Principal Ecologist

Specialist environmental consultancy delivering high-quality rail and infrastructure projects with a collaborative culture, strong career progression.

Our client is a specialist environmental and sustainability consultancy supporting UK rail and infrastructure projects from planning through to construction. With offices in London, Ipswich and Basingstoke, the team provides practical, high-quality ecological solutions for complex schemes and continues to grow its ecology capability in response to increasing client demand.

A growing independent environmental and sustainability consultancy is seeking an experienced Principal Ecologist to lead and deliver ecological services across a range of rail and infrastructure schemes.

As Principal Ecologist, you will take a leading role in managing ecological projects from inception through to completion, ensuring technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and successful outcomes for clients. You will provide expert ecological advice across all project stages, from early planning through to construction and delivery. You will be responsible for overseeing survey design, technical reporting, licensing, and mitigation strategy development, as well as supporting junior staff and contributing to the growth of the ecology team.

• Lead and manage ecological projects, including work undertaken by sub-consultants, ensuring compliance with UK environmental legislation and rail industry standards.
• Design, plan and oversee ecological surveys, including Phase 1 and Phase 2 habitat assessments, protected species surveys, Habitat Regulations Assessments (HRAs) and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments.
• Develop and implement mitigation strategies and biodiversity net gain solutions for rail and infrastructure projects.
• Prepare, review and sign off technical reports, including Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEAs), Ecological Impact Assessments, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) chapters and technical appendices.
• Provide ecological input to project teams during planning, design and construction phases, identifying constraints and advising on solutions.
• Obtain and manage ecological licences and consents for protected species, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements.
• Represent the business at client, stakeholder and technical meetings, providing expert ecological advice.
• Mentor, support and quality assure the work of junior ecologists, supporting their professional development.
• Support bid preparation, fee proposals and business development activities within the rail ecology sector.

• Degree qualified in Ecology, Environmental Science or a related discipline.
• Significant experience working in ecological consultancy, ideally within the rail or infrastructure sectors.
• Strong technical background in habitat and protected species surveys.
• Proven experience managing complex projects and leading ecological work streams.
• In-depth knowledge of UK wildlife legislation and planning policy.
• Experience obtaining and managing protected species licences.
• Excellent report writing, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ideally a full or associate member of CIEEM (or working towards).

• Competitive salary
• Company pension scheme
• Private medical insurance
• Life insurance / death in service cover
• Health and wellbeing programme
• Free parking at selected office locations
• Company events and team activities
• Flexible working arrangements (often referenced as part of culture, depending on role)
• Supportive work environment with professional development opportunities