Principal Ornithologist

LUC; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Ownership Trust

Job summary

LUC is seeking a Principal Ornithologist based in Bristol or Cardiff, with Manchester as an option, to lead our growing ornithology workstream within the UK Ecology Team. The role covers field surveys, data interpretation, and evaluating ornithological impacts for energy and transmission developments.

You will manage projects, mentor junior staff, and collaborate across the business to deliver high quality consultancy.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of wildlife, especially birds and bird conservation priorities, in the UK, gained through practical experience and further / higher education.
• Ornithological or ecological field survey experience.
• Project management skills, including budgeting, fieldwork planning and coordination and client communications.
• Knowledge of bird survey and assessment requirements to support developments in England and Wales.
• Mentoring and/or line management experience.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Enthusiasm for working outdoors, with a willingness to survey in all months of the year, and in inclement weather.
• Willingness to work across the UK, with occasional trips away from home (all costs and expenses covered by LUC).
• Willingness to work antisocial hours, particularly during the spring and summer months.
• Ability to work collaboratively and positively with a small team of colleagues.
• Experience of writing submissions to support the development management process in England and/or Wales
• Data management and GIS skills
• Modelling and data analysis experience, including collision risk modelling
• 4x4 driving skills

Responsibilities

• Managing projects in line with LUC’s internal Project Management System.
• Preparing tender responses and fee proposals
• Contributing to wider business development activity, with support from senior colleagues
• Planning, coordinating and delivering field surveys.
• Line management, mentoring and development of junior staff.
• Managing, analysing and interpreting ornithological data.
• Preparing consultancy reports and undertaking ornithological assessment.

Skills

Bird ecology

Field survey experience

Project management

Data management & GIS

Modelling & data analysis

Collision risk modelling

4x4 driving

Driving licence

Line management

Tools

GIS

Job description

This role can be based from our Bristol, Cardiff, or Manchester office.

We are seeking a Principal Ornithologist preferably based in Bristol or Cardiff, but with potential to be based in Manchester, to help deliver our exciting and diverse orderbook. Successful candidates will be part of the growing LUC ornithology team, while also having the opportunity to engage in the diverse portfolio of work undertaken by our UK-wide ecology team.

This opportunity requires applicants with previous experience and understanding of ornithology surveying, management of field work and the evaluation of ornithological impacts, particularly in the energy generation and transmission sectors.

With established teams in London, Bristol, Cardiff, Sheffield, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, we support a huge range of projects, at local and national levels. We’re enthusiastic about finding new ways to apply emerging ecological principles and methods to the most challenging of policy and development projects, and we have fun working together along the way.

This role would suit an experienced ecologist who is looking to take their next career step within a science-based team. The successful candidate will help to manage and deliver a broad portfolio of projects in south-west England, Wales and further afield. The role will be embedded in an established team structure within LUC’s Ecology Team, with opportunities to deliver ornithology support as a standalone service or as part of cross-team projects. The evolving planning and policy landscape as it relates to renewables and development, and ongoing advances in survey and analysis techniques and technologies, means there is an opportunity for the right candidate to develop the scope of the role to keep pace with the requirements of the clients and regulators.

The role will include being actively involved in:

• Managing projects in line with LUC’s internal Project Management System.
• Preparing tender responses and fee proposals
• Contributing to wider business development activity, with support from senior colleagues
• Planning, coordinating and delivering field surveys.
• Line management, mentoring and development of junior staff.
• Managing, analysing and interpreting ornithological data.
• Preparing consultancy reports and undertaking ornithological assessment.

The role includes the opportunity to share and participate actively in the management and ownership of the business through the Employee Ownership Trust, which places full ownership of the company with the employees.

The role is based in LUC’s offices in Bristol, Cardiff or Manchester. We work in a hybrid model with people being in the office a minimum of two days per week. There will also be travel required to visit sites, client offices and other office locations.

A full-time role is based on 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday). However, LUC has a strong track record in flexible working, and we have been recognised for our flexible working culture, so we are happy to discuss a range of flexible working options for this role including part time hours (minimum 30 hours per week) if desired.

Experience and qualifications

The successful candidate will complement our existing enthusiastic and dedicated ornithology and ecology teams. You will share our commitment to high quality science and be motivated to further grow your ornithology skills and wider expertise in consulting. In taking on work, we aim to make a meaningful contribution to achieving net zero, reversing biodiversity loss and improving human well-being.

• Knowledge of wildlife, especially birds and bird conservation priorities, in the UK, gained through practical experience and further / higher education.
• Ornithological or ecological field survey experience.
• Project management skills, including budgeting, fieldwork planning and coordination and client communications.
• Knowledge of bird survey and assessment requirements to support developments in England and Wales.
• Mentoring and/or line management experience.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Enthusiasm for working outdoors, with a willingness to survey in all months of the year, and in inclement weather.
• Willingness to work across the UK, with occasional trips away from home (all costs and expenses covered by LUC).
• Willingness to work antisocial hours, particularly during the spring and summer months.
• Ability to work collaboratively and positively with a small team of colleagues.
• Experience of writing submissions to support the development management process in England and/or Wales
• Data management and GIS skills
• Modelling and data analysis experience, including collision risk modelling
• 4x4 driving skills

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

LUC is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. We value the differences, needs and contributions a diverse workforce represents, and we strive to embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all our people related activities.

About LUC:

LUC is an award-winning environmental consultancy celebrating 60 years of impact. Since 1966, we have been dedicated to a single mission: delivering better futures for nature, people, and places.

As an independent, employee-owned business, we combine a rich heritage with a forward-looking approach. Our multidisciplinary teams – spanning planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology, and geospatial services – collaborate to tackle complex land-use challenges across the UK.

From restoring historic environments to driving climate resilience and nature recovery, we are proud of our past. But in our 60th year, our focus is firmly on the future and driving positive change for the next generation.

Our Mission is to deliver better futures for nature, people and places.

Just like our founders, we’re dedicated to leaving this world in a better place. And we believe we have the power to create a positive legacy through all our projects. We do this by guiding our clients, as well as influencing national and local policy.

Of course, we recognise that change is inevitable. But we also recognise that cities, towns and landscapes of the future must work to help nature recover and to create a fairer society for all. We are committed to creating beautiful, inclusive places that support the health and wellbeing of the people and environments impacted by such inevitable change.

Our Values are what make us.

They reflect our heritage, express the attitudes of our people, and capture what our clients tell us we’re like to work with. Our values are timeless, informing the actions of every generation of LUC.

They guide our big thinking as much as our daily working lives – from the projects we pursue, to how we manage people, to how we resolve conflicting interests.

• We act with professionalism and integrity
• We have the courage and openness to lead
• We collaborate to achieve shared goals
• We act with passion, insight and creativity