Public Rights of Way Manager

Job title: Public Rights of Way Manager
Salary: PO4 £46,142 - £49,282
Hours: 37
Contract: Permanent
Location: Farnley Hall, Leeds, LS12 5HA (hybrid working offered)

As Public Rights of Way (PROW) Manager in Leeds City Council’s Climate, Energy and Green Space’s service, you’ll thrive on managing and leading a motivated team and working with communities, landowners and partners to record, protect, improve, extend and promote the 862 km of public rights of way in Leeds in support of the Council’s Health and Wellbeing and Zero Carbon ambitions.

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic individual to play a vital role helping to deliver the Council’s statutory services in relation to public rights of way including updating our Rights of Way Improvement plan as well as promoting the benefits of PROW for recreation and active travel.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As the Public Rights of Way Manager, you will bring to the role:

• An in-depth understanding of the responsibilities of local authorities with regards public rights of way, along with the details of relevant law and practice.
• Substantial experience of working on Public Rights of Way, having been involved in all or some of the following areas of work: recording, protecting, managing and improving public rights of way and ensuring they remain open and accessible.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to prioritise and organise work schedules effectively to manage complex workloads and meet tight deadlines.
• The ability to lead, manage and motivate staff.
• Experience of working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders such as ward members, landowners, local residents and community groups.
• The ability to operate at a strategic level.
• The ability to interpret web and paper-based maps and plans of differing scales.
• An ability to access remote sites efficiently.

About the role

Reporting to the Parks Technical Manager, the role provides an opportunity to work across a range of disciplines to lead the PROW team on protecting, maintaining and improving public rights of way across Leeds along with keeping a record of them on the Definitive Map. 

Public Rights of Way provide an invaluable resource for health and wellbeing activities, principally being routes for walking, horse riding and pedal cycling and are a key element in an interconnected green infrastructure for local communities, who seek good quality and well way-marked routes.

Having a background in working in public rights of way or similar, together with good communication, management and leadership skills, the post holder will work closely with the PROW team, colleagues and partners to record, protect and enhance the public rights of way network across the city.

The post is a hybrid role with opportunities for home and office working, as well as a requirement to undertake site visits.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Emma Trickett, Parks Technical Manager on [email protected].