General Manager

Inland Waterways Association

Hours
21 hours per week

About the Organisation

Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is the only independent, national charity supporting and regenerating Britain’s rivers and canals for leisure, living and business. We campaign both locally and nationally for the waterways; lobbying parliament, championing regeneration, promoting sustainability and the environment, and raising waterways users' concerns. We also love to roll up our sleeves and get involved with direct work on the waterways, both through local branch activities and through the hands-on activities of our Waterways Recovery Group. 

At its heart, IWA is a membership organisation, with around 8,000 individual members and over a hundred affiliated waterways organisations, groups and businesses. Having just celebrated the 80th anniversary of our founding in 1946, we continue to build on our legacy of campaigning, action and delivery for the future. 

About the role

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic manager to co-ordinate the day-to-day operation of the charity. Reporting to the Chair of the Trustees and with a small team of permanent staff focused on three areas – Campaigning, Restoration and Support, your prime responsibility will be to ensure the smooth running of the charity. 

As an experienced manager, you will have experience of all areas of business management: marketing, finance, human resources, as well as the myriad issues common to all small charities and businesses. An experienced communicator and active people manager, you will be able to bring your skills to both managing the staff and integrating their work with that done by trustees and other volunteers for the Association. The role may involve some out-of-office-hours work.

Purpose And Scope:

• Responsible for directing and managing the Association to implement the decisions of the Trustees in an efficient and economical manner to a high standard in compliance with company and charity law. Most of the role’s work will be achieved by effective delegation, empowerment, and management of others.
• Accountability: Accountable to the Trustees, through their Chair. Meeting regularly with the Chair and reporting to trustee meetings, usually attending online for all or part of the meetings.
• Authority as line manager: Enable and manage staff team to fulfil their roles, recognising that each is specialist in their own role. 

Responsibilities

Specific Tasks, Duties And Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage a realistic annual workplan with the Senior Leadership
• Team, within resources, for Trustee approval; this plan will allow for contingencies and flexibilities to meet service needs, including:
• To be the General Manager of the Association and implement the decisions of the Association’s Trustees by taking executive action or by direction through other Association Officers, staff or its committees.
• Lead a Senior Leadership Team to ensure that staff work well together and run an effective and responsive central organisation seeking assistance from volunteers as required.
• Prepare and present reports to Trustees as per an agreed reporting cycle.
• Lead and manage the Association’s staff to ensure that they can fulfil their roles, in a harmonious and aspirational team, supporting them in delivering their responsibilities using their expertise and experience to the full.
• Control and report all expenditure as set by the Finance Committee and ensure that all income and expenditure is managed in accordance with agreed procedures.
• Ensure that the administrative requirements are developed and carried out efficiently and economically.
• Lead on paid staff HR issues with appropriate support as needed.
• Ensure that the office is a focal point of contact for internal and external enquiries, working closely with the Director of Campaigns and Public Affairs, and ensure that all correspondence through the office is dealt with effectively through official channels.
• Liaise with senior officers of the Canal & River Trust, Environment
• Agency, other navigation authorities, and partner organisations to represent the association and pursue its work. These duties are likely to be shared with others, such as topic chairs.
• Ensure that the requirements of the Articles of Association, the Registrar of Companies and the Charities Commission are complied with.
• Lead on risk management and ensure that key risks are reported to Trustees. This includes health, safety, safeguarding, personnel and building security and matters arising through audits.
• Lead on IT matters with appropriate support and ensure legal and good practice compliance.
• Ensure a programme of personnel development to equip the organisation to respond to changes and opportunities.
• Manage the complaints procedure.
• Ensure that the membership functions work well and oversee initiatives to boost membership.
• Ensure that the agreed programme of events and other public-facing activities, including the AGM, are delivered to a high standard.
• Liaise with key volunteer officers in branches and groups regarding resources, staff support, reporting, and compliance, within agreed governance arrangements.
• Ensure that the IWA Insurance services are effectively delivered.
• To have a comprehensive overview of organisational assets, activity, and reputation, ensuring that all activities are on a proper legal basis, especially in unusual circumstances (inheritance of a property), disputes with partner organisations or untimely vacancies. In every case, bringing in advising or specialist support as needed, and referring up to Trustees as needed.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Experience & Aptitude Required:

• Relevant experience of leading/managing an organisation or function with clear ideas about how performance can be managed and improved.
• Management of staff and other aspects of good HR practice.
• Office procedures and controls including financial, safety, record keeping.
• Inclusive approach to enabling a wider diversity of people to be involved and creating a culture in which staff and volunteers are retained and can progress through the organisation.

Knowledge & Skills Required:

• Able to manage, work well with, and motivate a diverse group of staff, volunteers and trustees.
• Must be able to use office IT programmes including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint or their equivalent.
• Familiarity with IWA, a similar organisation, or waterways in general; able to talk about the IWA’s objectives and campaigns.
• Relevant experience and understanding of prioritising own work and that of the staff team.
• Be able to manage workloads within capacity, enabling those above and below to fulfil their roles well.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal,
• Understanding of matters that require definitive action and firm deadlines.
• Be able to represent the organisation and waterways at all levels.

Other Desirable Attributes:

• Good knowledge of relevant processes and procedures and ability to meet deadlines.
• Flexible approach to work, managing own time and others well within the capacity available.
• Good leadership and team working skills building effective working relationships with key volunteers and staff.
• Self-motivated – aware that this post is principally to enable and motivate others, including volunteers others to achieve in their roles.
• Ability to work well under pressure with high standards of accuracy.
• Experience of fundraising activities.

Required Qualifications

• Relevant qualifications to be considered alongside experience. 

Compensation & Benefits

• Plus 7% pension contribution.

Conditions of employment

•  You need to be eligible to work in the UK 

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the Berkhamsted office and remotely

How to apply

• Please complete the enclosed application form electronically. Please refer to the person specification when completing the form. Your completed application form should clearly describe how you meet each of the criteria that have been identified as being necessary for this post, as this will form the basis of shortlisting candidates. Please enclose your CV, as it may be referred to for supplementary information; however, please ensure that all the questions asked on the application form are fully answered.
• Completed forms should be returned by email to [email protected]
• If you require any further information about this position, please contact either of the Trustees handling the recruitment process, [email protected] or [email protected].
• We will be processing applications as we receive them. The closing date for receiving completed application forms is 9 am on Monday 10th August 2026.
• As a charity, we try to keep our administrative costs to a minimum, and therefore we shall only be able to advise unsuccessful candidates by e-mail. It is not our policy to discuss reasons for shortlisting individual applicants.
• We look forward to receiving your application in due course. 

Policies

IWA aims to ensure that all staff, volunteers, partners, clients, contractors, members and the general public are treated fairly. This will be regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, race (including colour, nationality, ethnicity, or national origin), disability, medical status, age, religion or belief, political opinion, social or economic status, or ex-offender status - unless it can be shown to be justified. Our policy is to recruit and employ our employees on the basis of their suitability for the work to be done. 

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