Senior/Principal Ecologist
Manchester, Greater Manchester, M9, England, UK
Listed on 2026-08-28
-
Science
Environmental Science, Environmental Consulting, Ecology, Environmental Compliance & Protection
Overview
Shape the future of our cities and environments.
You might know us for the great work we do across our wide variety of projects. We're proud to say it's thanks to our people's diversity of thought, expertise and knowledge. And when you join us, you'll be a part of this genuinely collaborative environment, where everyone's voice is valued and treated equally.
We're passionate about what we do, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. Simply put, this a great place to be. So, when it comes to your life outside of work, ask us about our flexible and remote working policies designed to help you get the most out of life.
Our ecology team truly strives to make a positive difference to the natural environment, by working closely with other disciplines across our business to engage in projects from the outset, ensuring ecology is considered at the earliest possible stage. This collaborative working helps to drive forward nature positive schemes that we are proud of. Our award-winning team of over 130 ecologists (including the President of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and three CIEEM Fellows) work across a range of exciting habitat creation, research, development and major infrastructure projects;
we also design new innovations and help inform policy.
At AtkinsRéalis our people are the foundation of our business and that's why we put our people first. With this in mind, we provide an incredibly flexible and inclusive working environment with staff wellbeing being front and centre of all our decisions.
We also understand that not everyone chooses to take the university route in terms of education - we are open to taking on ecologists without a degree and we are working closely with the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) to make entry into the environmental industry more inclusive for all. For us, it is the experience, knowledge and, above all, your ability to fit in well with our existing team of ecologists, that really matters.
Your role- Client facing/client interaction – The candidate will demonstrate an understanding of clients' requirements.
- Supporting on nationally important infrastructure projects, managing project programmes and budgets.
- Planning and undertaking field surveys; analysing and interpreting survey results.
- Designing and co‑ordinating ecological mitigation.
- Authoring and checking a range of ecological reports and licence applications.
- Interdisciplinary engagement – the candidate will actively seek to engage with other areas of the business, seeking opportunities to cross sell and leverage AtkinsRéalis' capabilities, preparing bids, supporting on strategic opportunities, building client relationships (internal and external) and driving work‑winning in the region.
- Candidate will proactively provide innovation on projects and within the ecology team.
- Candidate may coach, mentor and support other staff members in their development.
- This role will have tailored mentoring and support towards achieving career goals, such as Chartership.
- Appropriate training courses external and internal will be reviewed with your mentor and Practice Manager.
- Full Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), or actively working towards this.
- Strong skills in report writing, including preparing Preliminary Ecological Assessments, Ecological Impact Assessments, Biodiversity Chapters for Ecological Impact Assessments and Habitats Regulations Assessment (including Appropriate Assessment) and Protected species survey licence(s).
- Strong working knowledge and experience of UK Habitat survey, habitat condition assessments, and the Defra Biodiversity Metric.
- Ideally project management experience including technical, financial and quality assurance aspects.
- Experience of working on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and familiarity with the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, would be viewed favourably.
- A desire to contribute to the growth and development of the team.
- A full UK/EEC driving licence.
Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive – at every stage…
To Search, View & Apply for jobs on this site that accept applications from your location or country, tap here to make a Search: