Senior/Principal Ecologist

Your new company

My client is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing roughly 3,000 employees across the world, they provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, they enable their customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

With more than 40 years of heritage in addressing air quality, environmental and sustainability issues, their customers value them for their deep understanding and breadth of services covering the entire value chain from evidence, policy & strategy to implementation.

Your new role

My client is looking for an experienced Terrestrial Ecologist at Senior or Principal level to join their team. You will join colleagues in providing technical support on a variety of ecology projects, across a wide range of clients in the water, developer, infrastructure and public sectors.

The position offers a diverse role, supporting projects and clients across the UK, and occasionally beyond. Experience in Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA), Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA) and Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRA) would be an advantage, whilst also carrying out projects encompassing both a biodiversity (including Biodiversity Net Gain) and protected species/habitat focus.

• Your role will involve project management and implementation of ecological assessments, plus the coordination of associated surveys, consultation and mitigation in support of our clients' proposals and operations.
• You will be involved in managing the technical work of more junior staff and sub-consultants and (depending on experience) managing projects and their direction too. There will also be team leadership opportunities as the team expands.
• The nature of the role and the dynamic of the team provides a wealth of opportunities to explore your interests and carry out a range of tasks and functions within terrestrial ecology, as well as a range of related disciplines.
• There is also a degree of flexibility over which facets of the role you become most invested in: be it a more technical focus; project management; developing bids and tenders; or, a more generalist role.

What you\'ll need to succeed

• In depth knowledge of UK and EU Wildlife Legislation, planning policies, licensing requirements and best practice survey techniques;
• Capable at leading PEA, EcIA and HRA; WRMP options appraisal understanding and/or experience would be an advantage;
• Experience of working on large infrastructure or development projects
• Leading, planning and co-ordinating field surveys, analysing and interpreting survey results and planning and co-ordinating ecological mitigation works;
• Multiple protected species survey licences (ideally in both England and Wales)
• Experience of applying for and holding licenses for protected species mitigation/conservation
• Experience of writing thorough and complex reports and assessments, such as HRA stages 1 - 4 and Environmental Statement chapters
• A track-record of successful project management
• Experience in the preparation of ecology proposals and tenders
• A chartered member of a professional body (e.g. CEnv or CEcol)
• Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; be able to produce meticulous and accurate technical reports as well as communicate confidently with a variety of clients and stakeholders
• Be organised with proven ability to multi-task and handle several projects simultaneously
• A self-starter, as you'll be part of a small and very busy team. Excellent team working skills are therefore essential together with strong communication skills, sound understanding of ecological impact assessment and a close attention to detail.
• Whilst fieldwork skills are needed for this role, there will be a large component of office-based coordination, data analysis, client contact and report writing.

Desirable

• Have experience of leading and motivating a team of both site and office based staff;
• Have a proven work winning track record, experience of preparing bids and tenders and generating new business opportunities;
• Mentoring junior colleagues;
• Building client relationships and generating opportunities;
• Preparing bids and managing project budgets; and
• Collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams within the regions

What you\'ll get in return

This is an exciting and rewarding place to work and you have the opportunity to make a difference. You will work with teams of talented, dedicated, and supportive individuals. Alongside having a fantastic opportunity to develop your career with them through their broad range of projects, mentoring opportunities and a personalised approach to your learning and development.

• Competitive salary up to £55,000 before benefits
• Flexible working w/ part time options
• Wellbeing programmes
• Importance placed on diversity & inclusion
• 25 days\' annual leave + 8 flexible bank holidays
• Pension scheme
• Life Assurance
• Professional subscription reimbursements
• Flexible benefits available

What you need to do now
If you\'re interested in this role, click \'apply now\' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call me now.
If this job isn\'t quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact me for a confidential discussion on your career.

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