Craft Operative

Overview

Join to apply for the Craft Operative role at Canal & River Trust
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Base pay range and role details are provided by Canal & River Trust. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

We are looking for a Craft Operative (Mixed trade skills) to join our East Midlands team. See our canal network here:

We are looking for a Craft Operative for our waterway, tasked with helping us improve, maintain, and preserve our canal network for customers to enjoy today and in the future. Responsibilities include refurbishment or repair of canal infrastructure including locks, bridges, aqueducts, towpaths and related equipment, working to defined safety, environmental and heritage standards at all times.

The post holder will work an annualised hours system, including a rota that covers statutory holidays and weekends. Craft Operatives look after specific stretches of our regional waterways but may support work in other areas as required and may travel region-wide and occasionally work away from home in the opposing region. The successful candidate will be required to drive a fleet vehicle and have a valid full UK driving licence.

Location & coverage

Reporting to the base at Swarkestone, this role will involve regular travel along the regional canal network and may involve work in other areas of the East Midlands region. See our network here:

Learn more about the canal you will be covering here:
East Midlands Map

As a Craft Operative, you will play an important role improving, maintaining and preserving our waterways by efficiently maintaining locks and other assets along the local network in line with safety requirements and heritage standards. You will respond to business needs, enhance the reputation of the network, and support Canal & River Trust’s aims to improve safety and protect the heritage and integrity of the inland waterway network.

Our Craft Operatives perform a unique role; fitting new lock gates as they are replaced, refurbishing or repairing existing lock gates and associated equipment to ensure they are working efficiently and to defined standards. You will work with specialist teams and experts as part of multi-disciplinary teams to improve waterways and ensure our 200-year-old assets can be enjoyed for years to come.

Key responsibilities:

• Work outside to carry out maintenance and repairs to waterway infrastructure to maximise network availability. Repairs may involve sensitive heritage or environmental considerations, which the role will need to be familiar with. Where required, complete repairs to the highest standard using relevant skills and experience.
• Apply joinery expertise to undertake manufacture and refurbishment within defined standards and programmes.
• Operate a variety of machinery, plant, tools and equipment in line with safety standards; support in-house maintenance where appropriate.
• Undertake general housekeeping of personal equipment, workshop equipment and workspace to defined standards.
• Provide timely responses to customers’ queries and requirements, including emergencies.
• Ensure all equipment (PPE, plant, materials, etc.) is appropriate for the task.
• Assist with measuring locks and lock gates to identify correct measurements for manufacture; learn this heritage skill alongside experienced specialists.
• Read and interpret technical drawings to translate into production.
• Work with and supervise volunteers to ensure sufficient resources and high volunteer satisfaction.
• Operate regionally with flexibility to deliver the nationally prioritised works programme; may involve travelling longer distances for repair work.

Operative skills are a minimum requirement. You should be able to learn other skills that will be taught, with a background in the building trade or a specialist joinery background where measuring, cutting and joining is second nature.

• Apprenticeship or equivalent qualification (or experience), e.g. City & Guilds Level II, NVQ Level II
• Experience handling plant/equipment in group A (e.g. chainsaw, hand power tools,…