Jobs & Volunteer Positions

Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne Catchment Partnership Officer

Salary:                             £29,000-£36,352 (pro-rata, 0.6 FTE) dependant on experience (Officer Band A Learning – Officer Band B Developing).

Contract length:        0.6 FTE, Part-Time Position. Contract to 31st March 2028, with possibility to extend, subject to funding.

Location:                        This is a hybrid position with a mixture of working from home, Thames21’s main office at the Guildhall, City of London and site visits across Thames21 catchment areas as required. Occasional working from Thames21’s satellite office at Bow Locks, East London may also be required.

Responsible to:          Catchment Partnership Programme Manager

About Thames21:

 Thames21 is an environmental charity putting healthy rivers at the heart of community life. Through environmental improvements, community engagement, education and advocacy we bring about effective and lasting change by working hand-in-hand with communities to deliver tangible and measurable improvements to our network of rivers.

Diversity at Thames21

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Thames21 is key to our success and as such we employ staff from a diverse range of backgrounds, this we feel is key in ensuring that everybody has an equal opportunity and is not treated differently or discriminated against because of their characteristics. We value the voices of our individual employees, and we strive to work in a collaborative, innovative balanced way. The postholder must actively support this.

 Purpose of the job:

 This post will form part of Thames21’s Catchment Partnership team. The successful candidate will co-host the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne (RBI) Catchment Partnership, alongside Thames Chase Trust, and will be responsible for the partnership’s strategic development and expansion, working towards the successful delivery of the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) to improve the rivers and wider environment in this catchment.

The RBI Catchment Partnership covers an area of approximately 500km2, including the rural areas of Uttlesford, Brentwood, Epping Forest and Thurrock before reaching the urban stretches of Redbridge, Havering, Barking and Dagenham in north-east London where it borders the tidal Thames.

Main duties and responsibilities:

The officer will be expected to deliver across four priority areas:

1.Develop diverse, representative, collaborative and delivery focused partnerships

The successful candidate will need to work autonomously and proactively to seek out and positively engage strategic stakeholders within the RBI catchment area, building the influence and capacity of the Catchment Partnership network to deliver improvements for rivers and local communities. These stakeholders will include (but are not limited to) community groups, landowners, eNGOs, local authorities, government agencies and water companies.

 2. Work with partnership networks to identify, develop and fundraise for river catchment improvement projects

 Working alongside external partners and Thames21 colleagues, the Catchment Partnership Officer will need to draw on their knowledge of what makes a river catchment healthy to develop ambitious and impactful catchment improvement projects that meet the targets of Thames21’s 5-year plan and the RBI’s Catchment Action Plan. Once identified, the successful candidate will be required to work with relevant Thames21 teams and external partners to successfully fundraise for the development and delivery of these projects.

 3. Bring together identified projects into detailed, deliverable catchment and sub-catchment action plans, and monitor progress against these.

 The catchment partnership officer will be responsible for developing deliverable catchment and sub-catchment action plans that draw together projects identified across the catchment/sub-catchment area with landowner and stakeholder support. These plans should make the priority projects for delivery clear to external readers and catchment partners, enabling a strategic approach to project delivery in the catchment.

4. Break down silos by sharing information and bringing people together; in a way that is catchment wide, cross boundary and across multiple organisations.

The catchment partnership officer will be expected to share knowledge, news, funding opportunities and project progress between stakeholders through meetings, site visits, email newsletters and quarterly meetings of the whole Catchment Partnership (which the Officer will have the responsibility of arranging, coordinating and chairing, including the production of agendas, minutes and actions). The catchment partnership officer will be expected to communicate the work of their catchment partnership networks externally at relevant forums, including the River Partnerships in London (RiPL) Group, Thames Catchment Forum and strategic community events.

 Other Duties

 Where necessary, the catchment partnership officer may be required to support and lead on the delivery of river improvement projects, managing project deadlines and budgets. Moreover, this job description cannot cover every issue or task that may arise within Thames21; at various times the post-holder will be directed to carry out other reasonable duties in support of other Thames21 activities that are consistent with those in this Job Description.  For more information and how to apply, please visit the link CPO0826

Additional Information

  • The post holder must be willing to occasionally work in the evening and at weekends
  • 25 days paid annual leave are available pro rata plus public holidays. In addition, the Thames21 office is closed between Christmas and New Year.
  • Thames21 operate a flexitime system of working and offer TOIL for overtime worked
  • Thames21 have an ‘Auto Enrol’ Workplace Pension Scheme with NEST (8% employer contribution).
  • 24/7 access to our employee assistance programme
  • Laptop & Mobile phone for company use.
  • Opportunity to join a recognised workplace union with IWGB

For more information on Thames21, please visit our website at www.thames21.org.uk.

