Salary
(Salary bands £25–33K and £33–£42K) + Excellent Profit linked Annual Bonus) based in either Bentley, Farnham (Surrey), or Shaftesbury (Dorset).
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for confident and UK experienced Ecologists and Senior Ecologists to join our team of consultants in our offices in Farnham or Shaftesbury. The successful candidates will be experienced in the UK consultancy sector but must also share our passion for ecology and conservation.
As an Ecologist or Senior Ecologist your role will involve: overseeing regional projects, organising and carrying out ecological surveys, and producing a range of reports including protected species licence applications. Business management duties will include writing fee proposals and tenders, financial management, marketing and general office management.
The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring that advice and recommendations arising from surveys are communicated clearly to clients both verbally and through written reports by all team members.
Minimum requirements
Candidates should be well-rounded technical ecologists and meet the following minimum requirements:
- Experienced at Ecologist level within ecological consultancy;
- Bachelor’s degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, Biology, or a related field;
- Demonstrable team and independent working skills;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Applicants will need to hold a UK driving licence, have their own vehicle and must be prepared to travel to different sites and to work ecology survey hours.
- Proven success in working in a busy team and managing team logistics;
- Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines, and;
- Ability to undertake all of the above whilst maintaining a sense of humour and positive team spirit.
Desirable additional skills and competency
- One or more protected species survey licenses for bats, GCN, dormice, rare reptiles, barn owls.
- Experience with the planning system and technical reporting such as Environmental Impact Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments and Biodiversity Net Gain Assessments.
- Experience with license applications and implementation
- Membership of CIEEM
Additional skills advantageous for the Senior Ecologist role include:
- At least 5 years of professional consultancy experience;
- Managerial or mentorship experience;
- Mitigation licensing experience;
- Named Ecologist, BMCL registered or Earned Recognition scheme capabilities.
- Multiple protected species survey licences.
- GIS skills
Above all, we’re looking for conservation-minded ecologists with a passion for wildlife and the environment.
What can we do for you?
A career at Darwin Ecology offers great opportunities for growth and professional development and we strive to ensure that our employees work in an environment that is supportive, fair, challenging and enjoyable. The role will provide an opportunity for an individual to demonstrate a broad range of ecological skills by undertaking specialist technical work, whilst working as part of a passionate, integrated, dynamic and friendly team.
Benefits include:
- A generous profit-linked annual bonus scheme.
- Minimum 24 days annual leave increasing with time.
- Hybrid working system with work from home up to two days per week.
- Payment of professional membership fees.
- Generous annual training and equipment budget.
- 37.5 Hr working week.
- Structured TOIL system.
- We are an equal opportunities employer and value diversity on our team.
- ‘Integrated Conservation’ ethos.
Who are we?
Darwin Ecology is a well-established ecological consultancy with a great reputation for providing professional, innovative and conservation-led schemes. The company thrives on a collaborative approach between our two main offices in Farnham and Shaftesbury, supported by our satellite team in Bristol. Together we provide a broad range of expertise to enable bespoke solutions for our clients across the south and south west of England.
Our role as consultants is to assist our clients in realising their development ambitions through the planning process whilst also delivering our core ‘Integrated Conservation’ ethos. We find solutions to deliver this on every project through the protection, mitigation and enhancement of wildlife opportunities as part of the built environment.
Educating and enthusing people we work with to share our goals for a wilder future is an important part of working at Darwin. Our work covers a diverse range of small to medium sized projects across a range of sectors.
Why are we different?
A big part of Darwin Ecology’s ethos is a hands-on approach to mitigation and enhancement measures when it comes to the final stages of a project. We are passionate about designing bespoke solutions to any problems that arise on-site and encourage our team to get creative and think outside the box when it comes to supporting our clients.
We aim to strengthen your existing ecological specialisms, whilst being supportive of exploring new passions and taking your career in new directions.
How to get in touch
To apply for either position, please submit a recent CV and cover letter to [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on receipt and asked for an interview where appropriate.