Rivers, water and hydrology

Watershed Manager – (Rural/Thames Valley)

Job title

level: Band Director A
location: Remote/Hybrid – Oxfordshire preferred but open to other locations within the catchment area, flexible working.
responsible for: Watershed Partnerships Program Manager, or directly to the Assistant Chief of River Improvement/Chief of River Improvement

About Thames21

Thames21 is an environmental charity working across London and the Thames Basin to deliver high-impact, nature-based solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis through river restoration, while also connecting communities to their local green and blue spaces and inspiring long-term stewardship.

Diversity at Thames21

At Thames21 Fairness, Diversity and Inclusion are fundamental to our success and as such we employ staff from a diverse range of backgrounds, we feel this is key to ensuring everyone has equal opportunities and is not treated differently or discriminated against because of their characteristics. We value the voices of our individual employees, and strive to work in a balanced, innovative and collaborative way. The mail carrier must actively support this.

Purpose of the job

To drive the ‘Thames Valley’ catchment areas program (widely across Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire/Berkshire) at Thames21 forward in line with our five-year plan and future strategies ensuring appropriate integration across Thames21 and partner organisations. This includes building and maintaining a team to reduce widespread pollution, increase biodiversity, improve water quality, and support agricultural businesses to deliver environmental improvement work and nature-friendly agricultural practices.

The post holder requires operational experience and knowledge at a watershed scale as well as project and people management experience. They will take a strategic overview of the program and guide our growth in the thematic and geographical area, with a particular focus on the following outcomes.

• Working with 20 farmers each year to reduce point source pollution and flood risk.
• Providing advice on nature-based solutions and grant financing to farmers and landowners.
• Planting 30 thousand trees annually
• Introducing and supporting the achievement of other applicable five-year plan objectives. i.e. river restoration and watershed scale monitoring.
• Increase Thames21’s presence in the Thames Valley, identify opportunities, and support and complement the work of other NGOs and regional river funds.

The role is a relatively new area of ​​work for Thames21 and may consist of supporting a range of projects and programs including watershed partnerships, agricultural clusters and natural flood management.

Finally, the post holder will take the lead in developing Thames21’s resilience strategy, i.e. working closely with the fundraising team, the Watershed Partnership team and partner organizations to increase private and public investment to deliver healthy and resilient rivers and watersheds.

Additional requirements may include support for other Thames21 projects and funding applications, as required.

Key duties and responsibilities

You will oversee and manage the delivery of diverse projects. You will also develop your team’s scope, strategy and action plan in order to grow the team to achieve the Five-Year Plan objectives and work closely with experts (e.g. statutory bodies, authorities, NGOs, academics) and non-expert stakeholders (e.g. community groups, volunteers) to develop, fund and implement projects within the watershed and oversee their management. You will also work closely with the Assistant/Head of River Improvement and other members of the Thames21 team to develop funding applications and drive the direction of the catchment areas.

Tasks include:

• Program development and integration – Develop and expand the Thames Valley Watershed Program in line with the 5-year Thames21 strategy, ensuring integration with other teams.

• Finance and financial management – Securing diverse funding sources and managing project budgets, including preparing financial reports and tracking costs to achieve goals.

• Project and risk management – Lead project delivery, monitor progress and identify risk mitigation strategies to ensure continued success.

• Team leadership and staff development – Manage and support staff through training, appraisals, balancing workload and adhering to health and safety requirements.

• Stakeholder engagement – Build and maintain relationships with internal teams, funding bodies, landowners and other external stakeholders.

• Technical and agricultural advisory support – Provide agricultural advice, generate reports (including GIS mapping), and maintain a database of visits and environmental opportunities.

• Advocating a watershed-based approach – Promote and apply watershed-based principles internally and externally in water and land management.

• Health, Safety and Compliance – Ensure compliance with health and safety policies and wider regulatory requirements on all projects.

• Information and data management – Maintain accurate systems of documentation and project data, which supports transparency and accountability.

• Promotion and Communications – Support the production of promotional materials and represent Thames21’s work to wider audiences.

Other duties

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