Senior​/Principal Ecological Consultant

Senior / Principal Ecological Consultant

Land Studio - (UK based only - Hybrid Part-Remote Considered)

A Different Way to Practise

Across our industry, we've seen a shift towards larger, more corporate structures, where decision-making sits further and further from the people actually doing the work. This can often mean slower, more layered processes, and a more distant relationship between client and ecologist.

At Land Studio, decisions are predominantly made by the people doing the work, not signed off several tiers up a corporate structure. You'll have a direct hand in the growth and direction of the business itself, not just the projects within it. You'll build real, personal relationships with clients that last from first survey to final delivery and post development monitoring and because ecology, drainage engineering and landscape design all sit in-house under one roof, you'll have genuine influence on the design process, collaborating with the team to ensure ecology, drainage and landscape work together, to deliver efficient and optimal outcomes.

If you want your voice to matter, your relationships to be real, and your work to shape the whole picture rather than one corner of it, we'd like to hear from you.

About Us

We are a fully integrated landscape architecture, ecology and drainage engineering design studio working across residential, education, visitor destination and mixed-use projects. Climate change and biodiversity loss are not challenges facing our industry, they are challenges facing the planet. We believe design has a real part to play in addressing them, and every project we take on is a chance to have a genuine, positive impact: enhancing biodiversity, responding to the water cycle, and connecting people with nature in a way that leaves places better than we found them.

We're a growing, independent studio based in a city centre studio in Chester and a satellite studio in Cardiff, and we're looking to add to our ecology team.

About the Role

You’ll provide senior technical and project leadership across a varied portfolio of ecological projects, delivering pragmatic ecological advice and working closely with our Director of Ecology to support the continued growth and development of the ecology team.

Depending on your experience, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Undertake and review technically complex work, including Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA), Ecological impact Assessment (EcIA), Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments and strategies, Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA), protected species survey reports, licence applications and ecological management plans.
• Provide high-quality ecological advice that is clear, pragmatic and commercially aware.
• Lead and manage multiple ecological projects from inception through to completion.
• Manage project programmes, resources, budgets and scope.
• Lead technical reviews and quality assurance of project deliverables.
• Build strong, long-term relationships with clients and other project stakeholders.
• Produce high quality fee proposals and support wider work-winning activity through proactive networking and business development activity.
• Mentor and support junior ecologists, helping develop technical capability across the team.
• Provide proactive line management, supporting staff development, performance and wellbeing.
• Contribute to CPD, knowledge sharing, best practice and innovation within the Studio.
• Work collaboratively with our landscape architecture and civil engineering teams to embed ecology into design rather than treating it as an afterthought.

About you

We’re looking for an experienced senior or principal ecologist who combines strong technical knowledge with sound judgement, commercial awareness and a genuine enthusiasm for…