Associate Ecologist
| Posting date: | 04 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £55,000.0 to £65,000.0 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £55,000 - £65,000 DOE |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 03 September 2025 |
| Location: | Various offices in England, Lincolnshire, PE9 1AE |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | Hays Specialist Recruitment |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 4688076_1754302581 |
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
Their day to day work is varied working on permitted development projects through to large infrastructure projects through protected landscapes in some of the most remote parts of the country. They are one of the largest suppliers of land and property services to the offshore wind market and currently provide environment and planning services to a range of utilities providers. They work with their clients helping them deliver improved water quality in our rivers and all kinds of renewable energy technologies including solar, BESS, onshore wind, hydrogen and many more - so we can all look forward to Net Zero and a brighter sustainable future!
- 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
- Work with internal and external teams liaising with senior colleagues helping to provide advice to clients
- 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
- 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
- Contribute to the development of the team through providing in-house training and support to junior team members
- 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
- Be a full member of CIEEM, or chartered
- 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)
- Hold protected species survey licences
- 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
- 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: £55,000 - £65,000 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.
Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk