Ecologist

Benefits

• Competitive salary, depending on experience (£41,221 - £51,527)
• A company car
• Annual incentive related bonus (£1000 maximum bonus opportunity for the performance year)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Development opportunities in line with the Ecologist progression plan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus an extra wellness day!
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• Health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

West Yorkshire / Hybrid Working (1-2 days in the office a week – Bradford – Relocating to Leeds Summer 2026
)

Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity. New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry.

The Land & Property Finance are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

This role supports the delivery of Yorkshire Water’s business strategy by providing expert ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) advice across capital projects. You’ll work closely with project managers and delivery teams to embed ecological best practice, while supporting the implementation of Yorkshire Water’s BNG approach, including the management of the internal BNG bank.

• Support Project Managers in commissioning, reviewing and acting on ecological and BNG assessments, including protected species surveys, at the right stage to reduce risk and inform design and optioneering.
• Support project teams by reviewing ecological reports, ensuring recommendations are fit for purpose and delivered on time.
• Work closely with town planning, regulators and delivery teams to ensure ecology and BNG considerations are embedded effectively from planning through to construction.
• Provide expert ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) advice to project managers, sponsors and delivery teams across the full lifecycle of capital schemes, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance.
• Play a key role in implementing Yorkshire Water’s Biodiversity Net Gain approach, developing business processes, specifications and guidance to support consistent delivery.
• Commission and review Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans (HMMPs), Biodiversity Gain Plans and audit reports, ensuring submissions meet planning and legal requirements.
• Undertake site surveys which may include spot checks of high ecological risk projects during construction; BNG Audits; early-stage site walkovers with the design team to flag ecological risks; scoping surveys for the BNG Habitat Bank; and post construction surveys. Please note the majority of PEA and protected species surveys for our capital projects are undertaken by external consultants not the YW Ecology team.
• Review Habitat Regulations Assessments and assents for works affecting SSSIs.
• Manage and maintain ecological and BNG GIS data, ensuring records for BNG sites and protected species are accurate and up to date., including review of contractor‑submitted information.
• Advise the business on new and evolving environmental legislation, helping Yorkshire Water stay ahead of compliance requirements.
• Deliver training and guidance to colleagues and supply chain partners to raise ecological and BNG awareness.
• Support the delivery of regulatory outputs,…