Engagement Officer

Wessex Rivers Trust (Wessex RT) is an environmental charity, dedicated to the protection and conservation of rivers and chalk streams in the Wessex area. Wessex RT is part of the Rivers Trust movement; the umbrella organisation helping to protect and enhance most of the UK’s rivers. The Trust acknowledges that education and engaging with a wide and diverse audience is essential to sustaining long-term interest in our local chalk streams and empowering local communities to take ownership of these precious rivers. To deliver on this ambition, the Trust offers an exciting and dynamic education programme to all areas of Wessex, as well as attending public events. The Trust is now expanding in its focus, to include deeper, targeted engagement to communities.

Job summary and purpose

The primary focus of the role is to engage with communities on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon and support them to take positive action that will help improve the health of the river catchments. The project, ‘Our Healthy Headwaters’, funded by Wessex Water is a new five-year programme focusing on different issues which affect river health, and how residents, schools and businesses can contribute to improvements to the delicate chalk stream ecosystem. The project will have four core areas of focus:

1. ‘Save Every Drop’ - Promoting water-saving behaviours at home, school and at work.
2. ‘What’s Going Down the Plughole’ - Raising awareness of the chemicals used in domestic cleaning, personal care and in gardening.
3. ‘Septic Smart’ – Awareness-raising campaign about how to use and maintain septic tanks in ways that minimise pollution to rivers and groundwater.
4. Pet Medications - educating communities about the impact of spot-on pet treatments on aquatic life.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Education and Engagement Manager on the development of the ‘Healthy Headwaters’ programme and collaborate and liaise with the other team members involved with this project, including the education, catchment, and communication teams. The successful candidate will focus primarily on ‘Our Healthy Headwaters’ project but will be required to support other Wessex RT projects with an engagement focus. We are looking for someone who is passionate about conservation and sustainability; a person who is reflective, who can adapt and evolve their approach when innovating; someone who can demonstrate excellent communication and presentation skills to inspire communities and people of all ages to make positive changes.

Please see the attached job description below for a full role breakdown and person specification and visit the Wessex Rivers Trust website to learn more about the Trust's work.

Apply

To apply, email your CV (not more than 3 pages) and a cover letter (1000 words maximum) describing your suitability for the role with explicit reference to the Person Specification to: [email protected] by 5pm, Tuesday 3rd June 2025.

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 17th June 2025