Job title: Aquatic Ecologist Depot/department: Water & Ecology Job purpose The purpose of the role is to provide aquatic ecological support to existing and new projects and provision of ecological services to the Group. Providing consultancy expertise for all disciplines of freshwater ecology including carrying out sampling, identification and interpretation of macroinvertebrates in freshwater habitats. Although we are ideally looking for a consultant, we could consider other grades also. Hours of work Weekly contractual hours are 35 per week, with daily hours being 9am until 5pm, five days per week 1 hour unpaid lunch break each day. The postholder will also be required to satisfy overtime requirements and due to the nature of the duties of this post will be required to occasionally stay away from home overnight. Key tasks and responsibilities To undertake ecological site assessments of aquatic fauna and flora and complete associated report writing; Process aquatic macroinvertebrate samples and perform analyses for macroinvertebrates (RICT 2, BMWP, ASPT, WHPT); To be reactive and respond to environmental incidents, complete the fieldwork necessary to enable a professional ecological impact assessment to be completed with report writing; Provide advice to the wider Group and clients on potential ecological impacts on emergency and/or planned works; Authoring reports, devising monitoring strategies and working within multi-disciplinary teams to provide specialist input; Lead small survey teams including macroinvertebrate, RCA and electrofishing surveys, whilst supporting large scale surveys; Assist business development and marketing; To support the wider Water & Ecology team with general project delivery; Prepare quotes for small scale projects; To project manage their own workloads to ensure a successful and profitable delivery; Successfully manage medium sized projects or multiple small scale projects. Health and safety It is your contractual duty to follow Health and Safety instructions issued by the Company, and to take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work. Due to the nature of this role and the responsibilities of the post holder, it is expected the post holder will provide example for others to follow with regards to health and safety matters and the post holder will be required to address any breach immediately and uphold the principles of the Health and Safety at work Act at all times. Measures of success The performance of the post holder will be continually reviewed and as part of the annual appraisal to ensure the service provided is as required by the organisation. The post holder will be provided with guidance as to what is required of them during the course of the contract. It is the post holder's responsibility to seek guidance and support should clarification be required in relation to the duties associated with the post. Knowledge & experience 2-3 years of experience in the ecological consultancy, with a particular emphasis on the aquatic environment; An understanding and experience of the industry survey techniques including fish and macroinvertebrates; Knowledge of legislation relating to the aquatic environment and its implementation, particularly the Water Framework Directive; Good personal time management, communication skills with internal and external clients and team members locally and nationally; Willingness to learn new skills and to be flexible in terms of travelling and working hours as projects can be distributed across the UK; Qualified to degree level in an environmental subject and have substantive experience in an aquatic ecology role; Higher degree in Aquatic Ecology or related discipline would be an advantage; Membership of an environmental professional body; Previous commercial and/or regulatory experience would be desirable; Conversant with Microsoft Word and Excel, and wider experience of scheduling / programming using specialist computer programs where appropriate would be an advantage; A full UK driving licence.