Graduate Ecologist

The Opportunity

You see the world through a unique lens and that’s exactly what we need. We embrace how you see things differently – it’s essential for creating a sustainable future.

Arup is a global consultancy with advisory and technical expertise across more than 150 disciplines. We guide, plan and design the future of the built environment. Globally, each year we recruit hundreds of graduates and students who help us see things differently and solve the most complex challenges facing our clients, climate and communities.

We are seeking graduate consultants with diverse skills and interests in nature, ecology and biodiversity to join our Nature team within Environment, Climate and Sustainability, a multi-disciplinary service. Our graduates contribute to a diverse portfolio of projects, supporting the development of nature‑related policy and guidance, environmental and biodiversity assessments, ecological field surveys, assessing and auditing natural capital and corporate nature‑related financial disclosures, and the design and delivery of solutions that support nature recovery and net zero.

The role also involves working with clients and stakeholders, supporting regulatory approval processes, managing environmental risks, and helping to deliver sustainable and resilient outcomes for projects and organisations. From your first day you’ll join an unrivalled community of experts, where you will be supported and mentored. You’ll help us to deliver effective and professional services for a range of varied and high‑profile clients.

You’ll have a good level of responsibility from day one which will increase as you progress and broaden your skills.

• Undertake ecological surveys and fieldwork to collect data on habitats and protected species, supporting environmental assessments and project design, developing professional and technical skills through structured training and mentoring.
• Use a range of digital tools and technologies, including GIS, mobile data capture applications, remote sensing, ecological databases and data visualisation platforms, to assist with the collection, analysis, interpretation and communication of ecological information.
• Assist in the preparation of technical reporting, including survey reports, ecological appraisals, and sections of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Habitats Regulations Assessments.
• Support biodiversity and nature‑related assessments, helping to evaluate impacts on ecological receptors, and assisting in the identification of mitigation solutions.
• Work collaboratively within multidisciplinary project teams, liaising with engineers, planners, landscape architects, environmental specialists, and clients to help integrate ecological considerations into projects.

For this opportunity, we are seeking the following qualifications, skills and attributes:

A bachelor's degree in relevant academic discipline, such as relevant degree; survey/ fieldwork knowledge/ experience; a full UK driving licence and willingness to undertake fieldwork and travel; knowledge of UK ecology and legislation; technical writing ability; communication & teamwork; competent use of Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel.

• Experience of UKHab or Phase 1 habitat surveys; protected species survey experience (bats, GCN - Great Crested Newt, dormouse, reptiles, birds, etc.) and species identification skills.
• GIS experience.
• Experience of digital survey tools such as Survey
  123, ArcGIS Field Maps or similar.
• Knowledge of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and the Defra Metric.
• Understanding of Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) and Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA).
• Membership of CIEEM (Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental…