Advertised from 31 October 2025

Role

Glasgow Watersports operates Pinkston Watersports in Port Dundas close to the city centre. This is a unique self-sustaining charity and urban community sports hub. Pinkston is home to Scotland’s only artificial white-water course with a large clean water canal basin. The Centre was an official legacy project of the Commonwealth Games 2014.  

The Centre is a key venue for outdoor adventures both on and off the water, learning for schools and communities, for water rescue delivery and for club venue hire and secure storage.  

Strategically Pinkston is about driving connection in our community, through activity, and opportunity. Our focus is around skill building both physically and across a range of meta skills for young people, groups and others attending for single sessions or regularly with local clubs, community or uniformed groups. More widely we support a large programme of delivery for the public and recue service training in swift water and rescue from vehicle training for services from across the UK. Pinkston is also a venue for both national and international events. We are open all year round.  

Role purpose:

To ensure the safe and effective running of the business operations, water sports and land based outdoor activities 

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead, manage and develop multi-disciplinary team to deliver centre objectives safely and efficiently
• Manage budgets, resources, water quality and centre-user service
• Continually review, develop and improve centre operating procedures and ways of working

Essential skills & Experience:

• Proven ability to lead, manage, and develop multi-disciplinary teams to achieve organisational objectives safely and efficiently
• Strong organisational and operational management skills including experience managing budgets, resources, and service delivery 
• Experience in the outdoor industry (preferably in water sports or adventure activities)
• Experience in ensuring robust health and safety practices in public-facing outdoor or sporting environments
• Experience in developing and implementing systems and procedures for continuous improvement 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for working with staff, users, and stakeholders 
• Competence with Microsoft Office and general IT systems
• Full driving licence

Desirable skills & experience:

• A sound understanding of the third sector and social enterprise
• Degree or further education in a relevant discipline

Reports to: CEO

Hours of duty: Due to the seasonal nature of the work and fluctuating demands, this role is offered on an annualised hours basis with 37.5 hrs per week, annual weekly average. Weekday and weekend working will be required.

Location: Pinkston Watersports, 75 North Canal Bank Street, Glasgow, G4 9XP This is Centre based role 

The role has been created due to growth and restructuring and is open to applicants who can demonstrate management experience, drive, initiative and enthusiasm to support our next steps. 

As Centre Manager you will have overall responsibility for the management of the Centre. Principally this will ensure delivery of a wide range of services and activities to an extensive and varied audience. This will include staff management, programme development, scheduling and delivery, procedural developments, H&S, marketing and social media and maintaining water quality. The role has seasonal variability embedded.  

You will support the CEO in delivering the following: 

• Operating the centre in a robust and business-like manner with a focus on our charitable outcomes, building further resilience and sustainability. This will include managing programming, bookings and delivery with financial management behind your decision making.  
• You will review and update policies in line with H&S, HR and other relevant legislation. In addition, risk assessments, operating procedures and all operation compliance policies such as AALA and including emergency planning will be part of the remit and supported by the Activities Manager. The Centre is also supported by some outsourced services such as HR, IT, H&S Consultancy.  
• A much-valued element of our remit is to deliver on Pinkston Community Project which links with schools, youth groups and in-house youth work supported by the Youth and Community Coordinator.  
• Ongoing development of new initiatives to contribute to our development for both community and direct delivery. There may be an element of session delivery to reflect seasonal demand. 
• Staff management includes a full-time team of admin, development and instructors along with an annual seasonal team to manage summer capacity. This will include payroll / leave and implementation of HR polices. In additional an active role in staff training, monitoring of ongoing CPD, safeguarding and NGB qualifications will be required.
• Assisting the CEO in developing new initiatives to contribute to income targets and growing sustainability. This will include reporting to Board sub-groups such as finance and projects.  
• Assisting the Activities Manager in supporting and developing good practice including relevant licensing (AALA).

The ideal candidate will play an active and pro-active role in motivating, managing and developing the team. More widely the Centre Manager will play an enthusiastic part in building the events calendar with user groups such as canoe polo and canoe slalom. Customer service will be critical and play a part in building and developing the impact data measurements collated by the Centre. 

We’re looking for an outstanding candidate who will actively demonstrate flexibility, with a hands-on approach to tasks and an open and welcoming manner. Our candidate will promote Pinkston to the highest standards across our industry and the city.  

Research shows that many talented individuals may hesitate to apply for jobs unless they feel they meet every single criterion. At Pinkston Watersports, we value diverse experiences and perspectives. If you are interested in this role and believe you have much to contribute, we encourage you to apply—even if your background doesn’t match every requirement. Please tell us what makes you the ideal candidate

Corporate Responsibility:

• Ensure Pinkston Watersports is promoted effectively and in keeping with our corporate image 
• Ensure high levels of professional conduct, customer care and PR by all staff at all times 
• We expect all employees to commit fully to our Equal Opportunities Policy with responsibility for its practical application
• We expect management to commit to safer recruitment principles and embed our commitment to safeguarding in all that they do

Pinkston is an equal opportunities employer and committed to safeguarding principles. We expect our staff to share our commitment. An offer of employment is subject to PVG and 2 satisfactory references.

Application notes

Informal conversations are warmly welcomed in advance of the closing date – contact our CEO directly on [email protected] 

Applications with a CV and covering letter to [email protected]

Closing date: 30 November 2025 

Interviews in early December