Consultant Aquatic Ecologist

Consultant Aquatic Ecologist – WSP (UK & Ireland)

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects, and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives, and experience a world of opportunity to shape a career as unique as you.

WSP’s UK biodiversity practice boasts 300 specialists delivering high‑quality ecological services across diverse sectors including low‑carbon, hydrogen, transport, water renewables, nuclear, power, waste, minerals, and property. We have a fantastic opportunity for an Aquatic Consultant to join our team. The role is ideal for freshwater ecologists, with marine ecology experience an advantage. You will deliver aquatic ecology inputs into our wide range of projects, support growth by securing new challenging projects, and have opportunities on innovative international projects.

We pride ourselves on leading-edge practice, innovation, and technical excellence.

• Conduct field surveys across freshwater and/or marine environments.
• Support technical authoring of aquatic ecological assessments:
  Scoping reports, Preliminary Ecological Assessments (PEA), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRA), Water Framework Directive Assessments (WFDA), Marine Strategy Framework Directive Assessments, Marine Conservation Zone / Marine Protected Area Assessments.
• Provide aquatic inputs across all project life cycles – from bidding/feasibility/option‑eering to field survey planning/management/completion, detailed design, and assessment.
• Support preparation of licence applications, including marine licences and flood‑risk activity permits.
• Provide mentoring and support to less experienced team members.

• Professional experience (at least 2 years).
• Relevant degree (BSc or MSc) in an aquatic discipline (e.g., freshwater or marine biology).
• Knowledge of UK and European legislation on protected aquatic habitats and species, including the HRA process.
• Ability to support a range of aquatic survey types.
• Excellent report‑writing skills.
• Basic knowledge of EIA, HRA, and WFDA.
• Experience in field survey design and conducting ecological surveys in freshwater and/or marine environments.
• Membership of CIEEM or equivalent body.

Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Apply – we’ll see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team.

Mid‑Senior level

Full‑time

Consulting, Information Technology, and Sales

Professional Services

Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you require workplace adjustments, please let us know.