Senior / Principal Ornithologist National

Are you a Senior/Principal Ornithologist looking for flexibility to balance site work with your home life? Are you ambitious to make a step up with the support of a diverse network of ecology experts and underpinned by a defined career pathway?

About Tetra Tech:

Tetra Tech is a leading provider of high-end consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. We combine the resources of a global, multibillion dollar company with local, client-focused delivery in more than 400 locations around the world. We are Leading with Science to provide sustainable and resilient solutions for our clients.Tetra Tech Ecology team won the CIEEM Large Consultancy of the Year Award and Large Scale Mitigation Award in 2023.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. They help our clients succeed, our business prosper and the communities we work in thrive. We need the very best designers, project managers, engineers, surveyors, town planners, environmental specialists and business service professionals to maintain our reputation as a market leader. We do this by taking care of our people; offering fantastic flexible benefits, providing personal and professional development, and giving employees the opportunity to work on exciting and ground-breaking projects.

We dont want Tetra Tech to be just your next role, we want it to be a step-change in your career and ultimately a move that you are proud to have made.

The Role:

As Tetra Tech builds on its demonstrable track record as one of the leading global environmental consultancies, we are seeking a talented?Senior/Principal Ornithologist to join our national team. With ambitions to grow our UK presence to emulate the success of the global business, we are looking for an experienced ornithologist to join our established network of over 95 ecologists with the energy to contribute to a diverse project portfolio.

We are looking for an ornithologist who has experience of projects across a diversity of sectors, with the confidence to liaise with clients & stakeholders and a desire to manage & mentor other members of the team. Project management and the ability to deliver multiple projects to high client expectations within fixed deadlines is an essential requirement of the role. Candidates keen to mentor junior staff are highly desirable, as well those who are proactive at collaborating, have good financial awareness and able efficiently review technical reports. A relevant degree or previous consultancy experience, full driving licence, membership of (or eligibility to join) CIEEM and a legal entitlement to work in the UK are essential for this role.

We encourage our ecologists to lead on projects that align with their technical skillset and expertise and will provide inhouse Project Management training and an array of technical training. With an eye for detail and a desire to deliver to high standards, a key element of this role will be to provide support and feedback to colleagues on project deliverables, drawing on the knowledge of our technical experts to develop the best solutions. Given the variety of projects we work on, the Senior/Principal Ornithologist would need to have strong field skills and ambitions to develop their technical skills in line with project requirements.It would be beneficial if the individual has other skills and experience outside of ornithology too.

We pride ourselves on our ability to offer professional ecology advice across a breadth of sectors including residential, defence, energy, government services and transport. With over 95 permanent ecologists, we can draw on the knowledge of our technical experts to develop the best solutions. Examples of projects we currently work on include:

Winter bird surveys to assess potential impacts of developments on European sites

Winter, passage and breeding bird surveys of wind farm sites in the North East and Scotland

Winter bird surveys to support extensive Habitat Regulations works including nocturnal passage surveys

Breeding bird surveys or large greenfield sites including Local Wildlife Sites

The role will require work with colleagues from across the wider business on multi-disciplinary opportunities and projects so a willingness to understand how other parts of the business work would be advantageous. Our success is, in part, due to our established and long-lasting relationships with clients and the role will involve working closely with clients across a range of sectors including Residential, Defence, Infrastructure, Energy and Government Services.

Flexible Working:

We operate fully flexible, hybrid working which allows our ecologists to choose where, how and when they work as long as our clients are receiving the high-quality service they expect. We focus on talent and skills, not postcode. The role will require site work as well as working closely with ecologists, clients and colleagues from other teams so may require some time at an office or alternative working space to suit those involved.

We are very happy to discuss flexible working for this role, including the possibility of reduced or compressed hours and flexible start or finish times. We can offer a range of solutions to help you get the most out of your work / life balance. We are supportive of flexible working but will require you to attend offices, events or sites as necessary to deliver the role.

About the Team:

Multi-award winning Ecology team; recently winning CIEEM Large Consultancy of the Year and Large Scale Mitigation project in 2023.

Over 95 permanent ecologists across 13 offices working as one cohesive team.

Time away from home minimised.

IT systems allow seamless remote and flexible working, so proximity to an office is not a barrier we focus on talents & skills, not postcode. Our ecologists can work on the projects that interest them and deliver them to the highest standards.

Cars or car allowances to every member of the team regardless of grade, including for personal use.

Established TOIL system to allow time management to suit specific personal needs alongside seasonal demands.

Career frameworks provide clarity on how to progress.

We encourage the development of well-rounded ecologists who can talk about all stages of a project. We offer extensive internal and external training and mentoring, including from our inhouse experts along with all team face to face training.

Bat handling licence incentivisation scheme to thank ecologists who spend time and effort in achieving their licence - we know it's not easy

And to show our support of personal development, we award a significant financial bonus to anyone achieving Chartered Environmentalist/Ecologist status through CIEEM.

We work closely with many other teams, including our own Planners, Archaeologists, Landscape Architects, Masterplanners and Engineers. With a culture of openness, there is always someone within the business who can provide advice and support for almost any query.

At Tetra Tech, we provide a collaborative environment that supports individual performance, innovation, and creativity. We are proud to offer competitive compensation and benefits. Learn more by visiting

For more information on our company, please visit our website

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter on the Careers section of our website.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Tetra Tech is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Tetra Tech positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, or parental leave.

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