Senior Ecologist – Haywards Heath

Job Title: Senior Ecologist
Location: Haywards Heath / Hybrid working
Salary: £40,000 - £46,000

About the Opportunity

Embankment Group is working on behalf of our client to support the appointment of a Senior Ecologist in Haywards Heath.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced ecologist to join a respected environmental consultancy delivering varied and meaningful work across habitat creation, river restoration, natural flood management, Biodiversity Net Gain, ecological impact assessment and protected species survey projects.

The role will suit someone who enjoys combining strong technical ecology with practical project delivery, client support and collaboration across wider environmental disciplines. You will work alongside specialists in areas such as engineering, geomorphology, heritage and landscape to help deliver nature-based solutions that improve biodiversity, restore natural processes and support resilience to climate change.

The Role

As a Senior Ecologist, you will provide technical input across a diverse portfolio of ecology and environmental projects. You will be involved in the planning, delivery and review of ecological surveys, assessments, mitigation strategies and technical reports.

The role will include a mix of office, hybrid and site-based work, with the opportunity to contribute to both development-led schemes and wider environmental improvement projects. You will also support project management, client liaison and the development of junior colleagues.

This position would suit a motivated consultant who is confident managing ecological inputs, enjoys working in multidisciplinary teams and is keen to contribute to high-quality, environmentally focused project outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide ecological advice, technical input and quality review across a range of projects.
• Design and deliver ecological surveys, assessments and mitigation strategies.
• Undertake habitat and protected species surveys across varied sites.
• Prepare and review technical reports, including PEAs, EcIAs, HRAs and BNG assessments.
• Support project management to ensure work is delivered to agreed quality, programme and budget requirements.
• Develop practical mitigation and enhancement measures for clients and project teams.
• Work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues to deliver joined-up environmental solutions.
• Liaise with clients, regulators, planning authorities, stakeholders and project partners.
• Support business development through quotations, tenders and identifying new opportunities.
• Mentor and support junior team members, helping develop technical confidence and best practice.
• Contribute to innovation, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the ecology team.

Key Requirements

Essential

• Degree or master’s qualification in ecology or a closely related subject.
• Strong ecological consultancy experience, ideally at Senior Ecologist level or equivalent.
• Good field skills across UK habitats and protected species.
• Experience producing high-quality technical reports, including PEAs, EcIAs and HRAs.
• Good understanding of relevant ecological legislation, policy and guidance.
• Experience delivering Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, including UKHab surveys, habitat condition assessment, biodiversity metrics and clear reporting.
• Ability to interpret and apply biodiversity metric outputs to support practical and deliverable client solutions.
• Experience designing and implementing ecological mitigation schemes, including protected species licensing and monitoring where required.
• Strong project management skills, including scoping, resourcing, budgets and programme management.
• Experience preparing quotations, tenders or scopes of work.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams on complex projects.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Willingness to travel for site work, surveys and client meetings, including occasional overnight stays.

Desirable

• Full CIEEM membership, or working towards full membership or chartership.
• Protected species survey licences, particularly bat and/or water vole.
• Experience working on habitat creation, river restoration, natural flood management or nature-based solution projects.
• Knowledge of aquatic, estuarine, coastal or freshwater ecology.
• Practical understanding of the Water Framework Directive and how it informs project design and environmental compliance.
• Experience in river restoration, channel naturalisation, habitat enhancement or geomorphological improvement.
• Ecological Clerk of Works experience, including site monitoring and construction-phase environmental advice.
• GIS experience, including ecological mapping, spatial data analysis and presenting clear geospatial outputs.
• Experience supporting junior colleagues through mentoring, technical review or field-based training.

What’s on Offer

• Opportunity to join a respected environmental consultancy with a strong technical reputation.
• Varied project work across ecology, restoration, BNG, natural flood management and environmental assessment.
• Hybrid working from Haywards Heath.
• Supportive and collaborative team culture.
• Continued professional development and career progression.
• Opportunity to work alongside specialists in engineering, geomorphology, landscape, heritage and wider environmental disciplines.
• Involvement in projects that deliver positive outcomes for biodiversity, communities and climate resilience.
• A working environment that values innovation, technical quality and long-term environmental improvement