River Educator
Vacancy: River Educator (variable hours contract)
Salary: Hours worked will be paid at £13.70 per hour and an additional 12.7% will be added to your hours worked and paid at the same rate in lieu of annual leave
Employer: Wessex Rivers Trust
Closing date: 5pm, Thursday 1st October 2026
Interviews: Thursday 15th October 2026
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 sustain long-term interest in our local chalk streams and empower local communities to take ownership of these precious rivers. To deliver on this ambition, the Trust offers an education programme to all areas of Wessex and on the Isle of Wight. The Trust also attends public events, runs “pop-up” events and is implementing engagement activities to deepen community awareness of our region's rare and fragile chalk streams.
Wessex RT is seeking to recruit a Variable Hours River Educator to increase their delivery output with schools, children’s youth groups (for example Scouting and Guiding) and events, focusing on the Our River, Our Water project and the Anton Chalk Stream Resilience Programme which are both funded by Southern Water.
This post combines remote working across Hampshire and home-based working, with regular visits to Wessex RT’s Head Office in Salisbury.
Full Job Description / Person Specification
To apply, email your CV (not more than 2 pages) and a cover letter (1000 words maximum) describing your suitability for the role with explicit reference to the Person Specification to: recruitment@wessexrt.org.uk by 5pm, Thursday 1st October. Interviews will take place on Thursday 15th October at Wessex Rivers Trust headquarters in Salisbury.
Head of Business and Finance
Vacancy: Head of Business & Finance
Salary: £50k per annum pro rata - Rivers Trust salary Grade 5
9% Employer’s Pension Contribution
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part-time 0.8FTE
Employer: Wessex Rivers Trust
Closing date: 12pm, Monday 5th October 2026
Interviews: Monday 12th October 2026
Wessex Rivers Trust (Wessex RT) is an environmental charity dedicated to the protection and
conservation of rivers and the globally significant share of chalk streams found in the Wessex area. Wessex RT is a growing regional Trust at the cutting edge of the Rivers Trust movement. Based in the outskirts of Salisbury on the banks of the beautiful Hampshire Avon, Wessex RT covers the rivers of East Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, the New Forest and Isle of Wight. Our delivery programmes span practical restoration of river habitats, working across broader catchments to address water quality, and educating and engaging communities in the value of rivers.
Full Job Description
This is a rare opportunity to help take the Trust on the next stage of its development journey from the core of the organisation, playing a key role in securing its mission for rivers. We are seeking a wellrounded professional to take up the position of Head of Business & Finance: this is a new role which will be responsible for providing strategic and operational oversight of the Trust’s core business functions, spanning finance, contracts, legal, and organisational support functions including governance.
The postholder will ensure the organisation maintains strong financial controls, an accountability culture, robust contractual and legal arrangements, and efficient business processes, that help manage risk and support the delivery of the charity's mission and objectives. The role will also oversee the core functions of HR, administration, organisational resources, and operational systems, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and supporting a positive, effective working environment.
The role will be a member of the Senior Management Team who, working closely with the CEO, take collective responsibility for the Trust’s operations, ensuring effectiveness, integration, professionalism and alignment to policy and strategy.
Recruitment Pack
To apply, email your CV (not more than 2 pages) and a cover letter (1000 words maximum) describing your suitability for the role with explicit reference to the Person Specification to: recruitment@wessexrt.org.uk by 12pm, Monday 5th October. Interviews will take place on Monday 12th October at Wessex Rivers Trust headquarters in Salisbury.
Community Engagement Volunteer
Vacancy: Community Engagement Volunteer
Organisation: Wessex Rivers Trust
Closing date: Ongoing
Location: Wylye Valley with the potential to engage other communities on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon.
Responsible to: Lindsey Death Engagement Officer and/or Tracy Standish, Senior Education Officer.
Background 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 educating and engaging with a wide and diverse audience is essential to sustaining long-term interest in our local rivers and chalk streams and empowering local communities to take ownership of these precious habitats.
To deliver on this ambition, the Trust is working on a 5-year engagement programme on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon. Funded through Wessex Water’s Partner’s Programme with support from Wiltshire County Council, Our Healthy Headwaters is supporting communities on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon to take positive action that will improve the health of the river catchments. The project has 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.
We are looking for volunteers to support the Engagement Officer on the various elements of the Our Healthy Headwaters Project. The focus will be to engage people of all ages to understand, care for and protect their local river by making changes to the way they use water. A range of engagement strategies will be used to find positive and meaningful connections between communities and their headwater. Tasks could vary greatly depending on your experience and interests, and you may have the opportunity to get involved in a range of activities. Time commitment will be variable but is likely to be about one day per month but can be determined by you depending on your availability, frequency and seasonality of activities.
Role Description
To express an interest in the role of engagement volunteer, please email us at recruitment@wessexrt.org.uk letting us know in a few sentences why you'd like to volunteer with us.
Education Volunteer
Vacancy: Education Volunteer
Organisation: Wessex Rivers Trust
Closing date: Ongoing
Do you have a passion for the environment and education? Are you interested in helping Wessex Rivers Trust deliver river education sessions? Apply to be an Education Volunteer today!
Wessex Rivers Trust is looking for a group of dedicated volunteers to support the Education and Engagement team deliver sessions to school groups, home education groups, youth groups (e.g. scouting and guiding) and at public events.
The role will be mostly site-based working, either by a river or in-school, with occasional visits to our head office in Salisbury.
Role Description
To express an interest in the role of education volunteer, please email us at recruitment@wessexrt.org.uk letting us know in a few sentences why you'd like to volunteer with us.