Overview

Location
Home-based: East Sussex, Surrey, or Kent
£45,000 – £50,000 pa
Full time or Part time (Min 30hrs over 4 days)

Reporting to
Graeme Down, Associate Director (Ecology)

Salary & Benefits

  • £45,000 – £50,000 DOE
  • Home-based (day starts from the moment you leave your home for surveys, no unpaid commutes!)
  • Flexible working pattern
  • Full-time or part-time
  • Contributory pension
  • 25 days holiday + time off in lieu for out-of-hours survey work (additional rest time built around surveys to ensure safe working)
  • Sick pay (after 12 months service)
  • Generous CPD allowance
  • Paid professional membership subscription
  • Home working allowance

Background
DAA is a small but expanding company with a multi-disciplinary approach, covering ecology, arboriculture, and landscape. Our business model is based on employing highly qualified and experienced consultants who are home-based across the south and south-east, supported by high-quality IT systems and a friendly virtual team environment (Teams meetings, support, and mentoring). We aim to provide high-quality, timely, and effective consultancy to our clients, who are predominantly in the planning and heritage sectors. Typical clients range from single householders to mainstream housing developers, planning consultants, architects, heritage landowners, as well as utilities contractors. Project sizes range from single dwellings to 200+ residential units, with increasing heritage site work.

Key Responsibilities

  • Devise, undertake, and manage a wide range of ecological surveys, including UK Habitats Classification and protected species surveys and mitigation.
  • Carry out desk studies, consultations, research, data management and analysis, and report writing.
  • Prepare protected species mitigation licences, ideally being the Named Ecologist on these for bats in particular.
  • Project-manage small, medium, and large contracts, ensuring clients have the necessary information when ready to submit a planning application.
  • Attend design team meetings and on-site meetings with planning consultants, LPA officers, etc., as required.
  • Prepare Ecological Impact Assessments and, ideally, carry out Habitats Regulations Assessments.
  • Manage project-based finances, including providing invoicing information to accounts and maintaining commercial awareness throughout the project.
  • Liaise with internal team members regarding landscape and arboricultural issues and with external team members in the wider design team.
  • Conduct a wide range of Phase 2 surveys, including regular out-of-office hours in line with the latest survey guidelines.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

  • A minimum of four years’ full-time ecological consultancy experience, including extensive experience with Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, commercial bat surveys, and Ecological Impact Assessment.
  • At least two protected species licences, preferably including a level 2 class licence for bats.
  • Full membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
  • Experienced line manager
  • Experience managing small- to medium-sized projects, including client management, quote preparation, budgeting, and report writing/reviewing.
  • Excellent report writing and reviewing skills, with the ability to produce high-quality reports promptly.
  • Strong commercial awareness.
  • Sufficient botanical knowledge to carry out UK habitat condition assessments with species lists.
  • Biodiversity Net Gain experience, including use of the latest Defra Metric.
  • Excellent knowledge of current UK legislation and best practice policy.
  • Full driving licence and access to a vehicle for work, with business use insurance.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

  • Undergraduate degree in Ecology or another relevant environmental discipline.
  • QGIS mapping skills.
  • Named ecologist on Mitigation Licences from Natural England, ideally for bats and/or great crested newts.
  • Experience with bat call analysis using Kaleidoscope, BatExplorer, or equivalent software.

Person Specification

  • Highly motivated
  • Personable with strong client management skills
  • Approachable
  • Good team player and relationship builder

How to Apply
Please email your CV and a covering letter, including specific examples that demonstrate how you meet the qualifications and experience outlined above, to our Office Manager Lisa Kendall: admin@davidarcherassociates.co.uk. Please also use the same email address to request further information.

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