Senior / Principal Ecologist

Ahead of our busy survey season, we are seeking a confident and UK protected species experienced SENIOR or PRINCIPAL ECOLOGIST (£33–£42K) for our growing South East team, based at our rural office base in Bentley, East Hampshire (near Farnham, Surrey - hybrid working offered). 

We're an evolving ecology consultancy specialising in bats and work on a plethora of projects across the south and south west of England, with bases in Dorset and Surrey. We're hard-working and passionate about what we do but we also like to have fun and try to get together often.

The Senior role will involve line managing a friendly team of Ecologists and Assistants, overseeing regional projects, organising and carrying out ecological surveys, and producing and quality assuring a range of reports including protected species licence applications.

If you're ready to take your career to the next level, you will also have the opportunity to be a part of the Senior Management Team and contribute to business development and democratic decision-making processes.

In addition to the skills you would have as an experienced Ecologist, those particularly 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. 

Ideally you would live within an hour of our south east office base.

Above all, we’re looking for conservation-minded, experienced ecologists with a passion for wildlife and the environment and we'd love to hear from you if you think you'd fit the bill.

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 near Farnham and in 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 to realise their development ambitions through the planning process whilst also delivering our core ‘Integrated Conservation’ ethos. We find solutions to deliver effective wildlife conservation 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, medium and large 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 and the species we work with.

We aim to strengthen your existing ecological specialisms, whilst being supportive about exploring new passions and taking your career in new directions. We aim to create a fun, collaborative and supportive working environment that encourages diverse approaches to the work we do.

Who are we looking for?

As well as being able to lead a team, candidates for this post should be well-rounded technical ecologists and meet the following minimum requirements:

• At least 5 years professional ecological consultancy experience; 
• Demonstrable team and independent working skills; 
• Minimum Level 1 class survey licence for bats;
• Mitigation licensing experience;
• Additional survey licences (particularly for great crested newts or dormice);
• Experience of the planning system and associated technical processes such as Environmental Impact Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments and Biodiversity Net Gain Assessments.

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.

In addition to a fair and representative salary, reflective of experience but with potential for relatively rapid increase, benefits to our team members include:

• A generous profit-linked bonus scheme; 
• Minimum 24 days annual leave; 
• Generous training budget;
• Internal team training days and socials;
• Pet-friendly office;
• iPhone and Mac for business use;
• Hybrid working (usually 3/5 days in the office);      
• Structured TOIL system. 

How to get in touch

To apply for either position, please submit a recent CV and cover letter to Sarah Firmin, Business Support Manager (sarah@darwin-ecology.co.uk).

To find out more about us, please visit our website or contact info@darwin-ecology.co.uk with any queries.