Principal Ecologist

Overview

Job Title: Principal Ecologist

Ref. No.: CJD12025J

Location: Based near Bury St Edmunds

Salary: £43,000 - £53,000

This is the ideal opportunity to join my client, a highly-respected, eco-conscious multidisciplinary consultancy, lending their specialist consultancy services to a diverse range of projects across the ecological landscape. My client is seeking a talented, experienced Principal Ecologist, willing to take on challenging projects alongside a growing team of professionals, across the renewable energy, residential, commercial, and infrastructure landscapes, based near the picturesque, medieval town of Bury St Edmunds.

Benefits

• A competitive basic annual salary
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Flexible working opportunities to include Time off in Lieu (TOIL) for fieldwork undertaken during unsociable hours
• A supportive working environment, encouraging collaborative, innovative approaches
• Accredited professional training programmes
• Extensive career progression opportunities

Responsibilities

• Managing complex, high-profile projects across the ecology sector, to include renewable energy, residential, and commercial opportunities throughout the East of England
• Authoring and peer-reviewing ecological reports, including Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA), Habitat Regulations Assessments (HRA), and Environmental Statement (ES) Ecology Chapters
• Providing in-house training, support, and line management to colleagues within the Ecology Team
• Working collaboratively with wider teams
• Engaging with clients and stakeholders, including Local Authorities and other institutions (both public and private)
• Completing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Assessments, interpreting, evaluating, and applying the data across the Biodiversity Metric, delivering practical solutions to clientele
• Managing projects, including the preparation of fee proposals and tenders, adhering to budgetary allowances and agreed timescales
• Designing and implementing Ecological Mitigation Strategies, including Mitigation Licences for a range of endangered species (namely bats, dormice, water voles, badgers, and great crested newts)

Required skills and experience

• A Bachelor's Degree (or higher qualification) in Ecology (or similar, relevant discipline)
• Full Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
• A minimum of one Protected Species Survey Licence
• Excellent working knowledge of the relevant planning systems and environmental legislation across the UK
• Competencies in UK Habitat Classification and Habitat Condition Assessments
• Demonstrable experience in designing and carrying out a number of ecology surveys, utilising findings to inform ecological assessments, delivering practical solutions to clientele
• Extensive experience in designing and delivering ecological mitigation, including Protected Species Licensing, and Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW)
• Excellent time management skills
• Outstanding communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills
• Hold a full, valid UK driving licence (with Business Insurance), with a willingness to travel to various regional sites

Desirable skills and experience

• Protected Species Survey Licences specifically for bats and great crested newts would be favourable
• Qualified to Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) Level 4
• Willing to travel fair distances and stay overnight at some sites across the East of England region