Senior Ecologist wide

Senior Ecologist (UK wide)

Jacobs – Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

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At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission‑critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting‑edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Join Jacobs' UK Ecology Team as an Ecologist and become part of a dynamic, forward‑thinking organisation that's making a real impact—locally and globally.

We're hiring nationwide, with opportunities available in our offices across Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Peterborough and Reading.

At Jacobs, we don't just offer jobs—we build careers. You'll be joining a respected and ambitious company with a strong reputation for excellence and innovation. Our commitment to your growth is backed by:

• Global Career Framework – chart your path with clarity and purpose
• Chartership Academy Programme – support to achieve professional accreditation
• Employee Networks & Communities of Practice – connect with over 200 ecologists in the UK & Ireland, and 600+ globally
• A culture of collaboration and sustainability – work on projects that matter

The role will include:

• Delivering some of the most challenging, diverse and innovative infrastructure projects. Presently, we are engaged on a variety of large projects including water infrastructure, highway and rail schemes, energy infrastructure for clients
• A combination desk and site‑based tasks
• Using your experience in protected species survey, Ecological Clerk of Works, Environmental Impact Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment and/or Biodiversity Net Gain
• Working in multidisciplinary teams – quickly building rapport and trust to ensure that terrestrial ecology requirements are recognised, acknowledged and constraints acted upon
• Designing ecological monitoring programmes – developing survey programmes, leading and/or managing survey teams and being responsible for high quality data collection
• Enthusiastically leading from the front – being the first point of contact in the provision of expert advice to both clients and stakeholders
• A willingness to both learn from and mentor others – developing and sharing skills that build team and individual resilience. This will include engagement with our global communities of practice, externally facing communications (conferences, presentations, client meetings) and training events
• We offer different career pathways to suit your strengths – whether you're motivated by line management responsibilities or prefer to focus on technical expertise, progression is supported in both routes, with management being an option rather than a requirement

What you'll need:

• A background in terrestrial ecology with significant years relevant industry experience
• Full membership of a professional body (or experience to obtain full membership)
• Experienced in running ecological inputs on medium‑large scale projects
• Outstanding written and verbal skills with good attention to detail
• High level of personal responsibility

Ideally you'll also have:

• Current and full driving licence
• A technical specialism in the field of terrestrial ecology. However, if that's not you, but you have broad experience and ability to pick up other ecological interests quickly, we'd love to hear from you too!

Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and diversity. We put people at the heart of our business and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

We accept people for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, mental health, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you're pregnant or on family leave. This is reflected in our wide range of Global Employee Networks centred on…