecting works on or adjacent to the waterways in central London and the surrounding areas. The role acts as the eyes and ears on the ground for the Works Engineers within the London and South East Infrastructure Team handling third party works, providing assurance that works are being carried out safely and in line with the Trust’s Code of Practice, protecting Trust’s assets and keeping the public safe.

This is a hybrid role, combining time on site with remote working at home. You’ll be out on the network most of the time inspecting sites, as well as working remotely at home to manage records, communicate with colleagues and contractors and support project delivery.

Working Hours & Travel

This is a hybrid role, where you will be on site most of the time (3 days a week), with some home working (2 days a week). There are also occasional in person meetings with the rest of your team in central London.

Core hours: 37 hours, 5 days a week, work pattern.

You should be able to reasonably commute to one of the following hubs: Milton Keynes & London (Little Venice).

Role Overview

In this role, you’ll help protect the Trust’s waterways by monitoring and inspecting third‑party works, ensuring they are safe, compliant and in line with our Code of Practice. You’ll build strong relationships with promoters and stakeholders, manage site activity and records, and play a key part in safeguarding our assets, environment and reputation.

Key Responsibilities

Inspect and monitor third party works on or adjacent to Trust assets.
Assess the onsite compliance of third party works with the Trust’s Code of Practice, challenging and escalating where works do not comply or where there is risk to the public.
Use professional judgement to assess site conditions and identify risks or issues.
Identify and escalate any concerns relating to safety, quality or compliance in a timely manner.
Communicate effectively with colleagues, third party contractors, and other stakeholders to share information and resolve issues both on site and remotely.
Represent the Trust professionally when interacting with third parties, their contractors and members of the public.
Liaise with Works Engineers in your team, as well as other colleagues in relevant teams across the Trust regarding site issues.
Maintain accurate digital records and reports of site inspections and health and safety logs.
Support delivery across multiple projects and locations.
Coordinate simple third party works, including issuing access permissions and completing associated documentation.
Always Work safely, with awareness of risks associated with working on or near water.

About You

Skills & Qualifications

Technical sklls

Recent hands‑on experience working on site in a construction, repair, or maintenance environment.
Experience inspecting works and identifying quality or compliance issues.
Good understanding of construction methods and site safety.
Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, and standards.
Experience working with contractors on site.
Use of digital systems to maintain accurate records of site visits, inspections, and health and safety actions.

Desirable:

Experience working in complex or constrained environments.
Experience working near water or similar settings.
Relevant technical or engineering qualifications.

General skills

Confidence to challenge unsafe or non‑compliant activity and escalate where required.
Ability to work independently and manage workload effectively.
Comfortable communicating digitally with colleagues and wider teams.
Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

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 c. £30,000 - £33,500, we also offer Car Cash Allowance (£390 per month), 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