Project Officer (Restoring Rivers & Catchments)

South East Rivers Trust

Leatherhead, Surrey, with hybrid working and regular travel across the SERT area
£30,371 - £39,716 pa
Full Time • Permanent
Closing on Sun, 21st Sep 2025

Rivers, Water & HydrologyConservation & Wildlife


Hours: full time 37.5 hours per week
Contract: permanent (hybrid working)
Area: predominantly in the East of our region 

Could your next career move make a big impact on the environment?

This is an exciting opportunity to work in the Restoring Rivers & Catchments Team, developing and delivering a portfolio of physical enhancement projects on the ground. The Project Officer role is suitable for an experienced and knowledgeable individual to build on their existing skills, overseeing all stages of river and catchment enhancement projects; from conception to development, design and physical implementation. You can have practical impact and influence on the natural environment creating sustainable and healthy rivers for the future.

The role

Whilst this role will predominantly be in the East of the region, you will need to be prepared to work all over the South East should the need arise. River enhancement projects will typically include weir removals, fish passage easements (such as rock ramps, nature-like bypasses or technical fish passes) and river re-naturalisation projects (such as habitat enhancements, reconnecting floodplains & palaeochannels, re-meandering, and backwater creation). Catchment management projects are likely to include wetland creation, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and Natural Flood Management (NFM) measures. We would be interested to know about any experience you have in the above fields when you apply.

Using your freshwater expertise and proven ability, you will proactively lead on smaller and medium scale projects while working closely with other staff, external partners and stakeholders. You will work with the rest of the team, drawing on the experience of more seasoned staff to help your personal career progression and likewise overseeing Assistant Project Officer and imparting your knowledge onto them. Most importantly of all, you will support the whole team, your line manager and the wider organisation.

About you

For this role we are looking for someone who is:

  • Able to put their understanding of freshwater aquatic ecosystems to use by designing, overseeing and delivering projects in this environment.
  • Able to work across the catchment to support the development and funding of projects.
  • A great communicator able to engage and work with multiple stakeholders.
  • Happy and able to get involved with the practical hands on physical delivery of the project.

About us

Working at the South East Rivers Trust is rewarding, fulfilling and fast-paced. We are a fast growing Trust looking to expand what we are able to offer our communities, to understand their natural environment, including rare chalk streams, within the South East of England.

We collaborate with energy and professionalism, guided by our values of delivering high-quality work, using expertise and science, building strong relationships, and bringing positivity and integrity to everything we do. If this sounds like the right environment for you - we’d love to hear from you.

Please visit our website for the job description and all relevant information.

If you would like to discuss the position please email [email protected], with your enquiry and we will arrange to call you back.

Please note: All applicants must have the right to work in the UK. We do not sponsor applicants from overseas.

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About South East Rivers Trust

We inspire lifelong stewardship for rivers by getting people of all ages to experience, enjoy and understand rivers. We restore, renaturalise and reconnect rivers, removing barriers to fish migration and enhancing habitats. We improve water quality through wetland creation and construct natural flood management measures to protect communities and surrounding land.

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