Evidence and Engagement Officer - Westcountry Rivers Trust

Westcountry Rivers Trust; Stoke Climsland; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

An environmental charity is looking for an Evidence and Engagement Officer based in Stoke Climsland. This role involves leading community engagement and project management for various environmental initiatives. Candidates should have a passion for the environment, strong communication skills, and experience in community projects. The position offers a starting salary of £25,700 to £28,300 along with several benefits including flexible working and annual leave.

Benefits

25 days Annual Leave

9% Employer Pension

Flexible working

Qualifications

• Experience in designing and delivering environmental monitoring plans and projects.
• Demonstrable experience in community engagement projects.
• Knowledge of data protection and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Develop, plan and deliver engagement activities across the Southwest.
• Build relationships with communities and stakeholders.
• Manage project objectives and work packages.

Skills

Community engagement

Project management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Environmental knowledge

Education

Undergraduate degree in Environmental Science/Ecology/Geography

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

Contract: Permanent Contract
Grade: 3
Report To: Head of Resilience & Communities
Hours: Full time (37.5 hours)
Location: Westcountry Rivers Trust’s office is in Stoke Climsland and whilst we have adopted hybrid working there is an expectation to work from the office on a regular basis and to travel to sites across the delivery area.

Westcountry Rivers Trust is recruiting for 2 x Evidence and Engagement Officer

This is a permanent contract after a successful 6 month probation period.

The starting salary for this role is £25,700.00 - £28,300.00 (dependent on experience)

Benefits while working for Westcountry Rivers Trust

• 25 days Annual Leave per annum, with a reward for long service - an additional 1 day per year for each year worked over 5 years, up to a maximum of 30 days for employees serving 10 years continuous service.
• Additional Leave covering the Christmas Closure period.
• 9% Employer Pension, plus Life Assurance cover
• Flexible working

Apply by midnight on the 24th August 2025 by CV and Covering Letter here

Interviews will be held in person at our offices in Stoke Climsland on Thursday 4th September and Friday 5th September 2025.

For queries about this role or the application process please contact [e-mail]

About the Westcountry Rivers Trust

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism, reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health.

Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities, businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of climate emergency and the ecological crisis is forcing society to invest in building catchment resilience.

Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots organisation, brought into existence from the bottom up. In the early 90s, a group of individuals, passionate – but concerned – about the waterways around them, began to stitch together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust we know today.

Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach,’ considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within them.

It was this new perspective – not to mention the hands-on and tireless approach to river restoration – that grabbed the attention of so many supporters and funders, and which lies behind the flourishing rivers trust movement. Since then, the Trust now has circa 75 employees with an annual turnover of c£3m running multi-annual projects spread across a wide range of funders.

The Trust has three main delivery teams and a support services team. Our employees work on delivery sites, from home, and from the office.

About the Role

The Evidence and Engagement Officer will work across the department but have a particular focus on community engagement and project management. The role will require the holder to be technically competent, passionate about the environment and have a keen interest in engagement and the communication of scientific data.

Proactive engagement with communities across the Southwest will form the bedrock of much of their work, including activities such as drop-in events, co-creation workshops and practical volunteer management.

The role will lead and coordinate the delivery of a diverse portfolio of environmental projects. You’ll manage budgets, timelines, reporting requirements, and stakeholder relationships to ensure impactful outcomes for rivers and communities. The role involves working closely with colleagues, communities, and partners to design and implement evidence-led initiatives that support river health, climate resilience, and public engagement. You’ll play a key role in translating science into action and ensuring collaborative, community-based approaches to river stewardship. Strong communication, organisation, and a passion for the environment are essential for this role.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be conducted in line with our safeguarding and recruitment policies.

Responsibilities

• Develop, plan and deliver engagement activities across the Southwest
• Build relationships and maintain communication with catchment-based communities and key stakeholders. The role will be the ‘first port of call’ for catchment specific questions
• Assist in co-ordinating volunteers within each catchment and communicate with the Project Managers regularly
• Manage and deliver project objectives and work packages, supported by the senior Project Manager
• Organise and deliver detailed walkover and site visits to determine suitability and impact for projects
• Coordinate delivery of capital works
• Identify and coordinate opportunities for volunteer participation
• Assist in management of the ‘Assemble’ volunteer management system
• Assist in monitoring and data capture to ensure project activities are evidenced
• Write and update catchment and project reports
• Assist in the delivery of project activities and key milestones to achieve project objectives - This could include activities for broader project delivery that isn’t focused on specific catchments when required, such as attending partnership meetings
• Plan and deliver meetings with internal and external stakeholders
• Carry out other duties relevant to your role as reasonably required by the Head of Resilience & Communities or another manager of the Trust.

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Motivated professional with demonstrable experience in designing and delivering environmental monitoring plans and projects
• Demonstrable experience in delivering community engagement projects including facilitating meetings
• Good knowledge of requirements for data protection and confidentiality
• Experience in delivering projects in a conservation setting
• Knowledge and experience of environmental issues
• Experience in delivery of practical conservation tasks (D)
• Knowledge of relevant environmental legislation and statutory plans (D)
• Knowledge of the rivers and catchments across the Southwest and how river catchment’s function (D)
• Experience in management of contractors (D)
• Experience of co-design, co-production and/or co-creation activities (D)
• Knowledge of Safeguarding (D)

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to manage workload and time effectively
• Excellent written & verbal communication skills for a wide range of audiences
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Good organisational and admin skills, with good attention to detail to maintain a filing system, keep appropriate records of work undertaken and outcomes, and file expenses in line with funders requirements
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Office 365
• Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends
• Access to a vehicle, a clean valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel are needed for the role

Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree in Environmental Science/Ecology/Geography/related discipline or equivalent experience

The above are Essential criteria unless indicated as Desirable.