Principal Ecologist

Working for Essex; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

27 days holiday per year

Wellbeing support

Volunteering leave

Eye care vouchers

Travel discounts

Job summary

Place Services, a multi-disciplinary consultancy within Essex County Council, seeks a Principal Ecologist to co-lead the ecology offer and deliver high-quality assessments across development projects.

You will lead diverse teams, apply advanced ecological techniques, and contribute to business growth while maintaining regulatory compliance. This hybrid role requires flexibility to travel and work from Chelmsford office.

Qualifications

• Advanced ecological expertise with substantial post-qualification experience.
• Strong accreditation including Full Membership of CIEEM.
• Experience leading ecological assessments (PEAR, HRA, EcIA).
• Experience in planning and development management contexts.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex development management consultations and ecological assessments.
• Coordinate and mentor multi-disciplinary ecological teams on large projects.
• Drive business development, bid-winning and key client relationships.
• Ensure projects are delivered to budget, specification and performance targets.

Skills

Leadership

Ecology expertise

GIS

Team leadership

Business development

Education

Full Membership of CIEEM

Tools

GIS

Job description

Principal Ecologist

Permanent,Full Time

Salary up to £57,095 per annum + benefits and local gov pension

Location: Chelmsford*

Closing Date: 30th November 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

*This is a hybrid-working role. You will work from the Chelmsford office and/or across our operational area 1-2 days per week, depending on business need. This can be discussed further at interview.

Fantastic opportunity to lead, influence, and deliver ecological excellence at scale within a dynamic local authority.

Place Services is a multi-disciplinary consultancy within Essex County Council, providing expert environmental and planning services to local authorities and other public sector clients. We play a key role in enabling sustainable development, combining technical excellence with commercial awareness to deliver meaningful outcomes for communities and the natural environment.

As a Principal Ecological Consultant, you will operate as an and authoritative subject matter expert, co-leading and shaping our ecology offer alongside two existing Principals. This is a senior role requiring advanced technical expertise, underpinned by substantial post-qualification experience, strong professional accreditation (including Full Membership of CIEEM), and a deep understanding of relevant legislation, policy, standards and guidance.

You will take ownership of a diverse and challenging portfolio, leading on complex development management consultations and delivering high-quality ecological assessments (PEAR, HRA, EcIA). Your expertise will extend across habitat and species management, habitat creation, and the design and delivery of protected species surveys—applying both established and innovative approaches to achieve effective, evidence-based outcomes. We are particularly interested in ecologists with expertise and experience in planning and development management, preferably from a Local Planning Authority point of view.

Working at the forefront of multidisciplinary projects, you will lead and coordinate specialist teams, managing large-scale and complex projects from concept through to completion. You will confidently analyse, interpret and present complex ecological data, using a range of tools including GIS, to inform robust decision-making and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Alongside your technical leadership, you will bring strong commercial awareness, playing a key role in business development, bid-winning and managing high-value client relationships. You will be an accomplished communicator, able to influence, negotiate and build trusted partnerships, while ensuring projects are delivered to budget, specification and performance expectations.

You will also contribute to building a high-performing and supportive team culture, leading, mentoring and developing colleagues while promoting wellbeing, health and safety, and continuous professional growth. Through your leadership, you will help strengthen both the capability of the team and the ongoing success and reputation of Place Services.

To read more about us please visit www.placeservices.co.uk/who-we-are/about-us. Further information about the wider service can be found at: https://workingforessex.com/role/policy-economy-investment-and-property

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle,or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

For a copy of the full role profile please email [e-mail]

Your benefits package includes;

• Holiday entitlement of 27 days per annum (plus bank holidays), with the opportunity to buy additional annual leave
• Local Government Pension Scheme: essexpensionfund.co.uk
• Employee Wellbeing and counselling provision
• Volunteering leave
• Eye care vouchers
• Travel discounts and season ticket loans
• Retail and restaurant discounts and cashback on purchases

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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