Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Ecologist to join our team enhancing our offering to clients and building on our success. This position will be based out of our Guildford office.

In this role you will be instrumental in driving your team’s financial success by preparing compelling tenders, efficiently managing projects, and fostering strong relationships with clients and potential clients. An integral part of your role will also be to provide technical support, coaching and leadership to the Guildford team.

Your contributions will also support the company’s vision and values by delivering high-quality work, completing tasks within specified timelines, and consistently upholding the company’s standards of excellence.

Suitable candidates will have strong commercial project management skills, and will also be technically competent, with an in-depth knowledge of ecology, legislation, and survey techniques. Outputs are expected to be high quality, on time and within budget. As with all consultancy work, you will need to be a professional with the ability to communicate effectively and to maintain positive client relationships.

Some of the duties include:

  • Line management responsibility, overseeing and guiding a small team of Senior Ecological Consultants, Ecological Consultants and Assistant Ecologists. You may also take on a role as technical leads.
  • Technical coaching, mentoring and support to those around you.
  • Lead and manage large, complex projects, ensuring seamless execution from start to finish.
  • Handle technically challenging tasks, including EPSL applications, EcIA chapters, and Habitats Regulations Assessments.
  • Deliver high-quality reports and outputs for clients, consistently meeting or exceeding project deadlines and budget constraints.
  • Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with clients, ensuring continued trust and satisfaction.
  • Document relevant professional experience and leverage it to advance toward obtaining protected species licenses.
  • Take ownership for the quality of survey work by providing leadership and direction to the field team.
  • Maintain active membership with CIEEM.

This is a permanent position, with a working split between our office, home and on-site work. We’ll consider candidates on either full-time or part-time/flexible working patterns.

Requirements

To be considered you will be an experienced Principal Ecological Consultant with an ecological or related subject degree.

  • Technically competent, with an in-depth knowledge of ecology, legislation and survey techniques with advanced field skills in one or more specialist areas as well as holding protected species licences.
  • Clean, valid UK driving licence and have your own car/access to a car which will be insured for business use.

We would be especially interested in hearing from applicants with ornithological skills, botany skills and/or the ability to act as Named Ecologist on bat mitigation licences. However, none of these are essential.

As an equal opportunities employer, Thomson is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, gender reassignment, being married or in a civil partnership, being pregnant or on maternity leave, disability, race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

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