Environmental Team Leader

JobTitle:                           Environmental Team Leader

Salary:                               £37,500.00

Hours:                               42.5 hours/week (full time)

Duration of post:            Permanent

Location:                          Hull

Application process:    CV and covering letter to info@the-rsc.co.uk

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Role Overview

To take day-to-day ownership of the safe, efficient, high-quality and commercially aware operation of the regional team. The postholder will plan and supervise practical environmental works, line-manage and develop staff, coordinate funded and commercial workloads,protect delivery standards, and act as the principal operational contact forroutine clients and partners.

The role is both managerial and field-facing. The postholder must be capable of leading from the front on technically demanding sites while building the systems, delegation and team capability needed for a mature regional operation.

The role will work across both arms of the Company delivering works for both Riverlution and RiverStewardship Company.

The role will report to the Managing Director, Riverlution.

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About River Stewardship Company and Riverlution

River Stewardship Company (RSC) is an established social enterprise delivering specialist environmental contracting and waterway management for clients including public bodies, utilities, local authorities, landowners and partner organisations. Its work includes invasive non-native species control, arboriculture and vegetation management, habitat creation and restoration, river maintenance, natural flood management, access improvements, litter and debris removal, and associated specialist works.

Riverlution CIC delivers environmental improvement with community benefit: mobilising business support, volunteers, education, training and employment pathways through its Stewardship Partnerships. The two organisations work together to combine professional contract delivery with measurable environmental and social value.

This role leads a developing Humber-Ouse-Derwent regional delivery unit operating across both organisations' programmes. It offers the scale and operational support of the wider RSC group alongside Riverlution's award-winning partnership and community model.

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Key Accountabilities

Regional operations and work planning

·       Own the rolling regional work programme, weekly deployment plan and day-to-day allocation of people, vehicles, tools, materials and subcontractors across Riverlution-funded and RSC commercial activity.

·       Translate contracts, management plans, funder commitments and client instructions into practical work packages, site plans and achievable daily outputs.

·       Maintain forward visibility of workload and capacity, identify clashes or gaps early, and escalate decisions that affect programme, cost, quality or contractual compliance.

·       Undertake or coordinate site visits, access permissions, permits, utility information, landowner liaison and pre-start arrangements.

·       Provide appropriate hands-on delivery and technical supervision, particularly for complex, higher-risk or developmental work.

Leadership, line management and workforce development

·       Provide clear day-to-day leadership and formal line management for the regional team, including objectives, one-to-ones, performance management, attendance, conduct and wellbeing.

·       Build an effective deputy structure by delegating site leadership appropriately to senior operatives or assistant team leaders while retaining operational accountability.

·       Coach staff, apprentices and trainees; identify skills gaps; support competency assessment, licences, gateway qualifications and progression routes.

·       Set and model high standards of professionalism, inclusion, behaviour, uniform, PPE, care of equipment and respect for clients, communities and sites.

·       Create a team culture in which risks, mistakes, dissenting views and improvement ideas can be raised early and acted upon.

Health, safety, environmental and quality control

·       Be accountable for safe site delivery within RSC/Riverlution policies, systems and delegated authority, working closely with central H&S support.

·       Prepare, review, brief and implement suitable RAMS, COSHH controls, permits, emergency arrangements, toolbox talks and dynamic risk assessments.

·       Ensure employees, volunteers and sub-contractors receive appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision, including work near or in water and around invasive species.

·       Stop work where controls are inadequate; report and investigate incidents, near misses, defects and non-conformances; and ensure corrective actions are closed.

·       Inspect work quality and environmental compliance, maintain biosecurity and waste controls, and ensure delivery meets specifications, method statements and ecological constraints.

Commercial delivery, budgets and productivity

·       Deliver work within agreed budgets, programmes and productivity expectations, with accurate allocation of labour, plant, materials, mileage, waste and subcontract costs.

·       Monitor utilisation, job progress, outputs and emerging cost pressures; provide concise forecasts and exception reports to central management.

·       Approve or validate timesheets, job records, purchase requirements and completion evidence within delegated limits,supporting timely invoicing and funder reporting.

·       Protect the distinction between restricted/funded activity and commercial work while seeking efficient use of shared capacity, equipment and specialist skills.

·       Identify follow-on needs and delivery opportunities encountered through site and client contact, record them in the agreed system, and pass qualified intelligence promptly to the RSC Business Development Manager.

Client, partner, community and volunteer delivery

·       Work with the Partnership Officer as a point of contact for clients, funders, landowners, catchment partners, community organisations and participating businesses.

·       Coordinate practical volunteering and community activity so that it is safe, inclusive, purposeful and integrated with the wider work programme.

·       Support the Community/Angling/Education Officerand other specialists to align engagement, coaching and teaching activity with catchment outcomes and team capacity.

