Associate Director Ecologist

Southern Water; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an Associate Director Ecologist to lead innovative ecological solutions for vital water infrastructure projects. This role involves managing a team of ecologists, overseeing ecological risk management, and ensuring compliance with environmental standards. You will play a crucial role in enhancing the natural environment while delivering large-scale projects. If you are passionate about ecology and possess strong leadership skills, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a dynamic environment. Join a company that values sustainability and teamwork, and help shape the future of water management.

Benefits

Company and performance-related bonus

Generous pension up to 11% company contribution

25 days annual leave

Life assurance equal to 4x salary

Salary sacrifice electric car scheme

Health Cash Plan

Fully funded eye tests

Two paid volunteering days a year

Occupational health service

Discounts with over 800 popular retailers

Qualifications

• Chartered Environmental Professional with strong UK ecology expertise.
• Proven experience managing ecology teams in the water industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead ecology surveys and manage ecological risk across projects.
• Guide a team of ecologists ensuring compliance and safety.

Skills

Team Management

Ecological Risk Management

Communication Skills

Decision-Making Skills

Organizational Skills

Education

Chartered Environmental Professional

CIEEM Membership

Tools

Environmental Impact Assessments

Protected Species Surveys

Job description

Closing Date
2025-03-28
Job Title: Associate Director Ecologist

Location: Across Southern Water Patch - Mondays based in our Brighton office other days mixture of Sites Visits and Home Working

Salary: up to £65,000 depending on skills and experience

Job Overview

Are you passionate about ecology and environmental sustainability? Do you have the leadership skills to manage ecology teams while driving innovative solutions for a range of engineering projects?

About the Role
As an Associate Director/Principal Ecologist, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the design, maintenance, and construction of vital water and wastewater infrastructure projects. You'll manage a team of ecologists and subcontractors, ensuring that ecological risks are well-managed throughout project delivery, from design to completion. Your expertise will drive solutions that not only mitigate risks but also enhance the natural environment.

Responsibilities will include:

1. Lead ecology surveys, assessments, and ecological risk management across various projects.
2. Manage and guide a team of ecologists, ensuring compliance with safety and environmental standards.
3. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to ensure ecological considerations are incorporated into project design and delivery.
4. Oversee the financial management of ecology aspects, ensuring cost-effective solutions.
5. Provide mentoring and coaching to junior ecologists, supporting their professional development.

About You

1. A Chartered Environmental Professional (preferably a Full Member of CIEEM) with strong technical expertise in UK ecology, including protected species surveys and environmental impact assessments.
2. Proven experience managing teams of ecologists and delivering large-scale projects in the UK water industry or a comparable field.
3. A Natural England European Protected Species (EPS) Development Licence (within the last 3 years) and experience in completing EPS Licence applications.
4. A strong understanding of UK Environmental Legislation and the ability to provide technical guidance to diverse project teams.
5. Excellent communication, organisational, and decision-making skills.

Package

This role will be full time Monday to Friday 37 hours a week.

Southern Water operate a hybrid approach to working between our Brighton office and home.

We are offering a salary of up to £65,000 per annum depending on skills and experience as well as other benefits including:

• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension up to 11% company contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Life assurance equal to 4x salary
• Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service)
• Health Cash Plan
• Full funded eye tests
• Two paid volunteering days a year
• Occupational health service
• Discounts with over 800 popular retailers
• Digital GP service
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
• Cycle to work scheme

Does this opportunity excite you but you're not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that 'normal' office hours aren't possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we'll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support - because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That's why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you'll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.

Privacy Statement:

Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application.

All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.