Senior​/Principal - Field Ecology Lead

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At Haskoning, you will join an independent, employee‑owned international consultancy that combines engineering, design, and consultancy services with software and technology. Our mission, "Enhancing Society Together," drives us to create a positive impact on the world. We offer purpose‑driven and challenging work in diverse international projects, leveraging our 140+ years of expertise. With over 6,800 employees in more than 25 countries, we work together to turn challenges into opportunities and make a real impact on society.

We work across a wide variety of sectors with a focus in the UK on renewable energy, water infrastructure and catchment management, industry and built environment and coastal and marine development.

Our ecology team provides a wide variety of services, including ecological survey and assessment, compliance and advisory services, licensing, biodiversity net gain, ecological clerk of works, and habitat restoration design for exciting and nationally important projects. This work often supports EIA and HRA assessments across a wide variety of consent applications. In parallel with project delivery, our Terrestrial Ecology Practice places strong emphasis on learning and development.

As an employee‑owned business, we invest in our people through structured training, opportunities to attend conferences and events, involvement in company initiatives (such as innovation programmes), and regular in‑person Terrestrial Ecology team‑building sessions. Due to continued growth across a range of markets, we are now looking to expand our terrestrial ecology team, focusing on expanding our survey capability across the UK.

We are seeking a Senior / Principal Ecologist with excellent communication skills and strong technical expertise in terrestrial ecology, who is keen to work on cutting‑edge projects. In this role, you will lead and grow a team of specialists and manage ecological survey work from project inception and proposal stages through to the completion of reports such as Preliminary Ecological Appraisals and Protected Species Survey Reports.

You will act as a technical expert throughout the project lifecycle, advising on survey design and ecological assessment, and preparing or overseeing Ecological Impact Assessments, Protected Species and Habitat Mitigation Strategies, Ecological Management Plans, Protected Species licence applications, Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments and method statements.

You will have an extensive ecological understanding and 8+ years of demonstrable professional experience working on a range of projects, including undertaking and coordinating ecological surveys, collating and analysing biological data and drafting reports with a relevant degree in ecology, environmental sciences or similar subject.

• Extensive experience in delivering Preliminary Ecological Appraisals, Ecological Impact Assessments, Protected Species and Habitat Mitigation Strategies, Ecological Management Plans, Protected Species Licence applications, and Biodiversity Net Gain Assessments.
• Natural England protected species survey licences, in particular for bats. Experience as the named ecologist on mitigation licences would be advantageous.
• Full CIEEM membership.
• Ecological Clerk of Works experience and/or liaising/managing contractors.
• Willingness to travel occasionally and a valid UK driving licence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, organisational, analytical and time‑management skills.
• Good interpersonal skills.

• Dependable, pro‑active and self‑motivated.
• Flexible, adaptive, innovative and willing to develop your career.

Exciting, lively, collaborative, dynamic, supportive, friendly – that’s how our colleagues describe our company. The supportive and collaborative environment we promote, alongside our independent status, sets us apart from the crowd. You can look forward to growing your career in a dynamic workplace with development…