Planning Ecologist

Nottingham City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Group; England; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is seeking two Planning Ecologists to provide expert advice on biodiversity and ecological matters. Responsibilities include advising on statutory Biodiversity Net Gain and working closely with local partners. Suitable candidates must hold a relevant environmental degree and demonstrate experience in ecological field surveys. This role supports hybrid working arrangements and offers a dynamic opportunity to be part of a growing team focused on enhancing the region's biodiversity.

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent in a relevant environmental or biological subject.
• Experience in conducting ecological surveys.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice on ecology and biodiversity matters.
• Work on statutory Biodiversity Net Gain compliance.
• Develop the recording processes for BNG data.

Skills

Ecological field survey work

Advice on ecological/planning matters

Knowledge of Biodiversity Net Gain

Teamwork

Education

Degree in environmental or biological subject

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

WorkLocation: County Hall, Leicester, LE3 8RA

WorkerCategory: Hybrid worker

Salary: Grade 9 - Grade 11 £32,070 - £42,699 per annum (pro rata for part-time)

WorkingHours: 37 hours per week

ContractType: Permanent

Closing Date: 5pm Monday 5th January 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

Would you like to join us in a career‑graded post as an ecologist? Would you like to join our expanding team and take part in the new requirements for statutory Biodiversity Net Gain, including site monitoring for BNG sites?

About the Role

We are seeking two Planning Ecologists to provide expert advice on ecology and biodiversity matters to our LPA partners throughout the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland, in relation to statutory Biodiversity Net Gain and protected species and habitats.

As such, the post holder would provide specialist planning advice from pre‑application stage through to discharge of conditions; and will be joining at an exciting time, when we are starting our site monitoring for compliance programme, on sites throughout the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The work will also include the link between BNG and new “opportunity areas” identified and mapped in our Local Nature Recovery Strategy. We are also developing our recording processes for the BNG data and newly created, restored and enhanced habitats with our in‑house Local Records Centre (LRERC), which is part of our team.

We have further team growth planned for 2026. It would be an exciting opportunity for an ecologist either early in their career or with some experience to be part of our expanding Ecology and Biodiversity Team. We can make more of a difference than ever before, both to the quality of our natural environment and to increasing its connectivity throughout the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate:

• A degree or equivalent in a relevant environmental or biological subject; OR working towards a degree or equivalent in an environmental or biological subject and be able to demonstrate experience in carrying out ecological field survey work.
• An ability to produce professional work relating to the natural environment, working as part of a team and meeting performance deadlines.
• Having experience of working within or with the public sector.
• Being able to offer expert advice to stakeholders or clients in relation to complex ecological or planning ecological matters.
• Knowledge of ecological survey methods and requirements for species and habitats appropriate to the planning system.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles and application of Biodiversity Net Gain legislation, policy and practice.

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equal opportunities, and the ability to apply this to all situations.

In addition, we expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual’s personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term‑time working, part‑time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

Every role within the Council has a defined working style which determines where they can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories in Our Working Styles page on our career site.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Vanessa Evans - Team Manager Ecology and Biodiversity

Telephone: [phone]

How to Apply

Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ Plus; communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply for this job, please click on the apply button. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Employee Service Centre: https://emss.org.uk/support

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.