Senior Engineer (Restoration)
Senior Engineer (Restoration)
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.
Contract: Initial 12-month fixed term or secondment contract
Join Our Team: Senior Engineer (restoration) opportunity
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
The Trust owns and manages 2000 miles of waterway, and the vast majority of this is open to navigation and used and enjoyed by many thousands of people on boats every day. A small part of the network is not currently open to navigation, and these sections are generally classed as unrestored. The financial position of the Trust is such that it cannot restore these sections back to a full navigable standard, although their towpaths remain open to walkers and the canals in general provide a habitat for wildlife.
Most unrestored sections of canal have a restoration society associated with them and these societies aspire to restore their section of canal back to a full navigable standard. These societies generally comprise a good number of volunteers, who between them have much knowledge and experience in a wide variety of roles, from engineering to fundraising and ecology to construction. From time to time, they approach the Trust with their restoration plans and in partnership, over the past few decades, several sections of canal have been restored back to a full navigable standard.
Working Hours & Location
This role follows 37 hours, Monday to Friday working pattern. The vacancy will be offered on a remote working basis, with a requirement to attend our main hub spaces as and when required.
The concentration of works means our relevant regional hubs include Leeds, Newark, Milton Keynes. See our network here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network).
Role Overview
Works vary in terms of their scale and scope and some can be quite significant civil engineering projects which require a significant amount of time for the Trust. The challenge of maintaining our already open network means that we do not have the spare resource to provide this support from our existing team and are proposing an alternative way of working. Going forward restoration societies wanting to deliver restoration on Trust property, which is often undertaken using volunteers, will need to cover the cost of our time. Most of the support required by restoration groups will require an engineer, with their associated costs being recoverable; this is the role that we are now recruiting for.
Key Responsibilities
- Carry out the role of Client under CDM regulations.
- Assess the resources needed to deliver the tasks the Trust needs to deliver.
- Assess the appointment of designers, contractors and other specialists as needed.
- Issue design standards, pre-design information and environmental constraints.
- Advise on design development and construction plans.
- Accept designs put forward.
- Review Construction Phase Plans.
- Hand over the site, carry out site audits and accept the sites back.
About You
The Senior Engineer (Restoration), in addition to the technical parts of the role described above, will need to be a great communicator and able to establish and maintain relationships with both external parties to help them fulfil their visions, guiding them to deliver achievable plans, and also internal teams to gather support all whilst protecting the interests of the Trust and promoting our position. This is a full-time role however if the works associated with restoration dwindles then there will be a need to support wider engineering colleagues at the Trust delivering other projects.
Skills & Qualifications
Technical Skills
- Chartered Engineer (ICE/MICE) with a degree in Civil Engineering and evidence of ongoing professional development.
- Extensive experience in civil engineering design and construction, ideally within the water environment, including concept/feasibility design, diagnostic analysis and delivering complex engineering projects.
- Strong knowledge of CDM Regulations, historic infrastructure and the natural environment.
- Collaborative and solutions‑focused, able to engage effectively with cross‑functional teams, stakeholders, contractors and external partners.
- Confident in negotiation and decision‑making, with the ability to balance competing risks, priorities and resources across multiple functions.
General Skills
- Experienced working in diverse, multi‑disciplinary project teams, with strong communication skills and the ability to present technical information to non‑technical audiences.
- Confident in negotiation, decision‑making and prioritising conflicting cross‑functional risks, supporting colleagues while balancing wider business needs.
- Proficient with MS Office and digital tools, with experience using GIS or mapping systems.
- Valid driving licence and access to a vehicle, as the role requires travel to sites not accessible by public transport.
- Experience working with volunteers or within charitable environments.
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 £44,750 - £47,000, we also offer Car Cash Allowance (£425 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