Overview

At WYG, our vision is clear: to inspire our clients and our people to create positive change through our imagination and expertise. Resourceful, confident and authentic, we promise unique solutions, and aim to deliver every time. The qualities we share help us match the impact of far bigger consultancies, from client focus and collaborative spirit, to strategic and ethical thinking, whilst still seeing our people as individuals with specific aims and motivations.

As part of a team delivering services ranging from acoustics to archaeology, our highly experienced environment team supports a diverse client base, with our reputation and track record leading to a strong core of repeat business across both the public and private sectors.

Your Role

We are searching for a confident, proactive ecologist with a desire to develop to join our 40+ strong ecology team.  They will support us with a wide-range of surveys and mitigation, delivering a high quality service that is pragmatic and client focused whilst according with legislation and guidance.

With presence in 13 offices, we continue to win work throughout the UK, using our regional expertise and strong relationships across the national ecology team to further strengthen our reputation.   As a multidisciplinary business, our ecologists are well integrated with other disciplines, working closely with planners, transport planners, engineers, project managers, landscape architects and archaeologists (to name but a few). Our projects involve delivering work across all sectors including defence, energy, residential, infrastructure and regeneration schemes.

You will use the support of our existing team of ecologists combined with exposure to other disciplines and sectors to continue to develop your skills.  You will carry out a wide range of field surveys over the busy survey season, alongside office-based work such as day-to-day data analysis and project management, input to and preparation of fee proposals & attendance at meetings.  Typical survey types include great crested newts, bats, water voles and badgers.

An example of the multidisciplinary projects we get involved with includes the ecological enhancement work proposed at RSPB Cliffe Pools in Kent. As an internationally designated site for wildfowl and waders, we won Planning Magazine’s Waste and Minerals Planning Award for the scheme which will use waste material from infrastructure schemes across the south-east to enhance habitats for a variety of bird and invertebrate species.

About You

In order to be successful for this role, you should be legally entitled to work in the UK and meet the following criteria;

As full member of CIEEM you will already have an accomplished and broad background of ecological expertise, from solid extended Phase 1 skills to species-specific survey techniques, mitigation schemes and ideally EPS licence applications.
You must have a strong knowledge of relevant UK and European legislation, policy and guidance.
You will have the ability to write EcIA chapters and/or HRA assessments is preferable as these are a large part of our work.
You will have strong knowledge of how to survey and advise clients about invasive species issues is expected and BREEAM and reptile expertise would also be an advantage.
You will be able to use a range of different field equipment, software and ideally produce maps using GIS.
A relevant degree as a minimum is required, as is a full driving licence, plus good ICT skills including MS Word and Excel.
You should also be able to demonstrate good project management capabilities, excellent client skills and the ability to quantify risk so you can recommend pragmatic and cost-effective solutions.

You will be a confident communicator with strong written and verbal skills, with the ability to prioritise the delivery of a dynamic workload and be confident in producing risk assessments, method statements and to set a good example with regards to health and safety.

Your enthusiastic, flexible approach will equip you to support our rapidly expanding south-east team in line with the varied projects we work on. You will also work regularly alongside our other disciplines, helping develop your awareness of our wider capabilities, including Planning, Contamination, Landscape, EIA and range of other Environmental and Engineering teams.

Rewards

In return for your dedication, you’ll enjoy a quality total remuneration package, including flexible benefits and working options and a company car or car allowance, laptop and mobile. Pick and choose your perfect blend from optional advantages including a contributory pension, health cover, childcare and retail vouchers, cycle-to-work scheme, travel insurance and the option to buy/sell up to 5 days holiday a year.

Our annual appraisal cycle provides a framework for managing your professional development and you’ll benefit from great support from our large national ecology team, including the option for shadowing, mentoring and tailored training sessions. This is aimed at helping you develop, whilst achieving both your technical and career aspirations. We also hold an annual Environmental Conference where all our environment staff come together to share expertise, case studies and training across a wide range of topics.