Bat Ecologists

SLR Consulting Ltd; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Company pension

Private medical insurance

Life, income, and travel insurance

Flexible, hybrid and agile working

25 days' annual leave

Professional development support

BER accreditation opportunities

Job summary

SLR Consulting Ltd in the United Kingdom is seeking licensed bat ecologists to join our Ecology and Biodiversity team. You will deliver bat surveys, licensing, mitigation strategies and technical reporting across diverse sectors, including power, mining and built environment.

The role offers flexible, hybrid or remote working options with opportunities to progress towards BER accreditation levels and ongoing professional development.

Qualifications

• Experience in bat surveys, licensing and mitigation supervision.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel across England.
• Awareness of UK ecological legislation and BER accreditation pathway.

Responsibilities

• Undertake bat surveys including PRA, dusk emergence, and roost assessments.
• Manage data using in-house apps and ensure high-quality reporting.
• Deliver BER site registrations, EPSL licensing and mitigation works.
• Analyse bat data and contribute to European Protected Species Licences.
• Supervise mitigation works and contribute to method statements.
• Support training and development within the ecology team.

Skills

Bat survey experience

Licensing knowledge

Project management

Education

Natural England bat licence (Class 2+)

BSc Ecology/Biology

CIEEM membership

Job description

Job Title: Bat Ecologists - Licenced Bat Ecologists and Bat Earned Recognition (BER) Level 1‑3 Registered Consultant

SLR is seeking multiple licensed bat ecologists (Natural England Class 2 and above) with proven experience in securing mitigation licences. We particularly welcome applications from Bat Earned Recognition registered consultants (Level 1‑3) or eligible to be BER accredited agents or for individuals looking to become a BER registered consultant to join our expanding Ecology and Biodiversity team in the UK. Opportunities are available across multiple grades. The role can be located across any of our office locations in England or remote.

You will work on a diverse portfolio of projects and sectors, particularly including Power, Mining and Minerals and Built Environment delivering high‑quality bat surveys, mitigation strategies and technical reporting. This role presents an exciting opportunity to be responsible for the delivery of ecology inputs to large and complex projects, which now represent an increasingly large proportion of our work. While the advert focuses on bat expertise, we do not pigeonhole our ecologists. If you hold additional ecological skills, whether in other protected species, botany, ornithology, etc – we actively encourage you to continue developing and utilising those competencies and we will ensure the range of work and training available to you enables you to do so.

The role

• Undertake a range of bat surveys including Daytime Bat Walkover, Daytime Preliminary Roost Assessments (PRA), dusk emergence and rarely dawn return surveys, backtracking surveys, hibernation surveys, Ground Level Tree Assessment (GLTA) and use of advanced bat survey techniques including trapping and radiotracking.
• Record and manage survey data to a high professional standard using our top of the range survey equipment and technology, utilising our dedicated in‑house data recording apps and automation software and processes and working closely with the digital team to maximise efficiencies in automation where possible.
• Completing BER site registrations, EPSL licensing and mitigation works.
• Accurately analyse bat data in a timely manner and it would be advantageous to hold Certificate of Bat Acoustics Analysis.
• Supervising mitigation works and implementing method statements.
• Contribute to technical reports, contributing to BER site registrations preparing and leading on European Protected Species Licences (EPSL) and designing and overseeing bat mitigation and compensation strategies for a range of bat species including hibernation and maternity roosts across a range of sites including linear infrastructure projects, complex structures, major power projects and renewable energy projects.

Rewards & Benefits

• Competitive salary with discretionary bonus
• Company pension
• Private medical insurance
• Life, income, and travel insurance
• Salary sacrifice car lease and cycle‑to‑work schemes
• Volunteering and Community Giving
• Flexible, hybrid and agile working
• 25 days' annual leave plus flexible public holidays
• Buy or sell leave options
• Core working hours
• Cross‑border remote working and sabbatical opportunities
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave pay
• Workplace Nursery benefit
• Employee Assistance Programme Specialist support for mental health, stress and menopause - supporting our people both professionally and personally

About you

You will have demonstrable experience in bat surveys, licensing, mitigation and supervision (but we welcome experience across a range of different areas of ecological consultancy practice). You should hold a Natural England Class 2 bat licence or above and be able to demonstrate competence in bat survey and mitigation and ideally be a Bat Earned Recognition consultant (Level 1 to 3) or eligible to be accredited. You will have full understanding of the relevant ecological legislation and policy throughout the UK. Proactive in developing your own technical knowledge alongside training and share your knowledge to develop and mentor more junior members of the team BSc Ecology, Biological Science, Zoology or equivalent (MSc desirable) and eligible CIEEM membership (level dependant on grade). Good theoretical grounding in ecology and environmental assessment Experience in project management duties including planning and scheduling surveys, budget management and client liaison desirable. If you are interested, and hold a full UK driving licence, we would love to hear from you.

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