Senior Ecologist

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. 

A fundamental part of this is respecting each person’s differences and striving to meet their needs. 

We are proud to be a one of Glassdoor’s top employers to work for in the UK, as well as being recognised as a Top Inclusive Company in the UK.

Our values: Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive, Excellence. 

Overview of the role

Do you want to work for a company whose purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes, and to transform businesses, communities, and opportunities for its employees?

We are seeking someone who enjoys working in a smaller close-knit team functioning within a larger regional team, with access to experience, knowledge, and support across all species and areas of ecology. You will be passionate about the natural environment, able to take initiative and ownership of tasks, and willing to use your enthusiasm and knowledge to deliver high quality work and meaningful ecology solutions. The work will be varied and be a mixture of field survey work and ecological reporting, as well as mitigation, compensation, and enhancement design.

We are looking for someone who is confident in undertaking survey work, including habitat surveys (e.g. UKHab) and protected species surveys (particularly for bats and great crested newt) and able to support junior members of the team. You will be able to produce detailed assessments (PEA reports, Protected Species reports, EcIA, ES chapters, HRA etc) and reporting across the full spectrum required by ecology.  As a Senior Ecologist we are looking for someone to rise to a challenge, find ways to add value for our customers, use and promote innovative technology, and above all, ensure quality is maintained. Most importantly you will be helping us to build a lasting and sustainable environmental business. 

This opportunity is not a one-way street as we will give you an exciting space in which to develop and support you in this development. You will be visible within our business, working with other ecology team leads across the UK and providing you with the opening for your reputation to grow, allowing you to influence peers both internally and across the sector.

Essential:

• Competent Senior Ecologist with strong UK experience.  
• A degree in Ecology (or directly related subject). An additional higher degree would be an advantage.  
• Chartered (or near Chartership) with an appropriate professional body.
• Good knowledge of wildlife legislation including planning processes and/or EIA/HRA assessments and undertaking surveys.  
• Good knowledge, understanding and experience of applying relevant guidance for surveys.  
• Proficiency in report writing skills, displaying good standards with attention to detail and ability to write accurate and concise reports, including EcIAs and HRAs.  
• Proficiency in undertaking quality assurance on a wide range of ecology reports, including EcIAs and HRAs. 
• Experience in field surveys including Phase 1 habitat survey, UK Habitat assessment,  and protected species surveys.  
• Attention to detail and the ability to deliver work on time and to budget.  
• Excellent communication skills including report writing and checking, and presentation skills.  
• Excellent business development skills with drive and ambition to grow these key areas.  
• Experience in the UK ecological consultancy market, with desirable experience of external-facing, client-orientated roles.  
• Willingness to mentor junior staff.  
• Willingness to encourage innovation and digital services.  
• Willingness to travel throughout the UK. 

Desirable:

• A masters or higher degree in Ecology (or directly related subject).
• NRW protected species licence(s), ideally for great crested newt and / or bats
• Experience in using the UKHab classification and the DEFRA biodiversity net gain metric (for work across the border).
• Willingness to participate and use innovation and digital services. 
• Experience in advising on Net Benefits for Biodiversity and the interpretation of Planning Policy Wales and the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.
• Basic GIS skills.
• This role will be supporting colleagues in Wales and other parts of the UK, working with clients and stakeholders that may speak Welsh. Therefore, the ability to speak Welsh may be of use.    

If you meet most of what we are looking for, please still apply. We understand not everyone will meet all the requirements, but you might have the skills we didn’t know we need. We will consider alternative locations for strong candidates.

We would also consider Prinicipal or experienced ecologists looking for a step up.

Our North Wales Environment and Social team, based in Colwyn Bay, is increasing in size in line with our work locally. We have a vacancy for an experienced Senior Ecologist to be part of a new ecology team based in our Colwyn Bay office. We already have established and varied projects in North Wales including renewable, road and power schemes which the new team would be involved in, as well as working closely with our Cardiff, Altrincham, Liverpool and Birmingham teams. You would be part of a team of over 150 ecologists nationally with specialists in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecology.  

We are a highly collaborative team across all environmental disciplines, which makes Mott MacDonald a great place to work. While we are an employee-owned company, our ecology teams are small enough to have a family feel but large enough to work on some of the UK's biggest projects. These are led and supported by a fantastic mix of specialists with a wealth of experience and a culture of supporting and learning from others, coaching, and mentoring. 

We pay our ecologists in line with their engineering colleagues with the ability to earn performance-based bonuses throughout the year. Our projects are diverse, interesting, and technically challenging and we excel in offering innovative solutions. Our ecology teams across the UK are highly experienced in their fields and are proactive when working together imparting knowledge. We are a well-respected company with strong values.  At a company level we are driving forward on collaborative nature-based solutions which incorporate net gains for biodiversity as well as climate change resilience, carbon sequestration and natural capital accounting. We pride ourselves on making a difference in our projects. 

We have a dedicated wellbeing network that can help you with advice and information and share key resources. We have a strong sports and social team who hold events throughout the year, which are fully inclusive as well as UK-wide events such as sports day and skiing trips. Our Environment and Social division hold environment forums and numerous knowledge-sharing webinars on a range of topics such as biodiversity net gain and climate change, bird surveys, Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool, environmental impact assessments and development consent orders, and floating wetlands for water treatment amongst other topics. Through our corporate social responsibility work we aim to make a positive difference and staff are supported to participate in activities to support their local communities. 

Our Colwyn Bay office is a small, friendly office with lots of sports and social events throughout the year. North West Wales is a fantastic location for those who love the outdoors and stunning scenery! We are on the doorstep of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, with miles of beautiful coastline and beaches (including one only a few minutes’ walk from the office). Travel connections are excellent with the London-Holyhead railway line and A55 Expressway both passing through Colwyn Bay - Chester is only a 45-minute train ride away.

Please be advised that offers for this role are conditional upon obtaining the appropriate level of Security Clearance.

Mott MacDonald

Position location: Colwyn Bay, UK
Recruiter contact: Emma Cantley

We’re a global engineering, management, and development consultancy. 
Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities. 

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Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working 

Happy to talk Flexible Working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

 Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.