Senior Consultant - Environmental and Ecological Assessment

Ricardo plc; City Of London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A consultancy firm specializing in water management is seeking a Senior Consultant to lead projects related to aquatic ecology and water management. Responsibilities include managing ecological assessments, leading field surveys, and coordinating junior staff. The role offers flexibility to focus on technical work or project management and involves communicating effectively with various clients and stakeholders. A strong understanding of UK and EU Wildlife Legislation is essential. Competitive benefits are provided, including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

25 days' annual leave

Flexible working arrangements

Competitive pension scheme

Life assurance

Professional subscriptions reimbursement

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of UK and EU Wildlife Legislation, planning policies, and best practice survey techniques.
• Capable of undertaking Ecological Impact Assessments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Work with project management to ensure implementation of ecological assessments.
• Manage technical work of junior staff and sub-consultants.
• Lead, plan, and coordinate field surveys.

Skills

Knowledge of UK and EU Wildlife Legislation

Ecological Impact Assessments

Communication skills

Project management

Team leadership

Job description

We are currently looking for a Senior Consultant to join our Water Practice, which has a strong project portfolio in providing technical support on a variety of water management and ecology projects, across a wide range of clients in the water, developer, and public sectors.

Your role will involve working closely with project management to ensure implementation of ecological assessments, through the coordination of associated surveys, consultation with third parties and regulators, and identification of mitigation in support of our client proposals and operations.

You will be involved in team leadership, managing the technical work of more junior staff and sub-consultants, and (depending on experience) managing projects and their direction too.

The nature of the role and the dynamic of the team provides a wealth of opportunities to explore your interests and carry out a range of tasks and functions within aquatic ecology, as well as a range of related disciplines.

There is also a degree of flexibility over which facets of the role you become most invested in: be it a more technical focus; project management; developing bids and tenders; or a more generalist role.

Key responsibilities and requirements include:

• In-depth knowledge of UK and EU Wildlife Legislation, planning policies, licensing requirements, and best practice survey techniques.
• Capable of undertaking Ecological Impact Assessments and contributing to Habitats Regulations Assessments.
• A good understanding of WFD assessments, in particular the biological metrics and indices that inform ecological status.
• Leading, planning, and co-ordinating field surveys, analysing and interpreting survey results, and planning and co-ordinating ecological mitigation works.
• Demonstrable specialist knowledge in either fisheries, macroinvertebrate, or macrophyte ecology preferable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; be able to produce meticulous and accurate technical reports as well as communicate confidently with a variety of clients and stakeholders.
• Be organised with proven ability to multi-task and handle several projects simultaneously.

We offer a range of benefits, including flexible working arrangements, 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance, and professional subscriptions reimbursement.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we believe in each person's potential. We value diversity, recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can.