Civil Engineering Works Inspector in London

Join Our Team: Works Inspector opportunity. Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive. Our Third-Party Works Team helps developers, utility companies and local authorities carry out projects safely on or near our 2,000 miles of historic waterways, guiding them through our Code of Practice and ensuring every scheme protects our heritage, environment and customers. The team supports hundreds of projects each year—from small local works to major infrastructure schemes—offering specialist guidance, engineering input, inspections and approvals. Their work ensures that third-party activities are safe, compliant and carried out without detrimental impact on navigation, towpaths, wildlife, heritage structures or public use.

We are looking for a Works Inspector to support the delivery of construction, repair and maintenance of third party works across our waterways and assets. You’ll be responsible for inspecting works on or adjacent to the waterways in central London and the surrounding areas. The role acts as the eyes and ears on the ground for the Works Engineers within the London and South East Infrastructure Team handling third party works, providing assurance that works are being carried out safely and in line with the Trust’s Code of Practice, protecting Trust’s assets and keeping the public safe. This is a hybrid role, combining time on site with remote working at home. You’ll be out on the network most of the time inspecting sites, as well as working remotely at home to manage records, communicate with colleagues and contractors and support project delivery.

Working Hours & Travel

This is a hybrid role, where you will be on site most of the time (3 days a week), with some home working (2 days a week). There are also occasional in person meetings with the rest of your team in central London. Core hours: 37 hours, 5 days a week, work pattern. You should be able to reasonably commute to one of the following hubs: Milton Keynes & London (Little Venice).

Role Overview

In this role, you’ll help protect the Trust’s waterways by monitoring and inspecting third-party works, ensuring they are safe, compliant and in line with our Code of Practice. You’ll build strong relationships with promoters and stakeholders, manage site activity and records, and play a key part in safeguarding our assets, environment and reputation.

Key Responsibilities

• Inspect and monitor third party works on or adjacent to Trust assets.
• Assess the onsite compliance of third party works with the Trust’s Code of Practice, challenging and escalating where works do not comply or where there is risk to the public.
• Use professional judgement to assess site conditions and identify risks or issues.
• Identify and escalate any concerns relating to safety, quality or compliance in a timely manner.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, third party contractors, and other stakeholders to share information and resolve issues both on site and remotely.
• Represent the Trust professionally when interacting with third parties, their contractors and members of the public.
• Liaise with Works Engineers in your team, as well as other colleagues in relevant teams across the Trust regarding site issues.
• Maintain accurate digital records and reports of site inspections and health and safety logs.
• Support delivery across multiple projects and locations.
• Coordinate simple third party works, including issuing access permissions and completing associated documentation.
• Always work safely, with awareness of risks associated with working on or near water.

About You

You will have recent hands-on experience working in a construction or civil engineering environment, with the confidence to operate in a site-based role, while also being comfortable working remotely using online systems to manage information, communicate effectively, and maintain accurate records.

Skills & Qualifications

• Technical skills
• Recent hands-on experience working on site in a construction, repair, or maintenance environment.
• Experience inspecting works and identifying quality or compliance issues.
• Good understanding of construction methods and site safety.
• Ability to interpret drawings, specifications, and standards.
• Experience working with contractors on site.
• Use of digital systems to maintain accurate records of site visits, inspections, and health and safety actions.
• Desirable:
• Experience working in complex or constrained environments.
• Experience working near water or similar settings.
• Relevant technical or engineering qualifications.

General skills

• Confidence to challenge unsafe or non-compliant activity and escalate where required.
• Ability to work independently and manage workload effectively.
• Comfortable communicating digitally with colleagues and wider teams.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

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 c. £30,000 - £33,500, we also offer Car Cash Allowance (£390 per month), a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits.