Project Manager (12 month maternity cover contract)

Canal & River Trust; Ellesmere Port; Remote; GBP 35,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Canal & River Trust is seeking a Project Manager for a 12-month maternity cover contract. You will oversee the development phase of Ellesmere Yard, focusing on enhancing accessibility to the waterways, managing multiple stakeholders and ensuring project compliance and safety. This role offers training opportunities and requires collaboration with various partners.

Benefits

25 days paid holiday increasing to 30 after 5 years

Annual £200 personal learning & growth award

Access to employee discounts and boating holiday discounts

2 days paid volunteering leave per annum

Free fishing facilities across canal network

Qualifications

• Experience managing low/medium complexity projects.
• Knowledge of project management processes and finance control.
• Valid UK driving licence required.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects according to the Trust’s Health and Safety policy.
• Prepare NLHF stage 2 bid.
• Develop and monitor project schedules and key milestones.

Skills

Communication

Problem Solving

Stakeholder Management

Education

HND (or equivalent) in a related discipline

Project / Programme Management qualification (Desirable)

Job description

Job Purpose

Job Title: Project Manager

Advertised Salary: £35,000 - £40,750 + car cash allowance (£4,860 p.a.) + benefits.

** Contract: Full time, 12 month maternity cover contract **

Location: Remote, with regular travel across our regional network. See here: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network

We are the charity who look after and brings to life 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, because we believe that life is better by water. Every role across the Trust plays its part in transforming our canals and rivers into spaces where local people want to spend time and feel better, bringing wellbeing benefits to millions.

We are currently looking for a Project Manager to join our high performing delivery team to provide maternity cover, overseeing our development phase of the restoration of Ellesmere Yard, Shropshire.

Our focus is on ensuring more people have access and the ability to use our towpath and waterway network and ultimately benefit millions of people across England & Wales. The project, funded by the Trust and National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) will see the development and submission of the stage 2 bid to NLHF in May 2026. Work includes the development of our activity plan, including overseeing creative consultants, who will work to bring to life and create a sustainable future for the site. Managing our evaluation, volunteering, and education will also be at the core of the role. You may be accountable for line managing 2 part-time staff, dependant on the candidate.

Ellesmere Yard is an amazing collection of buildings dating back to 1807 and has been a hub of canal-related activity ever since. Time has not been kind to these buildings, which are now in need of extensive, sensitive repair and then finding a sustainable use for the future. This is where you come in. You may already have experience in managing NLHF activity plans.

You will use your skills and expertise to continue to develop activities from start to finish, work with our teams of third-party funders, heritage managers, ecologists, engineers, funders and local communities and of course our contractors/consultants. You will look for efficiencies and opportunities and be accountable for project safety, delivering to the highest standard.

As one of our Project Managers you will be within the Asset Improvement Team and play an important role in supporting our vision and delivering our Waterways and Wellbeing strategy ensuring our national waterways, are improved, managed & maintained for our visitors, customers & service users to benefit from. You may be new to project management; we will provide training and support from our Senior Project Managers.

Location & coverage

Offered on a remote working basis, but based extensively at Ellesmere Yard, Shropshire with a requirement to attend our main hub spaces as and when required for team working and collaborative meetings. Your local hub would likely be Ellesmere Port Boat Museum or the Roundhouse in Birmingham.

Regular accessibility to this network is essential. See our network: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network

Knowledge, Skills/Qualifications & Experience

In this role you will be working with a diverse range of stakeholders and partners planning and delivering our third party funded projects. You will be managing projects of low/medium risk and/or low/medium complexity by applying processes, methods, knowledge, skills and experience to achieve the project objectives. Activities will range from £20,000 to £100,000 in value and be delivered by a range of consultants who have already been commissioned and approaching the final milestones within their workstreams.

You don't need to have worked in a charity before, but we believe we can offer you an exciting change of environment and impactful projects to support and manage. Our towpaths and various historic assets provide a refreshing backdrop and unique working environment. As a Project Manager with the Canal & River Trust you will further develop your skill set and project management career alongside our canals and waterways, in an organisation that values wellbeing and work life balance.

Key accountabilities

• Manage projects in accordance with the Trust’s Health and Safety policy and defined standards to ensure compliance. Work safely at all times, ensuring the safety of others and contribute to safe working in all activities.
• Oversee and support the preparation of the NLHF, stage 2 bid.
• Capture project requirements, assess customer and stakeholder impact, and prepare a business case to justify investment in a project.
• Develop, implement and monitor a schedule of project activities and key milestones to achieve the project objectives.
• Provide financial and cost management, budgeting and cost control. Estimate and justify project costs, whilst controlling actual costs and forecasts against the agreed budgets.
• Manage risks, issues and changes on the project.
• Maintain communications with stakeholders and the project team / organisation to satisfy their differing needs.
• Provide environmental management by appraising the environmental impact of the project activities and ensuring that all controls and requirements are implemented and actioned.
• Handover and closure of the project in a controlled manner highlighting any areas for improvements or elements of good practice to be considered in future projects.
• Always display the Trust values and behaviours at all times. Ensure that diversity and inclusion are integrated into all aspects of Trust life and promoting inclusion by challenging behaviour, practices, actions or decisions that are counter to the objectives of the Trust’s policies and values.

About you

Qualifications:

• HND (or equivalent) in a related discipline.

• Project / Programme Management accreditation / qualification i.e., APM Project Management Qualification, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), Prince 2 [Desirable].

• Valid UK driving licence - Car Cash allowance & regional/national travel, including to remote locations is expected.

Experience:

• Previous Project Management experience of successfully managing multiple low/medium complexity projects.

• Managing activity plan, interpretation and other consultants.

• Community engagement.

• Managing NLHF projects.

• Knowledge of project management processes and systems.

• Experience of finance control of project delivery.

General skills:

• Possess good communication skills both verbal and written. Be able to manage stakeholders, taking account influence and impact.
• Ability to prepare and maintain schedules for activities and events for projects, taking account of dependencies and resource requirements.
• Develop and agree budgets for projects and control forecast and actual costs against budget.
• Be good at problem solving and be able to resolve conflicts.
• Open, positive, can-do attitude which builds confidence and credibility both within the team and stakeholders.
• Possess good IT skills. Use of MS project would be an advantage.

To apply: click on the "Apply for this job" button and follow the process - complete the application form & upload current CV

If you have any questions about the role please contact [e-mail]

What We Offer

In addition to your salary of £35,000 - £40,750, you will benefit from a Car Cash Allowance of £390per month, a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, great holiday entitlement and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits, all of which can be found here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits).

Other benefits include:

• Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, where we will double your contribution to a maximum of 10%.
• 25 days paid holiday (plus paid Bank Holidays), increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Home working status with ‘hub’ facilities available should you need the flexibility to work outside of home.
• Annual £200 personal learning & growth award to spend on any learning related activity.
• Free access to specialist counselling on a range of issues, e.g. health, financial, well-being and domestic matters.
• Access to a range of employee benefits including store discounts, boating holiday discounts and holiday purchase scheme.
• 2 days paid volunteering leave per annum, allowing you to volunteer for a local community project etc.
• Free fishing facilities across our canal network.

At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.

All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.

When you join the Canal & River Trust you become a member of an engaged team working to preserve our heritage for future generations. Come and share your passion and knowledge with a team that makes a difference to millions of people every day.

Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us