Role: Activities Manager Full Time: 37.5 hours per week, flexible across 7 days. Annual Leave: 28 days annual leave, plus progressive leave policy.
Glasgow Watersports operates Pinkston Watersports in Port Dundas, a unique self-sustaining charity and urban community sports hub located close to the city centre. Pinkston is home to Scotland’s only artificial white-water course alongside a large clean water canal basin and was a legacy project of the Commonwealth Games 2014. We deliver a diverse and dynamic programme of activity: from public sessions and school engagement to community programmes, paddlesport development, and national-level training for rescue services. We are open year-round and are driven by a clear purpose to build stronger communities through activity, opportunity, and connection. School and community programmes, public weekend activity delivery, venue hire for kayak clubs and rescue services, and secure storage hire. We are looking for an exceptional Activities Manager to provide visible, hands-on leadership; someone who will inspire, lead, develop and support our instructional team, delivering our high-quality, safe, and successful activity programme.
The Activities Manager is responsible for the planning, development, and delivery of activity programmes at Pinkston, ensuring they are safe, engaging, inclusive, and commercially effective. You will lead and develop the instructional team, oversee programme planning across the year, and ensure that everything we deliver reflects our values and commitment to excellence. You will play a key role in balancing community impact with financial sustainability, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and customer experience. We welcome applications from motivated, proactive individuals who take pride in the detail, can work independently, and are enthusiastic about contributing to a small, dynamic and collaborative team with the shared purpose of building stronger communities Oversee the management, maintenance, and safe use of all equipment and facilities Collaborate with the core team on the planning and delivery of the annual activity programme across all the business areas Develop, review, and maintain activity risk assessments and operating procedures Support development & delivery of creative and impactful youth programmes, including wellbeing, employability, and alternative education initiatives Proven experience in delivering and managing outdoor or activity-based programmes Experience delivering progressive Kayak, Canoe and SUP sessions on sheltered water Ability to balance operational delivery with strategic planning Strong understanding of health & safety in an outdoor activity environment Experience in the use of Microsoft Office 365 and other programmes
BC White Water Leader (assessed), with experience delivering on artificial courses and/or natural rivers or, a higher level of qualification ~ BC White Water Safety & Rescue Training (WWSR) ~16 Hour Outdoor First Aid Qualification ~ Safeguarding / Child Protection
Experience working with young people and community programmes Experience using evaluation and impact data Land based activities – Archery, Bushcraft, Team Building Full Driving Licence Leadership and coaching, youthwork qualifications or other relevant experience We value the inherent rights of every child – in all that we do is within the UNCRC framework and in our safeguarding practices We value Blue & Green Spaces – Supporting health and wellbeing through outdoor environments We value Community Strength – Building connections and opportunity We value Water Safety Training and Competitive Sport
You will be equally comfortable planning ahead and responding to the immediate needs of the day, stepping in wherever required to ensure the smooth running of the centre. The right person will take pride in delivering exceptional experiences while helping to shape the future of Pinkston, bringing a positive, proactive approach to both people and programmes. If you’re passionate about people, community, and purposeful work, we’d love to hear from you. Please see the full Job Description, for further information and application information is available on our website.Commit to equality, inclusion, and safeguarding in all areas of work…