·       Represent RSC and Riverlution professionally at site meetings, operational forums and appropriate local stakeholder meetings.

·       Maintain accurate evidence of environmental outputs, volunteer contribution, training activity, social value and client feedback.

Assets, systems and reporting

·       Ensure vehicles, tools, plant, PPE, stores and specialist equipment are inspected, maintained, secured and recorded appropriately.

·       Maintain complete and timely records in the organisations' operational systems, including schedules, work records, photographs, permits, inspections, incidents and customer feedback.

·       Provide a concise weekly outlook and monthly performance input covering delivery, people, H&S, quality, utilisation, budget, pipeline intelligence and risks.

·       Contribute quarterly Partnership reporting and continuous improvement reviews, sharing lessons that can strengthen other regional teams.

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Role Boundaries and Shared Support

The postholder owns routine regional operations; the role is supported by, and must work through,the following shared functions:

Performance expectations

·       Routine deployment, staff supervision and site decisions are handled within the role's authority, with senior management involved by exception rather than by default.

·       Work is delivered safely, to specification, with reliable records and no avoidable slippage caused by poor planning or communication.

·       The team maintains agreed utilisation and productivity while meeting Riverlution's environmental, volunteer, training and social-value commitments.

·       Forward capacity and delivery risks are visible early enough for central operations and business development to act.

·       New commercial opportunities are increasingly generated and progressed through the RSC business-development function, supported by good operational intelligence from the team.

·       Staff capability, delegation and succession improve over time, reducing single-person dependency.

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Person specification

Essential

·       Substantial experience supervising practical environmental, land-based, construction, maintenance or comparable field teams,including paid employees.

·       Demonstrable line-management experience, including planning workloads, setting standards, developing people and addressing performance or conduct issues.

·       Strong practical competence in environmental works and the judgement to plan and supervise higher-risk activities safely.

·       Experience preparing and implementing RAMS, COSHH assessments, permits, toolbox talks, dynamic risk assessments and incident/near-miss reporting.

·       Experience managing multiple jobs, deadlines and resources, with sound commercial awareness and confidence working to budgets and specifications.

·       Good client and stakeholder skills, including the confidence to resolve routine delivery issues and communicate difficult messages professionally.

·       Competence with digital scheduling, job-management and reporting systems, Microsoft 365 or equivalent, and accurate written records.

·       At least two relevant land-based or operational certificates/licences, for example chainsaw, woodchipper, brushcutter, pesticide application, first aid, water safety or comparable specialist competence.

·       Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across the region, transport staff and equipment where authorised, and work flexibly to meet operational needs.

·       Access to a roadworthy vehicle insured for business use, as regular travelis essential to the role. Nb. a monthly car allowance will be provided.

·       Commitment to equality, safeguarding, environmental responsibility, professional development and the social-enterprise purposes of both organisations.

Desirable

·       Level 3 or higher qualification in environmental conservation, land management, arboriculture, construction/site supervision, leadership or a related field.

·       SSSTS/SMSTS, IOSH Managing Safely, CSCS or equivalent site-management/H&S qualification.

·       Water and Flood Awareness, Rescue 3 or equivalent water-safety competence; ability to swim.

·       Experience of invasive non-native species programmes, riparian arboriculture, habitat restoration, natural flood management, fencing, access works or environmental maintenance contracts.

·       Experience supervising volunteers, apprentices, trainees or learners and working with community or education colleagues.

·       Experience of public-sector, utility, local-authority or environmental-framework contracts, including evidence requirements and subcontractor control.

·       Budget monitoring, cost forecasting, procurement or project-management experience.

Working conditions and expectations

This is a field-based leadership role involving outdoor work throughout the year, travel between sites, uneven ground, waterways, vegetation, waste and other operational hazards. The postholder will be expected to wear appropriate PPE, undertake physical tasks within assessed limits, maintain relevant medical/fitness requirements for licensed activities, and work occasional early, late or weekend periods where projects or community activity require it. Reasonable adjustments will be considered throughout recruitment and employment.

Authority and escalation

·       Authority to allocate the regional team's routine work and resources within agreed programmes, budgets, competence and delegated limits.

·       Authority and duty to stop unsafe or non-compliant work.

·       Authority to represent both organisations on routine operational matters within the scope of assigned projects.

·      Obligation to escalate H&S events, safeguarding concerns, contractual variations, reputational issues, unbudgeted commitments, significant client disputes and matters outside delegated authority.

Review and flexibility

This job description sets out the principal responsibilities of the role. It is not exhaustive andmay be reviewed as the Humber-Ouse-Derwent team grows, provided any changes remain appropriate to the role's grade and are discussed with the postholder. The postholder may reasonably be required to support delivery elsewhere within the organisations' operating area.

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No recruitment agencies.

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