Project Manager - Roding Rises

Salary: Manager Band A, Level 1 £38,520 per annum
Contract length: Full-time position (35 hours per week) over 3.25 years from January 2026, with possible extension.
Location: Hybrid working from home and Thames21’s offices at the Guildhall, City of London and Bow Locks. On-site working as required throughout the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne Catchment Area.
Responsible to: Thames21 Catchment Partnerships Manager

About Thames21

Thames21 is an environmental charity that works across London and the Thames Basin to deliver high-impact, nature-based solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis by restoring rivers, while also connecting communities to their local green-blue spaces and inspiring long-term stewardship of them. 

Diversity at Thames21

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Thames21 is key to our success, and as such, we employ staff from a diverse range of backgrounds. We believe this is crucial in ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity and is not treated differently or discriminated against due to their characteristics. We value the voices of our individual employees and strive to work in a collaborative, innovative, and balanced way. The postholder must actively support this.

Purpose of the job

We are recruiting an enthusiastic and committed individual to fulfil the combined role of project manager for the Roding Rises project, and catchment partnership co-host for the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne catchment partnership. The Roding Rises is an ambitious 3-year project funded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund that aims to deliver the following key outcomes: 

1. Raise the value placed on the river Roding by the local community through a river connection programme of engagement events that will work with urban and rural communities throughout the Roding catchment.
2. Raise protection of the river Roding through a citizen science action programme, giving communities and catchment partners the data and knowledge to advocate for the river, and through a masterplan for the lower Roding, which will influence and inform future development. 
3. Raise the quality of the habitat in and along the river through the delivery of a significant capital river restoration scheme and a catchment grants programme, so the river brings maximum benefits to both people and wildlife.
4. Deliver a legacy for the river Roding by integrating the outputs of The Roding Rises with ambitions of the wider catchment partnership and using the project as a springboard for leveraging further catchment-scale restoration work.

The Roding Rises Project Manager will work alongside a multidisciplinary Thames21 team to ensure each element of the project is delivered on time, within budget, and with maximum impact. 

Within the role of co-host of the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership, this position will help develop and advance the namesake catchment’s action plan through building the partnership, facilitating knowledge exchange between various partners, and working across the partnership to develop and successfully fundraise for river & catchment improvement projects. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the delivery of ‘The Roding Rises’ project, ensuring each work programme delivers its required goals on time, within budget and with maximum impact.
• Work with The Roding Rises admin and finance officer to ensure the smooth administration and reporting of the project. 
• Develop and oversee the administration of The Roding Rises grants scheme.
• Support the Roding Rises Engagement, Evidence and River Restoration leads with the administration and coordination of their direct areas of work.
• Line manage and oversee the work of the Roding Rises Reporting and Finance Officer.
• Work with Catchment Partners and Thames21 support functions, to identify, scope and develop river and catchment improvement projects which are realistic and fundable, thereby enabling the implementation of the Catchment Partnership’s Objectives and Catchment Action Plans to meet national environmental objectives.
• Arrange, host and coordinate meetings for The Roding Rises and the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership to share knowledge, news and project progress between stakeholders, including the production of agendas, minutes and actions.
• With support from Catchment Partners and Thames21 support functions, lead on the development of match funding applications for The Roding Rises project, and wider funding applications to enable the delivery of river improvement projects across the catchment partnership.
• Work with Catchment Partners and Thames21 support functions, to share information between partners and stakeholders to ensure that all interested parties are up to date with the latest information and knowledge of techniques, opportunities and developments in areas relevant to the Partnerships. 
• Update Thames21 central record-keeping databases in line with GDPR requirements. 
• Represent Thames2, the Catchment Partnership and The Roding Rises project at events throughout the catchment. 

Other Duties

This job description cannot cover every issue or task that may arise within Thames21. At various times, the post-holder will be directed to carry out other reasonable duties in support of other Thames21 activities that are consistent with those in this Job Description.