Rivers Trust Partnership Manager in Bath

Do you want to make a difference to the river environment and influence change in the water sector? Are you interested in driving forward a new partnership between Wessex Water and The Rivers Trust? If so, this role could be for you. Wessex Water and The Rivers Trust have signed a five‑year strategic partnership agreement to deliver the following by 2030:

• a coordinated vision and strategy for achieving healthy rivers, improved regulation and strong public engagement
• a framework for delivering at scale, focusing on catchment and nature‑based solutions
• open and collaborative use of data to build trust and information to drive intervention and investment
• supporting the development of training and skills to increase green jobs.

We’re flexible on where you’re based — Bath or Corfe Mullen both work well — and you’ll regularly travel across our wider patch, including our Rivers Trust offices near Bristol, Salisbury and Exeter.

What you’ll do

The Partnership Manager will be a Wessex Water employee who is embedded within The Rivers Trust nationally, and the three local member Trusts: Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, Wessex Rivers Trust and Westcountry Rivers Trust. You will lead in an open and collaborative way, fostering a culture of trust and innovation, representing the views of all partners equally. You will operate at programme management and strategic levels across five themes:

• partnership governance and programme oversight
• strategic development and funding
• stakeholder engagement and advocacy
• business planning and learning integration
• facilitating delivery and reporting

This role is pivotal in maximising collective impact, fostering innovation and driving forward environmental outcomes at scale. You will be matrix managed by Wessex Water and The Rivers Trust, with support from both organisations. It will involve hybrid working between Wessex Water and local Rivers Trusts offices, as well as home working and some travelling within the region.

What you’ll need

You will have excellent communication and organisational skills, whilst demonstrating vision and strategic thinking. This role is all about influencing and delivering change, so a passion for restoring the water environment is critical. This is an unusual role working between organisations and influencing change. The candidate will demonstrate self‑reliance and very good communication skills. Key requirements of this role are:

• knowledge of environment NGOs, water companies and regulatory bodies
• experience within the water sector
• demonstrable experience in project or programme management
• excellent communication, influencing and networking skills
• innovative and creative ideas translated into business cases and on‑ground project delivery

What you’ll receive

A combined pension contribution of up to 20%. Career progression and professional development opportunities. 25 days’ holiday rising to 28 with length of service. The opportunity to sell up to five days of holiday every year. The opportunity to buy up to ten days of holiday each year (subject to conditions). A healthcare package that allows you to claim back healthcare costs. Life assurance of up to eight times your salary. The opportunity to lease a new electric car through salary sacrifice (subject to conditions). Cashback and discounts from more than 3,000 retailers. One paid volunteering day each year. Enhanced family leave and pay arrangements. Access to an interactive health and wellbeing platform. Support from trained mental health first aiders. A £1,000 referral fee if you recommend someone who is successfully recruited by us.

We are passionate about diversity and inclusion – with that in mind, all applicants are welcome. We are a Disability Confident Employer and have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, please inform a member of our Recruitment team.