Principal Ecologist

Posting date:	16 May 2025
Salary:	£46,000.0 to £56,000.0 per year
Additional salary information:	£46,000 - £56,000 DOE
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	15 June 2025
Location:	Southwest ideally but can be remote, Bristol, BS1 1AA
Remote working:	Fully remote
Company:	Hays Specialist Recruitment
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	4688076_1747391743

Summary

Your new company
My client is proud to be leading the way in the Utilities and Infrastructure sector, helping to bring the UK and Ireland closer to Net Zero every day. Their teams of land, environmental, and geospatial specialists work together to secure the consents needed to deliver critical infrastructure projects.
Their comprehensive services include land access and assembly, agricultural liaison, planning, ecology, environmental impact assessments, and geospatial mapping-each playing a vital role in enabling sustainable development.

Your new role

• Lead the department and a small team with big plans for growth, where you will be given the opportunity to develop your career and help shape the future of the ecology team.
• Author a range of typical ecology reports (PEA/EcIA/EIA/HRA/BNG/LEMPs/CEMPs) - EIA/HRA expertise and peer review reports highly desirable for Principal/ Associate roles
• Work with internal and external teams liaising with senior colleagues helping to provide advice to clients
• Assist in negotiations with Natural England, County Ecologists, Local Authority planning officers, and stakeholders
• Engage in development and design proposals, including advising on appropriate site location and construction methodologies, assisting with gaining the necessary consents and licenses in order to deliver projects
• Work within the team to provide ecological advice and provide innovative mitigation solutions enhancement and consideration across a range of sites and schemes
• Liaise with clients, consisting of engineers, developers and landowners, providing ecological advice on how to facilitate development on their project
• Help to provide all the necessary assistance to unlock utility project development in SSSI, SAC, SPA, RAMSAR including applying for SSSI Assents and other permissions
• You'll gain the experience and knowledge to be able to feed into Environmental Impact Assessment Screening, Scoping and chapters working with internal and external specialists and environmental stakeholders
• Provide advice on the need for HRAs and be able to lead on their preparation and completion with limited input from others
• Travel to meetings, client offices and site surveys across multiple projects
• Contribute to the development of the team through providing in-house training and support to junior team members (line management experience desirable for Principal/ Associate roles)
• Prepare fee proposals, tender applications, and manage project finances
• Lead and manage complex ecological projects as part of a diverse portfolio of projects
• Design, procure and manage a range of protected species surveys and mitigation through in-house ecologists and our sub-consultant network
• Complete ecological fieldwork to a level agreed based on role/experience - botanical, bat and ornithological survey expertise highly desirable

What you'll need to succeed

• Hold a BSc and/or MSc degree in Ecology or closely related subject
• Have, or be eligible, for CIEEM membership
• Have sound knowledge of the UK planning system and environmental legislation
• Be proficient in BNG assessments, and able to interpret and evaluate the Biodiversity Metric to deliver pragmatic solutions to clients (experience in securing off-site BNG solutions highly desirable)
• Able to communicate effectively with clients and colleagues, and lead negotiations with Natural England, County Ecologists, Local Authority planning officers, and stakeholders
• Hold protected species survey licences (great crested newts and bats highly desirable)
• Be competent in UK Habitat Classification and habitat condition assessments (FISC level 4 highly desirable but not essential)
• Be able to design and implement ecological mitigation project, and habitat creation/ enhancement for BNG
• Be comfortable working independently and as part of a small team looking to expand across the UK. Some level of overnight accommodation may be required.
• Hold a full UK driving licence, insured for business purposes, and be willing to travel for client meetings and site surveys

What you'll get in return

• Competitive Salary: £46,000 - £56,000 DOE
• Annual bonus scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus 1 day to celebrate your birthday
• Vitality Health Membership (including Private healthcare, subsidised gym membership and other discounts)
• Flexible working through our 'Flexible Advantage' supporting working families & your work/life balance
• Pension Scheme via The Peoples Pension
• Life insurance (4x Base Salary)
• Free on-site parking in non-city centre offices
• Cycle to work scheme
• 26 Weeks paid Maternity Leave
• 2 Weeks paid Paternity Leave
• BHN Extras - provides discounted gift cards for hundreds of popular retailers
• Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme (provided by Octopus Electric Vehicles) effective at 1 years' service
• Sabbatical Policy effective at 3 years' service
• Professional development - paid study leave
• Military service paid leave (7.5 days per year)
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) plus wider Mental Health & Wellbeing support
• 2 x Company-wide events every year, in addition to multiple office socials throughout the year

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 us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

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