Bristol Water Access & Recreations Manager

Bristol Water plc; Bath; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Discretionary bonus

Pension

Share-save scheme

Health benefits

Wellbeing support

Group discounts

Cycle to Work Scheme

Job summary

Bristol Water plc is seeking an experienced Access & Recreation Manager to lead safe, compliant public access and recreation across reservoir sites. You will work with environmental specialists, operations and partners to protect wildlife while ensuring visitors have safe, enjoyable experiences.

The role requires degree-qualified candidates with experience in recreation management, GIS mapping and strong stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Essential degree-qualified (or equivalent) in recreation, leisure, countryside access, outdoor management or related discipline.
• Proven experience managing public access and recreation operations on water-based or countryside sites.
• GIS mapping experience.
• Accessibility survey skills.
• Experience working with regulators and statutory bodies.
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership management skills.
• Experience supporting permit, consent or licence application processes.
• Strong project management and analytical skills.
• Full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Developing and delivering Bristol Water's Access & Recreation strategy.
• Producing and implementing access management plans informed by site surveys.
• Supporting environmental improvement programmes and regulatory commitments.
• Providing public site safety access expertise to operational teams.
• Working with regulators, local authorities and conservation organisations.
• Managing stakeholder relationships including water sports clubs, anglers, local businesses and community groups.
• Leading water safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns.
• Overseeing inspections, signage, public access routes and visitor facilities.
• Managing recreational events and ensuring permissions and compliance.
• Supporting environmental and public incident response and risk management activities.
• Monitoring recreation data and performance measures for corporate reporting.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Regulatory liaison

Education

Degree-qualified in recreation / leisure / countryside access or related discipline

Tools

GIS mapping

Job description

About the role

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Access & Recreation Manager to lead the safe, sustainable and compliant management of public access and recreational activities across Bristol Water's reservoir sites. This is an exciting and varied role that sits at the intersection of environmental stewardship, recreation, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery. You'll work alongside environmental specialists, operational teams and external partners to ensure our reservoir sites remain safe, accessible and environmentally protected for customers, communities and wildlife alike.

What you'll be doing

As Access & Recreation Manager, you'll be responsible for overseeing both operational and regulatory activities associated with public access and recreation across our reservoir estate.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and delivering Bristol Water's Access & Recreation strategy.
• Producing and implementing access management plans informed by site and desktop surveys.
• Supporting environmental improvement programmes and regulatory commitments.
• Providing public site safety access expertise to operational teams.
• Working closely with regulators, local authorities and conservation organisations.
• Managing stakeholder relationships including water sports clubs, anglers, local businesses and community groups.
• Leading water safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns.
• Overseeing inspections, signage, public access routes and visitor facilities.
• Managing recreational events and ensuring appropriate permissions and compliance measures are in place.
• Supporting environmental and public incident response and risk management activities.
• Monitoring recreation data and performance measures, contributing to corporate reporting and business improvement initiatives.
• Identifying opportunities to enhance recreational facilities while protecting environmental assets.

Flexibility

This role is primarily Monday to Friday; however, occasional weekend and out-of-hours working will be required to support events, stakeholder engagement activities and operational priorities across our reservoir sites. This flexibility is an important part of ensuring we deliver safe and enjoyable experiences for visitors and partners.

What we are looking for

You'll be a confident and collaborative professional with relevant qualifications or experience in recreation, visitor management, countryside access, or a related discipline. You'll enjoy balancing public access, visitor experience, safety, and operational requirements while building strong relationships with stakeholders and partners.

We're particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Essential Degree-qualified (or equivalent experience) in recreation, leisure, countryside access, outdoor management, or a related discipline.
• Proven experience managing public access and recreation operations on water-based or countryside sites.
• GIS mapping experience.
• Accessibility survey skills.
• Experience working with regulators and statutory bodies.
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership management skills.
• Experience supporting permit, consent or licence application processes.
• Strong project management and analytical skills.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

Relevant qualifications in health and safety, water safety, project management, or visitor attraction management would be advantageous

Water industry experience.

Experience working with community groups, recreational users or hospitality operations.

About Bristol Water

At Bristol Water, we've been serving generations of families since 1846. Ensuring people in our communities have access to healthy water is paramount, which is why we work around the clock testing our water hundreds of times a day.

We're proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we're working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you're starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.

Benefits

• Generous holiday allowance plus bank holidays
• A discretionary Bonus
• Competitive Contributory Pension
• Share-save Scheme
• Various health benefits
• Wellbeing support programmes
• A range of Group Discounts
• Cycle to Work Scheme

Application details

Closing Date: 4th November 2026. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications.

Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.

Inclusion & Diversity

Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.

Core values

• Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
• Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
• Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.JBRP1_UKTJ