Principal / Associate Ecologist

**Location**
- Cardiff, United Kingdom

**Country**
- United Kingdom

**Contract type**
- Permanent

**Work pattern**
- Part Time, Full Time

**Market**
- Water

**Discipline**
- Environment

**Job ref**
- 9583

**Recruiter contact**
- Laura Easdon

**Location/s**:Cardiff, UK
**Recruiter contact**:Laura Easdon

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance - we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

**About the division**
Environmental and social considerations are central to Mott MacDonald’s Purpose and its offerings across all sectors and territories. Our environment and social business provides essential services and innovative solutions which anticipate our clients' needs across all sectors.

**Overview of the role**
Mott MacDonald are leading the way in Nature Services and we are looking for people to join our Ecology Team and to play their part in integrating nature into all developments so that together with our clients we can build a better future. We pride ourselves on setting and maintaining high standards and are at the forefront of providing ecological advice. Our team has written guidance and delivered training on BNG and contributed to CIEEM’s raising standards documents.

We’ve developed innovative tools to more robustly and efficiently collect and manage ecological data to enable our team to focus on really making a difference. We’ve provided detailed biodiversity advice to improve NHS hospitals for people and the planet, we’re delivering Nature-based solutions for water treatment and flood management and we’re over-seeing the production of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy. We have a large portfolio of projects and a healthy forward-order book bringing with it fantastic opportunities for Ecologists at all levels.

Our Cardiff office clients include Welsh Water, Transport for Wales, Association of British Ports (ABP), Local Planning Authorities and NMWTRA, with projects predominantly in South Wales but also covering Mid and North Wales.

Joining our team at Principal Ecologist level you will likely spend the majority of your time office-based but there will still be an opportunity to get involved in site work, particularly for any specialist surveys such as botany, bats or dormice. You will lead the ecological elements for medium and large-sized projects, pulling in appropriate resources as required and ensuring deliverables are on-time and delivered to budget. You will support more junior members of staff, including as a line-manager if people management is an area you are interested in developing. There are regular opportunities to be put forward for lead technical ecological roles on large-scale infrastructure projects. You could also progress your project management experience if this is an area you are keen on.

The projects you will be working on can span all stages of a project’s life cycle, from design conception to implementation; giving opportunities to positively influence scheme design, and enhancements and promote best practice. The approach to delivering Net Benefits to Biodiversity in Wales is at an exciting point and there is an opportunity to not only integrate this into client advice but work with clients to develop their strategies to this.

Although you will be a member of the Cardiff ecology team, you will also be connected to a much larger team of ecologists. There are excellent opportunities to progress your career through promotion, as well as develop a key role within our ecology team.

The role will suit a dynamic, proactive team-player who wants to work in a growth area of the business and help support the delivery of ecology services in a fast-moving, client-focused, commercial environment.

Essential:

- Over seven years’ experience in Ecological Consultancy (or equivalent with transferable skills)
- A Full Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management or equivalent. Must be a Chartered Environmentalist, Chartered Ecologist or Chartered
- Biologist (or able to achieve this within 6 months) Ability to communicate effectively to multi-disciplinary teams, clients and regulators
- Proficiency in report writing skills and a track record in acting as a checker / reviewer for ecological deliverables
- Technical specialism e.g. has held protected species mitigation licences (ideally for bats or dormice) or has advanced botanical skills

Desirable:

- Experience of People Management
- Proven Project Management skills
- Experience of preparing costs and text for bids
- Willingness to travel throughout the UK
- Experience in advisi