Technical Director - Ecology & Biodiversity

SLR has an excellent opportunity for an experienced ecological professional to join our European team at SLR’s Technical Director grade. This role would be based in SLR’s Sheffield office, which currently supports a team of 12 ecologists and 2 administrators operating within a vibrant multi-disciplinary office of 25 staff.   
The role
You will play a lead role in undertaking and delivering a range of projects across our business sectors, particularly including Built Environment, Power (Renewables) and Mining and Minerals. This role presents an exciting opportunity to be responsible for the delivery of ecology inputs to a number of large and complex projects and to continue to drive forward the growth of the Ecology and Biodiversity Team in the region.  
With nearly 80 experienced professionals in the ecology and biodiversity profession, undertaking a wide range of projects throughout the UK, the Republic of Ireland and internationally, SLR Consulting leads the way in providing exemplar advice and services. We have a real passion for what we do and due to continued commercial success we have fantastic opportunities for an experienced professional to become part of the SLR team.
SLR has one of the most experienced and well-established ecology teams in the UK: 10 of our senior staff have more than 20 years professional expertise and 10 team members have been with SLR for more than a decade.  SLR is a truly multi-disciplinary specialist environmental consultancy, our teams are well-integrated and provide a joined-up service for a wide range of clients.  SLR has a “one team” approach to business and a flat and collaborative management structure, meaning that you would have the opportunity to develop your career potential with the full complement of SLR professionals to assist you.
About us
SLR are global leaders in environmental and advisory solutions helping our clients achieve their sustainability goals. We are a consultancy with over 3000+ employees across 6 regions – including over 1000 staff across Europe. SLR’s ‘one team’ culture is at the heart of our business, providing a collaborative and supportive environment for professional development. Along with competitive salaries, our people enjoy a comprehensive benefits package with a company pension plus excellent healthcare offering, travel and life insurance, critical illness cover and a structured career framework with regular reviews offering outstanding opportunities for progression. Alongside 25 day’s annual leave, SLR offer flexible, agile and hybrid working which enables staff to tailor hours worked around core hours, and our family friendly policies help balance the needs of professional and family life. 
About you
You will have a strong track record in an ecological consultancy practice, although professionals working as recognised experts in other sectors and with skills that are transferable to consultancy would be encouraged to apply.  
Ideally, you would have experience of public inquiry or provided a similar role as a professional expert in your chosen ecological specialism. Whilst you may have started your career in fieldwork and still have a passion for natural history, it is essential that you are an experienced and diligent report writer, capable of providing the final technical review of key consultancy outputs, such as ecological impact assessment (EcIA), preliminary environmental information reports (PEIR) and other reports for large and complex projects.  
You should be able to demonstrate competence in a range of different areas of ecological consultancy practice and would be able to lead and mentor others in their chosen specialism. Demonstrable experience of managing larger projects, e.g. >£50k ecology-led fee revenue, would be a distinct advantage as would experience of managing projects where multiple ecological issues occur.
Business development and client management experience are key to success in this role. Understanding the needs of clients and being able to capture these in concise, commercial tender responses for both open ITT notices and direct approaches by commercial clients. A large proportion of SLR’s work is repeat business and being able to demonstrate client care and build long-term relationships is essential. The successful candidate would also be able to demonstrate considerable experience in commercial project management, including resourcing and survey planning, forecasting and meeting deadlines.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SLR
We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, and our expectations go beyond purely complying with legislation. Through our Regional DE&I Committees, Global Council and Employee Networks, we foster an inclusive environment where all individuals regardless of their background can thrive.
For more information on our commitment to DE&I, and the great work we are doing, please click here: https://www.slrconsulting.com/about/making-sustainability-happen/ and scroll to the bottom of the page.
To apply
If you are interested in this opportunity, we'd love to hear from you, so click apply or you can submit your application at: www.slrconsulting.com/careers.
Should you require any special adjustments throughout the recruitment process with us, please let us know. As a Disability Confident Committed employer, we seek to ensure all applicants have equitable support when applying to SLR.