Senior/Principal Ecologist

At AtkinsRéalis, our team of ecologists work throughout the UK to deliver a diverse range of challenging and exciting projects that benefit our clients, biodiversity and society.

To meet our growing project workload and help us design and apply new approaches to our work, we are looking for an enthusiastic Senior/Principal Ecologist to join our Belfast office.

Joining us, you will have the opportunity to contribute to nationally significant and high-profile projects, with many of our projects winning awards for biodiversity enhancements, innovation, and knowledge sharing. Our ecology team also won the inaugural CIEEM Large-Scale Consultancy of the Year Award in 2018 and has been highly commended in the same award category each year thereafter.

Please see a link to our AtkinsRéalis Ecology video We are the Ecology Team on Vimeo

At AtkinsRéalis we are fully committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and work hard to make everyone feel respected, empowered and able to realise their full potential as important members of our team. Flexible working is a core part of our culture and we appreciate that different people have different priorities. We recognise that a healthy work/life balance is integral to wellbeing and we are extremely supportive of individual requirements for flexible and remote working.

Read more about how you can thrive with us: Equality, diversity & inclusion in the UK & Europe (atkinsrealis.com)

Key Roles/Responsibilities:

• Client facing/client interaction – The candidate will demonstrate a deep understanding of clients’ requirements and be able to reach back into the business to get the support required to fulfil those requirements and develop relationships/work.
• Leading on nationally important infrastructure projects, managing project programmes and budgets.
• Planning and undertaking field surveys; analysing and interpreting survey results with a strong focus on bat ecology.
• Designing and co-ordinating ecological mitigation.
• Authoring and checking/reviewing a range of ecological reports and licence applications.
• Leadership – the candidate will have a leadership role managing projects, building client relationships and work bank.
• Interdisciplinary engagement – the candidate will actively seek to engage with other areas of the business, seeking opportunities to cross sell and leverage AtkinsRéalis’ capabilities, preparing bids, supporting on strategic opportunities, building client relationships (internal and external) and driving work-winning in the region.
• Candidate will actively identify, raise, manage and mitigate risks, particularly within a Project/Framework environment.
• Candidate will proactively provide innovation on projects and within the ecology team.
• Candidate will coach, mentor and support other staff members in their development.

Training and Development:

• Atkins is committed to developing the knowledge and skills of our ecologists. This role will have tailored mentoring and support towards achieving career goals, such as Chartership. Appropriate training courses external and internal will be reviewed with your mentor and Practice Manager.

Experience and Skills Requirements:

• Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), or equivalent, and chartership (CEcol or CEnv) or working towards this. AtkinsRéalis to cover membership costs.
• Strong skills in report writing, including preparing Preliminary Ecological Assessments, Ecological Impact Assessments, Biodiversity Chapters for Ecological Impact Assessments and Habitats Regulations Assessment (including Appropriate Assessment).
• Protected species survey licence(s). A background in complex bat impact assessments/licensing would be desirable but not essential.
• Strong working knowledge and experience of UK Habitat survey, habitat condition assessments, and the Defra Biodiversity Metric. Demonstrable experience of undertaking Biodiversity Net Gain assessments.
• Experience of undertaking quality assurance and technical lead roles for projects.
• Demonstrable project management experience including technical, financial and quality assurance aspects.
• Demonstrable experience of working on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and familiarity with the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, would be viewed favourably.
• A desire to contribute to the growth and development of the team.
• A full UK/EEC driving licence.

Why work for AtkinsRéalis? 

We're ranked as one of LinkedIn's Top 25 Companies, where UK professionals want to work and stay once, they join. We've also made the Times Top 50 employers for women. 

Our Infrastructure team uses innovation, new approaches and the power of data to help our clients deliver end-to-end projects and programmes for essential future infrastructure. And as the work becomes ever more complex, our employees continue to challenge the status quo. 

We're committed to engineering better for people and our planet, from our global Engineering Net-Zero programme to creating social value through EDAROTH community housing. We're proud of our active employee networks creating awareness and allyship for our under-represented groups. Not to mention programmes supporting communities outside AtkinsRéalis, including schools, charities, ex-forces and professionals returning after career breaks. 

Security clearance: 

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance.  If this is necessary, it will be discussed with you at interview. The vetting process is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) and may require candidates to provide proof of residency in the UK of 5 years or longer. If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance. 

We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop. To help embed inclusion for all, from day one, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee networks to support staff from different backgrounds. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures and ability. 

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