Senior Aquatic Ecologist

Our client is an established environmental consultancy with a long history of delivering technical excellence across water management, ecology, and sustainability. They work with a wide range of organisations in the utilities, development, and public sectors and are expanding their aquatic ecology capability due to sustained project growth.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced aquatic ecologist to join a supportive and forward-thinking team where you will work across diverse projects, help guide junior colleagues, and contribute to high-quality ecological assessments.

As a Senior Aquatic Ecologist, your key responsibilities will include:

• Coordinating ecological assessments, including field surveys, consultation, and mitigation planning.
• Supporting project managers to deliver work efficiently and to a high technical standard.
• Providing guidance to junior team members and sub-consultants.
• Undertaking a variety of aquatic ecology tasks across disciplines, with scope to focus on specialist areas of interest.
• Contributing to project management, bid preparation, and client engagement where relevant.
• Preparing accurate technical reports and communicating ecological findings clearly to clients and stakeholders.

To excel in this role, you will bring:

• A strong understanding of UK and EU wildlife legislation, planning requirements, and licensing.
• Experience delivering Ecological Impact Assessments and contributing to Habitats Regulations Assessments.
• Good knowledge of Water Framework Directive (WFD) assessments and associated biological metrics.
• Proven ability to lead and plan aquatic surveys, analyse data, and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Specialist expertise in fisheries, macroinvertebrate, or macrophyte ecology (desirable).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and work effectively as part of a busy team.

Your day-to-day responsibilities will include a balance of fieldwork and office-based tasks such as:

• Planning and conducting aquatic surveys.
• Analysing ecological data and preparing technical reports.
• Coordinating with clients, stakeholders, and regulators to ensure project success.
• Supporting junior colleagues and sub-consultants in their technical development.
• Contributing to project management and bid preparation activities.

You will work in a collaborative environment where individual strengths are recognised and supported. Flexible and hybrid working options are available, and wellbeing is a core part of the working culture.

Our client offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 25 days of annual leave plus 8 flexible bank holidays.
• A competitive company pension scheme.
• Life assurance.
• Professional development support, including reimbursement for professional subscriptions.
• A range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.
• A supportive and inclusive workplace culture that values work-life balance and employee wellbeing.

If you are passionate about aquatic ecology and want to make a meaningful impact through your work, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

To learn more about this role, please contact us to arrange a confidential conversation.