Lead Ecologist

About The Role

Our work matters to millions. It’ll matter to you too. Join our Power T&D team as a Lead Ecologist on the Skye Reinforcement Project and you’ll be a big part of fascinating, complex, varied and meaningful work. The project is based in the Highlands of Scotland, with the project extending between Invergarry and Edinbane on the Isle of Skye.

• Managing the ecological deliverables of the Skye Reinforcement scheme to programme, budget and quality standard. This includes managing on-site surveys, inspections and watching briefs, guiding programme and on-site measures required from the works information, and ensuring legal requirements and company standards are met.
• Agree, advise and provide mitigation for proposed activities and ensure no breaches of legislative requirements or mitigation occur.
• Interpreting contract and planning obligations, guidelines and design requirements into practical cost‑effective solutions to ecological challenges facing construction teams.
• Key discipline project interface for design teams, clients, and stakeholders.
• Provide technical support for Biodiversity Net Gain initiatives.
• Line‑managing and mentoring other roles, such as Assistant Site Ecologist or Consultancy Site Ecologists or junior ES roles on the project.
• Managing subcontract packages and ensuring licence requirements are met for the full term of the project and aftercare.
• Actively helping deliver a culture of continual improvement of on-site ecological practice that is solution‑orientated to support construction teams.

• Excellent knowledge of ecological management and mitigation
• Excellent understanding of ecological legalisation for development in Scotland’s legislative, town planning, consents and regulatory frameworks
• Full driver’s licence and flexibility to travel.
• Good understanding of environmental management for construction sites
• Good understanding of the utilities/construction/engineering operating environment.
• This is a fully site‑based role.

• Educated to degree or Masters level in Ecology or related subject
• At least one protected species survey licence
• Experience of working on large scale infrastructure construction projects
• Full CIEEM Membership

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family‑friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partner leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks. From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on‑going maintenance, our in‑house experts, flexible resources and industry‑leading innovations support customers in the development of some of the UK’s most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their…