Job Purpose
The Canal & River Trust is one of the UK’s largest charities, maintaining 2,000 miles of historic canals, rivers, docks, and reservoirs, along with museums, archives, and the country’s third largest collection of protected historic buildings – preserving them for future generations.
We are approaching our busy season when our waterways across England & Wales welcome increasing numbers of visitors for short visits and longer trips and holidays, enjoying our wonderful green and blue spaces.
To support our visitors throughout Spring & Summer of 2024, we currently have a fantastic opportunity to join us temporarily as a Seasonal Waterway Lock Keeper to provide support during our busy boating period from 1st of April - 31st of October 2025.
These are fixed-term seasonal roles, however, you will be working full-time hours following our annualised hours system. Full details of the rota system will be discussed at interview, however, your availability and flexibility to work Friday - Tuesday across the season, including bank holidays, is essential. Our waterways are always open, and our visitors wish to squeeze as much enjoyment out of their time in our spaces as possible during the lighter longer days from Easter through to the end of Summer, so your working day will vary from starting at 8am-9:30am and finishing at 5pm or 6pm.
If you love to work outdoors (in all weathers!), enjoy meeting and helping people, and care about our visitors having a memorable experience on our waterways, then this may be the role for you. You'll be given training, appropriate workwear, and the chance to support and ensure a fabulous visitor experience while playing your part in protecting and conserving our heritage spaces and assets for today and future generations.
Coverage:
Alongside volunteers, you will be assisting with the successful navigation of visitors through the Weaver Locks, including Vale Royal, Hunts, Saltersford, and Dutton locks.
While your formal base location will be our Lighterage yard depot, you will spend your working time throughout the season at one of the locks listed above. Successful applicants will be trained on each site, and starting points will be supplied via a rota in advance.
Knowledge, Skills/Qualifications & Experience
Through your engagement with visitors and local communities, you will be promoting a safe and secure visitor & customer experience on the waterways. Your role will involve delivering the general works programme to enhance the reputation of the network as a valued national asset. You will also be supporting Canal & River Trust’s aims to improve safety and increase the number of people using the waterways while protecting the heritage and integrity of the inland waterway network.
As a Seasonal Waterway Operative with Lock Keeping duties, you will experience a physically demanding role. You will be on your feet, moving between locks, managing water levels, and assisting with lock management many times a day to ensure the safe passage of our visitors. You'll be doing this while maintaining the towpaths and public areas and assisting the operational teams, volunteer efforts, and responding to visitor enquiries throughout your day, regardless of the weather. Therefore, it's essential that you love to be active, busy, helping people, and keeping your patch organised and safe.
* Working outside, providing outstanding levels of customer service - you will be a visible and approachable advocate for the work that the Canal & River Trust does.
* Undertake water control duties including the operation of structures, e.g., locks and bridges, in a safe manner to ensure that customers are not hindered in their visit to the waterway.
* Undertake key duties associated with the maintenance of the waterway and waterside, e.g., towpath litter removal, towpath and access repairs.
* Ensure that environmental and heritage issues are taken into consideration in all work that is undertaken.
* Provide a first response for any emergencies/incidents that may occur within the waterway.
* Support asset inspections. Identify and report any structure failures, breaches, damage, or pollution incidents to the Operations Supervisor or Engineers.
* Using appropriate basic tools and equipment, undertake vegetation management activities to ensure our outdoor spaces are well maintained.
* Participate, where agreed, in the standby rota to support the delivery of customer service to defined standards and reaction to emergency situations.
* Experience of working within a relevant environment, e.g., customer service.
* Comply with Canal & River Trust Health & Safety policy and defined standards, report incidents, accidents, and near misses. Complete point of work risk assessments and make adjustments to work methods where appropriate. Ensure all equipment (PPE, plant, materials, etc.) is appropriate for the task.
Skills & experience:
* You will have a good understanding of what great customer engagement and service looks and feels like.
* Experience of working within a relevant environment, e.g., customer service, outdoor visitor services/maintenance/visitor attractions.
* Basic literacy and numeracy skills.
* Valid driving licence appropriate for the vehicle to be driven.
Candidates who have used power tools, have experience in a similar environment, experience working with volunteers, vegetation management, and/or some experience completing maintenance work is desirable but not essential. Full training from supportive colleagues will be given.
Come and help us to create wonderful memories on our North East Waterways.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
What We Offer
This is a fixed-term contract during our busy visitor summer season. Full-time equivalent salary of £23,260 will be prorated for your fixed-term period. In addition to your pro-rated annual salary, we can offer a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement and numerous other employee benefits. Further details on our benefits can be found here.
We aim to represent the diverse communities we are part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking, and ways of working which enhances what we do.
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 put your skills to use on our waterways.
Find out more about the work we do on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us
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