Job Title: Engagement Coordinator - Temporary Opportunity until 31st January 2026
Advertised Salary: £30,250 Full Time Equivalent
Working Hours: 20 Hours, Monday - Friday, some evenings and weekends are required for this role.
Location: The Engagement Coordinator will be working across Wrexham and along the Llangollen Canal to deliver a health and sports engagement project.
We're the charity who look after and bring to life 2,000 miles of waterways across Wales and England, because we believe that life is better by water. Every role across the Trust plays its part in transforming our canals and rivers into spaces where local people want to spend time and feel better, bringing wellbeing benefits to millions. Our canals and rivers are the perfect places to boost your mood and improve your physical and mental health. Even in busy towns and cities, they provide special spaces where you can relax, recharge, and connect with others.
About the role
We are recruiting for an Engagement Coordinator, to lead on the development and delivery of a community engagement project in and around Wrexham, as part of our Wales & South West team. This is part of a test and learn project funded by Actif North Wales, the first regional physical activity and sport partnership to go “live” in Wales.
The Engagement Coordinator will deliver a bespoke local project for young women and girls facing inequalities, to understand the barriers which prevent them from participating in physical activity. Through this you will engage and connect with communities living alongside the Llangollen Canal to provide opportunities for connection with nature, and a variety of other health and wellbeing activities, as well as improved physical activity.
With partners, we will work with young women and girls in identified area who face significant challenges and will benefit the most. The project will be developed and co-produced with girls and community groups, drawing on existing insight from community engagement findings, local strategies and knowledge from Local Authorities, charities and other community-based organisations.
The Engagement Coordinator will lead on the project to test and earn new and innovative ways of engaging young women and girls in physical activity, in a safe and accessible way on and beside our waterways. By adopting a place-based approach and working in partnership, you will foster a sense of community ownership amongst participants to support the initiative longer term, and ensure outcomes can be sustained beyond the funding. Working with an evaluator, the learning and insight gathered from this project will inform future longer-term approaches to help create active communities in North Wales, and change patterns of use and perceptions of communities living near the canal, to make their local waterway relevant to them.
Location and coverage
You will be based from home, with access to facilities at our Trevor Basin Visitor Centre, however regular travel and working at different locations in North Wales, especially along the Llangollen Canal and in Wrexham, is essential. We expect that you will be working on site for an average of 70% of your time, but this varies throughout the year depending on the season. Focus areas will be Wrexham and the Llangollen Canal. Some occasional travel beyond those waterways may be required for the purposes of collaboration.
See our network here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work).
Work experience:
• Experience of working within a community setting, and delivering co-produced community projects.
• Experience of project management, delivery, reporting and evaluation.
• Experience of delivering community and volunteering projects with a health and wellbeing focus.
• Experience of developing and managing volunteer groups and opportunities, and delivering volunteer-led activities.
• Proven ability to be able to build strong relationships and collaborate with partner organisations, communities and key stakeholders to delivery mutual benefits and co-designed projects and programmes.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of issues relating to working with young people or vulnerable people including safeguarding.
• Experience of working within the Third Sector/Voluntary organisations is desirable.
Skills:
• Knowledge of, and ability to speak the Welsh language is highly desirable.
• Ability to work or experience of working effectively with a diverse group of people, including minority or marginalised or underrepresented communities.
• Excellent project management skills including budget management and control.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• High levels of energy and commitment.
• Ability and willingness to work evenings / weekends as required.
• Ability to work well under pressure, be motivated and self-managed.
• Ability to work and collaborate remotely/virtually with a team based across Wales and the south West of England.
Full UK driving license is essential.
DBS
As this role is on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 Exception Order applicants must state the details of any cautions or convictions whether spent or unspent on the self-disclosure section of the application form.
This job involves regulated activity with children and adults at risk as defined by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Therefore, a Criminal Record check will be undertaken by the successful candidate prior to employment.
A criminal record is not necessarily a bar to employment with us. HR will advise and decisions made on a case by case basis.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
In addition to your base salary of circa £30,250 Full Time Equivalent, you will also benefit from a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, great holiday entitlement and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits, all of which can be found here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits). These include:
At the Trust we care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.
All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.
When you join the Canal & River Trust you become a member of an engaged team working to preserve our heritage for future generations. Come and share your passion and knowledge with a team that makes a difference to millions of people every day.
Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us