Senior Ecologist: Bid & Pre-Construction Lead (Remote)

Balfour Beatty plc; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working with up to 40% remote

25 days paid annual leave pro rata

Family friendly policies including 28+

Pension, share incentive plan, and:vol

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is recruiting for a senior ecologist to shape ecological management across the Power portfolio in the UK. You will lead ecological input in bids and pre-construction, identify risks, and develop mitigation strategies while ensuring compliance with wildlife legislation and permits.

You will manage consultants, support consenting strategies, and drive Biodiversity Net Gain across projects, travelling to sites as required to deliver practical, value-adding environmental outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience in Nature Conservation, Ecology, Biodiversity or closely related fields.
• Degree in Ecology, Environmental Management, Biological Sciences or a related discipline.
• Chartered Ecologist (CEcol) or working towards chartership.
• Full member of CIEEM.
• Extensive experience within ecology, environmental planning or nature conservation.
• Experience supporting major infrastructure, utilities, energy or construction projects.
• Technical understanding of UK wildlife legislation, protected species licensing and planning requirements.
• Experience developing ecological mitigation and consenting strategies.
• Experience managing specialist consultants and ecological supply chain partners.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to translate ecological risks into programme and commercial implications.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to projects when required.

Responsibilities

• Lead ecological input into bids, tenders and pre-construction activities across the Power portfolio.
• Identify ecological risks, constraints, opportunities and programme implications during early project development.
• Develop and review ecological sections of tender submissions, technical proposals, methodologies and environmental management documentation.
• Provide ecological leadership for optioneering, routing, design development and constructability reviews.
• Identify and develop opportunities for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and wider nature enhancement during bid and pre-construction stages, supporting clients and project teams to incorporate practical, deliverable and value-adding environmental outcomes into project designs, programmes and delivery strategies.
• Support the development of consenting and permitting strategies, ensuring ecological requirements are identified and programmed appropriately.
• Provide specialist advice on protected species licensing, habitat management, biodiversity net gain and ecological mitigation.
• Act as the technical authority for ecology within the ES Bid & Pre-Construction team.

Skills

Ecology expertise

Environmental planning

Commercial awareness

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project delivery

Education

Degree in Ecology

Chartered Ecologist (CEcol)

Tools

CIEEM

Job description

Balfour Beatty plc is recruiting for a senior ecologist to shape ecological management across the Power portfolio in the UK. You will lead ecological input in bids and pre-construction, identify risks, and develop mitigation strategies while ensuring compliance with wildlife legislation and permits.

You will manage consultants, support consenting strategies, and drive Biodiversity Net Gain across projects, travelling to sites as required to deliver practical, value-adding environmental outcomes.