Senior Ecologist

Job content

Description
Senior Ecologist
At Arcadis, we never lose sight of what’s most important. Because we look beyond our projects and programmes and you’ll see it’s about human stories. From remaking public spaces that bring people together, to making cities easier to navigate, we’re focused on making an impact where it matters most - and improving quality of life.

It’s a shared goal amongst 27,000 Arcadians. And one we can only achieve by working together and applying our skills and expertise across design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. It’s how we’ll find solutions to our clients’ most complex challenges. And how we’ll deliver exceptional results, today and tomorrow.

Job Description
As a Senior Ecologist, you would be joining our team of over 50 ecologists with more than 30 years of experience undertaking ecological surveys and assessments, as well as the provision of advice on soil, land use, hydrological and sustainable drainage issues, arboriculture, ecosystem service, natural capital assessment, biodiversity strategies and metrics and cultural heritage. During this time, we have undertaken over 2,000 projects covering a wide range of environmental disciplines throughout the UK, in Europe and beyond, for public and private clients.

Presently, we are engaged on a variety of large and interesting projects, including Urban and Greenfield Residential Development, Highway and Rail Schemes, Power Stations, Electrical and Gas Infrastructure, and are working for a wide selection of clients based throughout the UK, including EDF Energy, National Grid, the Environment Agency, Transport for London, Highways England, Network Rail, the Canal and River Trust, and Housing Associations. We are also involved in international work via Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessments and our natural capital community of practice.

Reporting to the Team Leader, you will be accountable for the coordination and completion of assigned tasks and projects within the Business Unit or project team. You will be responsible for leading and managing the delivery of small projects to meet time, budgetary and Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) targets, managing the ecological aspects of the client relationship so that delivery exceeds client expectations. You will take a leadership role on small to medium sized projects, providing both direction and technical advice and leading by example.

We will ensure that we offer personal development which will allow you to progress your career and offer you the opportunity to be mentored by industry-recognised Technical Leaders in their field, who will lend you their experience and ensure that the training you receive will give you the best possible chance of success.

Responsibilities of this role include, but are not limited to-

• Manage small to medium sized projects (including budgets and cashflow), attend meetings, provide advice to clients and manage bid production
• Undertake ecological surveys
• Oversee and undertake the analysis of results of field surveys
• Manage and/or undertake Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEAs) write and/or assist with ecological impact assessments (EIAs), biodiversity strategies and other documents
• Provide advice on ecological issues, both at an appropriate level within own area of expertise but also on a broad range of issues
• Compile licence applications, including developing mitigation and monitoring
• Undertake/supervise mitigation and monitoring of licensed work and liaise with statutory authorities
• Provide training to small groups internally and externally including toolbox talks
• Contribute to the development of best practice with respect to training and survey standards, as appropriate

Requirements

• Proven commercial and project management skills for small to medium projects
• Knowledge of ecological principles, relevant environmental and EcIA legislation, policy and guidance
• In-depth knowledge of particular plant or animal groups and appropriate field survey skills
• Experienced in categorising and assessing habitats from the plant communities present
• Excellent reporting skills, with a proven track record in writing Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEAs), writing or assisting on Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIAs) and Ecology Chapters for Environmental Statements
• Basic experience in writing or assisting with project and/or plan-level Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRA)
• Have experience of bid production and client interaction
• Ability to lead surveys and manage small survey teams
• Takes responsibility for ensuring own adherence to biosecurity and health and safety protocols and that of others
• Full member of CIEEM.
• Desired- hold survey and/or mitigation/conservation licences
• Desired- experience of managing personnel and/or sub-contractors

Why Arcadis?
At Arcadis, you’ll have the opportunity to build the career that’s right for you. Because each Arcadian has their own motivations, their own career goals. And, as a ‘people first’ business, it’s why we’ll take the time to listen, to understand what you want from your time here, and provide the support you need to achieve your ambitions. Wherever you join us, you can look forward to a competitive reward package that includes an attractive starting salary, opportunities for career development and being part of a sociable community. We have a performance-related bonus scheme and an employee recognition scheme. Other benefits include membership fees to join your relevant professional body, employer contribution pension scheme, flexible working and a flexible holiday scheme.

We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams- Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.