Bristol Water Access & Recreations Manager

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose

At Bristol Water, we’ve been serving generations of families since 1846. Ensuring people in our communities have access to healthy water is paramount, which is why we work around the clock testing our water hundreds of times a day.

We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you’re starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.

Ready to make a splash?
Join our team today.

Location: Bristol Water Reservoir Estate (Chew Valley, Blagdon, Cheddar and surrounding sites)

Contract: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract
Salary: £33,00 - £35,000

We're looking for an experienced and passionate Access & Recreation Manager to lead the safe, sustainable and compliant management of public access and recreational activities across Bristol Water's reservoir sites.

This is an exciting and varied role that sits at the intersection of environmental stewardship, recreation, stakeholder engagement and operational delivery. You'll work alongside environmental specialists, operational teams and external partners to ensure our reservoir sites remain safe, accessible and environmentally protected for customers, communities and wildlife alike.

As Access & Recreation Manager, you'll be responsible for overseeing both operational and regulatory activities associated with public access and recreation across our reservoir estate.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Developing and delivering Bristol Water's Access & Recreation strategy.

• Producing and implementing access management plans informed by site and desktop surveys.

• Supporting environmental improvement programmes and regulatory commitments.

• Providing public site safety access expertise to operational teams.

• Working closely with regulators, local authorities and conservation organisations.

• Managing stakeholder relationships including water sports clubs, anglers, local businesses and community groups.

• Leading water safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns.

• Overseeing inspections, signage, public access routes and visitor facilities.

• Managing recreational events and ensuring appropriate permissions and compliance measures are in place.

• Supporting environmental and public incident response and risk management activities.

• Monitoring recreation data and performance measures, contributing to corporate reporting and business improvement initiatives.

• Identifying opportunities to enhance recreational facilities while protecting environmental assets.

Flexibility: This role is primarily Monday to Friday; however, occasional weekend and out-of-hours working will be required to support events, stakeholder engagement activities and operational priorities across our reservoir sites. This flexibility is an important part of ensuring we deliver safe and enjoyable experiences for visitors and partners.

You’ll be a confident and collaborative professional with relevant qualifications or experience in recreation, visitor management, countryside access, or a related discipline. You’ll enjoy balancing public access, visitor experience, safety, and operational requirements while building strong relationships with stakeholders and partners.

We're particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Degree-qualified (or equivalent experience) in recreation, leisure,…