River Restoration Project Officer / Senior Project Officer

Help restore and protect our rivers

Do you want to make a tangible difference to the health of our rivers?

We're looking for enthusiastic and motivated individuals to join our team as either a River Restoration Project Officer or Senior Project Officer, depending on your skills and experience. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in developing and delivering projects that improve river and chalk stream habitats, enhance biodiversity, reduce flood risk, and support thriving communities.

Whether you're looking to build your experience in river restoration project delivery or you're an established professional ready to lead complex programmes and partnerships, we'd love to hear from you.

About the role

You will use your expertise in environmental project delivery to work on river restoration projects for Norfolk Rivers Trust. You'll work closely with landowners, contractors, regulators, partners, and local communities to develop and deliver a range of river restoration and nature recovery projects.

The successful candidate will contribute to projects from concept through to delivery, helping secure funding, managing project activities, and ensuring high-quality environmental outcomes.

Depending on the role (Project Officer / Senior Project Officer) responsibilities will include:

• Developing and delivering river restoration and habitat improvement projects.
• Building strong relationships with landowners, partners, funders, and stakeholders.
• Supporting or leading project planning, procurement, and contractor management.
• Supporting or leading on the development of external funding opportunities.
• Monitoring or leading projects to ensure agreed outcomes are met.
• Preparing reports for funders and partners.
• Contributing to or leading on the provision of technical expertise for river restoration and catchment management.
• Contributing to organisational objectives in the Norfolk Rivers Trust Strategy Framework.
• May have line management and mentoring responsibilities (Senior Project Officer level).

About you

We're looking for someone who is passionate about restoring rivers and improving the natural environment.

You'll have:

• Knowledge of river restoration, freshwater ecology, catchment management, or a related field.
• Experience of delivering projects, ideally in an environmental or conservation capacity.
• Experience of using mapping software to identify opportunities.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to build effective working relationships.
• Strong organisational and project management abilities.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach.
• Full UK driving License and access to a vehicle and willingness to travel across project areas.
• Relevant qualification in Project Management, Environmental Management, Conservation, Geography, Natural Sciences or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Candidates must have the right to work in the UK, as visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Desirable: Competent in the use of mapping software such as ArcGIS and/or CAD.

For Senior Project Officer appointments, you'll also demonstrate

• Significant experience leading complex environmental projects.
• Experience securing and managing project funding and budgets.
• Strong partnership development and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to provide technical leadership and mentor others.
• Experience influencing and working strategically across multiple organisations.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to be part of a passionate team working to restore and protect Norfolk’s freshwater environments through science-led projects, nature-based solutions, and strong partnerships with communities and land managers.

We're entering an exciting new chapter, with an ambitious strategy that will expand our impact, strengthen partnerships, and accelerate the delivery of river restoration and nature recovery across the region. Joining us now means helping to shape and deliver this vision, influencing how we work and contributing directly to some of our most important environmental priorities for the years ahead.

We offer

• Meaningful and rewarding work with visible environmental impact.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Generous annual leave and pension benefits.
• A supportive and collaborative working environment.

Interested?

If you're excited by the opportunity to help deliver river restoration projects and make a lasting difference to our natural environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Appointments may be made at either Project Officer or Senior Project Officer level depending on the successful candidate's skills, knowledge, and experience.

We recognise that no candidate will meet every requirement. If you believe you have the skills, experience and enthusiasm to succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

We believe that a diverse workforce strengthens our organisation and enriches the communities we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, belief, or socioeconomic background.

We are committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to contribute fully. We strive to create an inclusive culture that embraces different perspectives and ensures fairness and belonging in all aspects of our work.

We are also committed to making our recruitment process accessible and inclusive. If you require any adjustments or additional support at any stage of the application or selection process, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.