To apply for this position please, email an up-to-date copy of your CV and a covering letter to recruitment@thames21.org.uk with the reference CPO0826, in the subject box of your email application.

The closing date for applications is: 5pm, 13th September 2026.

Interview dates: Commencing late September 2026 (subject to change).

We appreciate the time you will have taken to apply to this role, and we do appreciate that it is disconcerting when you don’t hear back from a role you have applied for. However, due to the high number of applications we expect to receive, we are unable respond to or give feedback on individual applications, but we do want to be able manage expectations. Therefore, if you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.

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VOLUNTARY COMPANY SECRETARY

What We Do

Empower communities to care for rivers

  • We support thousands of volunteers and community groups each year to improve their local waterways and green spaces.

Restore rivers and nature

  • We deliver practical river restoration projects that improve habitats, water quality and biodiversity.

Build climate resilience

  • We create nature-based solutions that help communities and ecosystems adapt to climate change and reduce flood risk.

The role

We have an exciting opportunity to appoint a Voluntary Company Secretary to support our Board of Trustees and help ensure our governance is as strong as the environmental impact we deliver.  Your professional skills will support an ambitious and growing charity making a real difference to rivers, wildlife and people.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from groups currently under-represented in charity governance roles.

 The Role

The Company Secretary plays an important role in supporting the effective operation of Thames21’s governance.

Working closely with the Chair of Trustees, Chief Executive and Board, you will help ensure that meetings are well organised, decisions are properly recorded and the charity meets its statutory obligations as both a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.

You will be expected to attend four Board meetings and approximately two sub-committee meetings each year, together with occasional planning discussions with the Chair and Chief Executive.  The role is voluntary, although reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

What You Will Be Doing

  • Supporting the smooth operation of the Board of Trustees and its committees.
  • Working with the Chair and Chief Executive to plan Board and committee meetings.
  • Preparing and distributing agendas and meeting papers.
  • Attending meetings and ensuring accurate minutes and action logs are maintained.
  • Maintaining key governance records and statutory registers.
  • Supporting the filing of statutory returns and governance documents with Companies House and the Charity Commission.
  • Advising trustees on governance processes and good practice.
  • Assisting with trustee induction and governance documentation.
  • Ensuring that the charity complies with its governing document and relevant legal requirements.
  • Supporting governance reviews and improvement initiatives as appropriate.

 What We Are Looking For

We are seeking someone who has:

  • Experience as a Company Secretary, governance professional, trustee, board administrator or in a similar governance role.
  • An understanding of company and/or charity governance.
  • Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
  • The ability to produce concise and accurate minutes.
  • Good judgement and discretion.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • The confidence to provide procedural advice and guidance when needed.
  • An interest in environmental issues, community engagement and the mission of Thames21.

Desirable but not essential:

  • Experience working with charities, membership organisations, companies limited by guarantee or not-for-profit organisations.
  • Knowledge of charity law and Charity Commission requirements.
  • An interest in charity governance and governance improvement.

Why Join Thames21?

This role may appeal to an experienced Company Secretary, governance professional, trustee or board administrator looking to use their skills in support of a meaningful environmental cause.  It could suit someone seeking a voluntary role alongside their career or as part of a portfolio of charitable commitments.

This role offers the opportunity to:

  • Join a friendly, passionate and professional organisation committed to creating lasting environmental and social impact.
  • See the tangible results of your contribution through projects that improve rivers, wildlife habitats and local communities.
  • Use your professional skills to support a respected and ambitious environmental charity.
  • Work closely with an experienced Board of Trustees and leadership team.
  • Gain insight into charity leadership, strategy and governance.
  • Build relationships with professionals from across the environmental, water, local government and charity sectors.
  • Support practical action on river restoration, biodiversity recovery and climate resilience.

Most importantly, you will help ensure that Thames21 has the strong governance foundations needed to deliver lasting environmental impact.

Time Commitment

Approximately 6–10 days per year, including:

  • Four Board meetings annually.
  • Approximately two subcommittee meetings annually.
  • Preparation time for meetings and governance administration.
  • Occasional discussions with the Chair and Chief Executive.

To Apply

Please send your CV and a short covering letter with the reference CS0726 explaining:

  • Why you are interested in becoming Thames21’s Company Secretary; and
  • How your experience and skills would support the role.

Applications should be sent to recruitment@thames21.org.uk.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position

Thames21, Guildhall, City of London, London EC2V 7HH.    Registered Charity No. 1103997

www.thames21.org.uk

We appreciate the time you took to apply for this role, and we understand that it can be disconcerting when you don’t hear back from a position you have applied for. However, due to the high number of applications we expect to receive, we are unable to respond to or provide feedback on individual applications. Nevertheless, we want to manage expectations. Therefore, if you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful on this occasion.

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