Lead Ecologist

About the role

As a newly created position within a growing function, this role presents an exciting opportunity to shape the future direction of ecological management within one of the UK's fastest-growing infrastructure sectors and influence the development of ecology capability across the wider business.

• Lead ecological input into bids, tenders and pre-construction activities across the Power portfolio.
• Identify ecological risks, constraints, opportunities and programme implications during early project development.
• Develop and review ecological sections of tender submissions, technical proposals, methodologies and environmental management documentation.
• Provide ecological leadership for optioneering, routing, design development and constructability reviews.
• Identify and develop opportunities for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and wider nature enhancement during bid and pre-construction stages, supporting clients and project teams to incorporate practical, deliverable and value-adding environmental outcomes into project designs, programmes and delivery strategies.
• Support the development of consenting and permitting strategies, ensuring ecological requirements are identified and programmed appropriately.
• Provide specialist advice on protected species licensing, habitat management, biodiversity net gain and ecological mitigation.
• Act as the technical authority for ecology within the ES Bid & Pre-Construction team.

Essential:

• Experience in Nature Conservation, Ecology, Biodiversity or closely related fields.
• Degree in Ecology, Environmental Management, Biological Sciences or a related discipline.
• Chartered Ecologist (CEcol) or working towards chartership.
• Full member of CIEEM.
• Extensive experience within ecology, environmental planning or nature conservation.
• Experience supporting major infrastructure, utilities, energy or construction projects.
• Technical understanding of UK wildlife legislation, protected species licensing and planning requirements.
• Experience developing ecological mitigation and consenting strategies.
• Experience managing specialist consultants and ecological supply chain partners.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to translate ecological risks into programme and commercial implications.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to projects when required.

Desirable:

• Protected Species Licence holder.
• Named Ecologist experience.
• Experience of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
• Biodiversity Net Gain expertise.
• Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).
• Master's degree in Ecology, Conservation or related subject.
• Experience supporting major transmission and distribution projects.

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions across the full spectrum of the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks.

From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on‑going maintenance, our in‑house experts, flexible resources and industry‑leading innovations support customers in the development of some of the UK’s most ambitious power transmission and…