Principal / Associate Ecologist – Cardiff

Salary: £50,000–£65,000 DOE
Location: Cardiff, South Wales
Job Type: Permanent, Full-time
Working Pattern: Hybrid & Flexible Working
Job Reference: 56070

Take Your Ecology Career Further – With the Freedom to Work Your Way

Are you an experienced Ecologist looking for greater autonomy, genuine career progression and a company that trusts you to manage your own workload?

Would you like to work for a consultancy where your technical expertise is valued, your ideas are listened to, and you're encouraged to make a real difference to the natural environment?

We're recruiting for a Principal or Associate Ecologist to join a growing environmental consultancy in Cardiff, offering an excellent salary, exceptional flexibility and the opportunity to help shape the future of the business.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to take ownership of projects, develop client relationships and contribute to the growth of an ambitious ecology team, while maintaining a healthy balance between their professional and personal life.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Competitive Salary: £50,000–£65,000 depending on experience and seniority.

• Unlimited Annual Leave: A flexible holiday policy designed to support your wellbeing and personal commitments.

• Flexible & Hybrid Working: Freedom to manage your working hours and balance home, office and site-based responsibilities.

• Excellent Training & Development: Access to an unlimited external training budget alongside ongoing internal learning and mentoring.

• Genuine Career Progression: Opportunities to develop into more senior technical, commercial or leadership positions.

• Autonomy & Trust: Take ownership of your workload and projects without unnecessary micromanagement.

• Varied Projects: Work across a broad portfolio of ecological assessments, protected species surveys and environmental projects.

• Supportive Team Culture: Join a friendly, collaborative environment where knowledge sharing, wellbeing and professional development are priorities.

• Modern Equipment: Laptop and mobile phone provided to support flexible working.

• Opportunity to Influence: Play an active role in developing services, supporting colleagues and shaping the future direction of the consultancy.

The Role

As a Principal or Associate Ecologist, you'll take a leading role in delivering ecological consultancy services, managing projects and providing high-quality technical advice to clients.

You'll have the freedom to manage your own projects and develop your specialist interests, supported by experienced colleagues who value collaboration and technical excellence.

Depending on your experience and ambitions, your responsibilities will include:

• Leading and delivering ecological surveys, including UKHab, Phase 1 habitat assessments, NVC and protected species surveys.

• Managing ecological projects from initial scoping through to reporting, mitigation and delivery.

• Preparing and reviewing technical reports, including Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEAs), Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIAs) and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments.

• Designing ecological mitigation, compensation and enhancement strategies.

• Undertaking technical reviews and maintaining high standards across project outputs.

• Providing practical ecological advice to clients, developers and project teams.

• Supporting, mentoring and developing junior and mid-level Ecologists.

• Managing project budgets, programmes and resources.

• Building strong client relationships and contributing to fee proposals and business development.

• Helping shape the growth and development of the wider ecology team.

About You

We're keen to hear from experienced Ecologists who are passionate about delivering high-quality ecological work and want to contribute to a supportive and progressive consultancy.

Ideally, you'll have:

• A degree or equivalent qualification in Ecology, Environmental Science or a related discipline.

• Strong experience within ecological consultancy.

• Technical expertise in habitat assessments and/or protected species surveys.

• At least one protected species survey or mitigation licence, or demonstrable specialist expertise in another ecological discipline.

• Experience preparing and reviewing ecological reports, including PEAs, EcIAs and BNG assessments.

• A good understanding of UK ecological legislation, planning policy and industry guidance.

• Confidence managing projects, coordinating workloads and communicating with clients.

• Strong organisational skills and the ability to work independently.

• Membership of CIEEM or eligibility to join.

• A full UK driving licence.

Additional experience in specialist protected species licensing, GIS, BREEAM assessments, mentoring, team leadership or business development would be advantageous.

We welcome applications from established Principal Ecologists looking for greater independence, as well as experienced professionals ready to progress into an Associate-level position.

Your Career, Your Development

This is an opportunity to build a career around your strengths, interests and ambitions.

Whether you'd like to develop specialist ecological expertise, gain additional protected species licences, strengthen your commercial skills or progress into a leadership position, you'll have access to substantial training and professional development support.

With an unlimited external training budget and opportunities to learn from experienced colleagues, you'll be encouraged to continue developing throughout your career.

You'll also have the opportunity to influence how projects are delivered, contribute ideas and play a meaningful role in the continued growth of the business.

A Better Work-Life Balance

The consultancy recognises that talented Ecologists do their best work when they feel trusted, supported and able to balance their professional responsibilities with life outside work.

With flexible working arrangements, hybrid opportunities and an unlimited annual leave policy, you'll have greater control over how you organise your time.

The working environment is built around trust, open communication and collaboration, with a genuine emphasis on employee wellbeing and creating a workplace where people enjoy what they do.

Interested in Finding Out More?

If you're a Principal or Associate Ecologist based in Cardiff or the surrounding areas and would like to explore an opportunity offering greater flexibility, career progression and the chance to make a real impact, we'd love to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion, please contact Embankment Group, quoting Job Reference 56070.

All conversations will be treated confidentially, and your CV will never be submitted to an employer without your prior permission.