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 for the role of Principal Ecologist (but are not limited to):
1. A competitive basic annual salary
2. Generous annual leave entitlement
3. Flexible working opportunities to include Time off in Lieu (TOIL) for fieldwork undertaken during unsociable hours
4. A supportive working environment, encouraging collaborative, innovative approaches
5. Accredited professional training programmes
6. Extensive career progression opportunities
Responsibilities for the role of Principal Ecologist include:
7. Managing complex, high-profile projects across the ecology sector, to include renewable energy, residential, and commercial opportunities throughout the East of England
8. Authoring and peer-reviewing ecological reports, including Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA), Habitat Regulations Assessments (HRA), and Environmental Statement (ES) Ecology Chapters
9. Providing in-house training, support, and line management to colleagues within the Ecology Team
10. Working collaboratively with wider teams
11. Engaging with clients and stakeholders, including Local Authorities and other institutions (both public and private)
12. Completing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Assessments, interpreting, evaluating, and applying the data across the Biodiversity Metric, delivering practical solutions to clientele
13. Managing projects, including the preparation of fee proposals and tenders, adhering to budgetary allowances and agreed timescales
14. 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 for the role of Principal Ecologist include:
15. A Bachelor’s Degree (or higher qualification) in Ecology (or similar, relevant discipline)
16. Full Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
17. A minimum of one Protected Species Survey Licence
18. Excellent working knowledge of the relevant planning systems and environmental legislation across the UK
19. Competencies in UK Habitat Classification and Habitat Condition Assessments
20. Demonstrable experience in designing and carrying out a number of ecology surveys, utilising findings to inform ecological assessments, delivering practical solutions to clientele
21. Extensive experience in designing and delivering ecological mitigation, including Protected Species Licensing, and Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW)
22. Excellent time management skills
23. Outstanding communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills
24. Hold a full, valid UK driving licence (with Business Insurance), with a willingness to travel to various regional sites
Desirable skills and experience for the role of Principal Ecologist include:
25. Protected Species Survey Licences specifically for bats and great crested newts would be favourable
26. Qualified to Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) Level 4
27. Willing to travel fair distances and stay overnight at some sites across the East of England region