Principal Ecologist – South West

Are you a Principal ecologist looking for a new role whilst maintaining a work life balance? Or looking to work on a greater diversity of projects where you can continue to develop your technical expertise whilst mentoring and supporting colleagues? 

Who is 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.

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 don’t 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.

As Tetra Tech builds on its demonstrable track record as one of the leading global Environmental consultancies, we are seeking a talented and experienced Principal Ecologist to join our South West Ecology team and provide support to our ecologists throughout the UK. The role will focus on project management, project delivery, mentoring colleagues and bid support. With ambitions to grow our UK presence to emulate the success of the global business, the Principal Ecologist will join the 70 strong UK-based ecology team at a time when there are significant opportunities to contribute to the future of the business and when there are endless opportunities for career progression. 

The person in this role will be a confident and competent ecologist and we will encourage professional development in areas that align with their own interests and Tetra Tech’s business strategy. 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.

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.

Given the variety of projects we work on, we are looking for an ecologist who has strong field experience and ambitions to continue their technical development, whether that be across many areas of ecology or in a particular specialism. We have technical leads within the national team who can mentor and provide advice in key areas. We show our support for professional development through the provision of a defined career framework and training, plus bonuses for achieving bat licences and charterships. 

 Examples of projects we currently work on in the South West include:

• Protected species surveys and EPSLs for a large residential site near Bridgend including extensive offsite woodland creation and Animex Wildlife Bridge for hazel dormice;
• Water vole surveys and conservation licence to allow ditch management activities at a military site in West Wales;
• Ecology surveys for onshore wind farms and solar farms;
• Bat surveys and EPSLs for Local Planning Authorities;
• Large scale bat surveys, EPSLs and supervision to allow upgrade of military housing; and
• Ecology surveys and management plans for large strategic development sites for the Welsh Government.

Given the variety of projects we work on, we are looking for an ecologist who has strong field experience and ambitions to continue their technical development, whether that be across many areas of ecology or in a particular specialism. We have technical leads within the national team who can mentor and provide advice in key areas. We show our support for professional development through the provision of a defined career framework and training, plus bonuses for achieving bat licences and charterships. 

 Examples of projects we currently work on in the South West include:

• Protected species surveys and EPSLs for a large residential site near Bridgend including extensive offsite woodland creation and Animex Wildlife Bridge for hazel dormice;
• Water vole surveys and conservation licence to allow ditch management activities at a military site in West Wales;
• Ecology surveys for onshore wind farms and solar farms;
• Bat surveys and EPSLs for Local Planning Authorities;
• Large scale bat surveys, EPSLs and supervision to allow upgrade of military housing; and
• Ecology surveys and management plans for large strategic development sites for the Welsh Government.

Projects will predominately be focused in the South-West region. However, 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 working closely with the regional lead, mentoring and managing other ecologists and developing relationships with 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. If the timing’s not quite right for you, please do still get in touch as we will always consider deferring the start date for the right candidate.

About the team

• Over 70 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 internal and external training and mentoring, including from our inhouse experts.
• 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 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.

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 is an equal opportunities employer and 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.

We are very happy to discuss flexible working for this role, including the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times, or compressed hours. We can offer a range of solutions to help you to get the most out of your work / life balance.