Contract: Permanent
Salary: £40,778- £45,092
Hours: 37
Location: Hereford Closing Date: 30/10/2025
The Role
Herefordshire Council are seeking a passionate and inspiring Principal Ecologist.
What will you be doing?
Joining a multi-award winning team, including the LGC Environment 2024 and RTPI Excellence award in 2024 you would act as a principal advisor primarily in relation to Ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain matters and your main duties would include:
1. Leading team of technical officers to promote ecological conservation, enhancement and proper management of the wider natural environment, across both council owned estates and the county as a whole.
2. To act as a principal adviser in relation to Ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain, providing technical advice both internally and externally.
3. Provision of technical advice to both Planning and the Nutrient Mitigation lead on Ecological matters.
4. Providing conservation advice and the development of best practice in relation to these matters.
5. Working collaboratively with other teams across the council to address the council’s recently declared Climate and Ecological Emergency.
6. Deputising for the Natural Environmental Team Leader in respect of natural environment matters as and when required.
About You
As Principal Ecologist, you will have:
7. Detailed knowledge and experience of applying UK and EU wildlife regulation and ecological best practice, supported by a working knowledge of planning policy.
8. Experience of providing technical advice for Ecology and Habitats Regulations Assessment in relation to major and/or complex planning applications.
9. Act as the lead technical adviser for Ecology, coaching and mentoring the team on technical issues.
10. Ability to manage a team of ecologists and to promote the professional development of staff.
11. To liaise with colleagues in planning, the wider authority and external bodies including local nature partnerships as well as key stakeholders including Natural England and the Environment Agency.
The Natural Environment Team
In 2019 Herefordshire Council declared a climate emergency and committed to minimising our impact on the environment and aspiring to carbon neutrality by 2030. The scope of this declaration has now been broadened to encompass an ecological emergency, providing an exciting opportunity for the Natural Environment team to the lead the way in developing new initiatives across both the council and the wider county through our work with local nature partnerships.
We Offer
A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
12. Salary range of £40,698 - £45,004
13. Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
14. Career progression: clear pathways to progress
15. Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
16. Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
17. Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
18. Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
19. Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
Why Choose Us?
Herefordshire is big hearted, welcoming and friendly. We have strong and independent communities and idyllic countryside, situated in the South West Midlands and bordering Wales. The county sits between Worcestershire and the Malvern Hills to the east, and Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) in Wales to the west.
Historically Herefordshire has been the gateway to the Marches. We embrace partnership working. We are a member of the Marches Forward Partnership, which is a cross border collaboration between Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Powys and Shropshire who are collectively working to secure funding to invest in the region.
The council priorities over the next four years are set out in the Council Plan, with four main areas;
People: We will enable residents to realise their potential, to be healthy and to be part of great communities who support each other. We want all children to have the best start in life.
Place: We will protect and enhance our environment and ensure that Herefordshire is a great place to live. We will support the right housing in the right place, we will support access to green spaces and we will do everything we can to recover the health of our rivers.
Growth: We will create the conditions to deliver sustainable growth across the county; attracting inward investment, building business confidence, creating jobs, enabling housing development along with providing the right infrastructure.
Transformation: We will be an efficient council that embraces best practice, delivers innovation through technology and demonstrates value for money.
Don’t meet all parts of the job description?
Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are looking at the next stage of your career and have a broad base of fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive and welcoming opportunities to help you develop your professional, management & supervisory skills.
Reasonable Adjustments
Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: enquiries@hoopleresourcing.co.uk.
Creating an inclusive workplace
We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.
For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.
Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
20. Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
21. Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
22. Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
How to apply
To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.
For more information or to arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Richard Vaughan, Head of Environment, Richard.vaughan@herefordshire.gov.uk
Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, Hoople Resourcing will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too. Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!
About Us
The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:
Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-28