Principal Ecologist

Southern Water group; Brighton; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as an Associate Director Ecologist, where your passion for ecology will drive innovative solutions in water and wastewater infrastructure projects. You will lead a team of ecologists, ensuring ecological risks are managed effectively while enhancing the natural environment. This role offers a hybrid working model, combining office time in Brighton with site visits and home working. With a competitive salary and a range of benefits, this position is perfect for those looking to make a significant impact in the environmental sector.

Benefits

Company and performance-related bonus

Generous pension up to 11%

25 days annual leave

Life assurance equal to 4x salary

Health Cash Plan

Fully funded eye tests

Two paid volunteering days

Occupational health service

Discounts with over 800 retailers

Cycle to work scheme

Qualifications

• Chartered Environmental Professional with expertise in UK ecology.
• Proven experience in managing ecology teams and projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead ecological surveys and assessments across projects.
• Manage a team of ecologists and ensure compliance with standards.

Skills

Team Management

Ecological Risk Management

Environmental Legislation

Communication Skills

Project Management

Education

Chartered Environmental Professional

Degree in Ecology or Environmental Science

Job description

Associate Director Ecologist page is loaded

Associate Director Ecologist

Apply locations FALMER time type Full time posted on Posted Yesterday time left to apply End Date: May 23, 2025 (21 days left to apply) job requisition id JR5057

Closing Date

2025-05-23

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 a 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:

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

About You

• 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.
• Proven experience managing teams of ecologists and delivering large-scale projects in the UK water industry or a comparable field.
• A Natural England European Protected Species (EPS) Development Licence (within the last 3 years) and experience in completing EPS Licence applications.
• A strong understanding of UK Environmental Legislation and the ability to provide technical guidance to diverse project teams.
• 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

• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options

• Cycle to work scheme

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-CH1

Interested in the role?

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications so if you are interested in the position please do send your application over today to ensure consideration.

Every Body Welcome

We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know. We are dedicated to ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to showcase their skills and experience.

We succeed together

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.

• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution
• Life assurance payment equal to four times your annual salary
• Health benefits through a Cash Plan
• Two paid community volunteering days a year
• 25 days annual holiday
• Occupational health service
• Perkbox benefits offering discounts and savings on several products and experiences
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• We offer competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options

Need flexibility in your work?

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? #LI-Hybrid