Principal Ecologist - UK Wide

We have opportunities nationwide for Principal Ecologists to join our UK Ecology Team. The successful individuals will join a respected and ambitious company with excellent career prospects both locally and internationally. We actively support the professional development of staff, through our Global Career Framework, Chartership Academy Programme, Employee Networks and our Community of Practice networks, which connect us to over 200 Jacobs ecologists in the UK and Ireland, and over 600 globally. We have ecology teams based in offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Peterborough and Winnersh (Reading) and would welcome applicants to all.

The role will include:

• Delivering some of the most challenging, diverse and innovative infrastructure projects. Presently, we are engaged on a variety of large projects including water infrastructure, highway and rail schemes, energy infrastructure for clients such as Anglian Water, National Highways, National Grid, Network Rail, Thames Water, The Environment Agency, Transport Scotland and a number of local authorities.
• Using your experience in Environmental Impact Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment and/or Biodiversity Net Gain.
• Working in multidisciplinary teams - quickly building rapport and trust to ensure that terrestrial ecology requirements are recognised, acknowledged and constraints acted upon.
• Designing ecological monitoring programmes - developing survey programmes, leading and/or managing survey teams and being responsible for high quality data collection.
• Leading from the front - managing large-scale projects and being the first point of contact in the provision of expert advice to both clients and stakeholders.
• Develop networks across disciplines within the business - many of our projects are complex in nature and you will be required to work with other disciplines to create effective solutions.
• A willingness to both learn from and mentor others - developing and sharing skills that build team and individual resilience.
• A background in terrestrial ecology with significant years relevant industry experience.
• Chartered membership of a professional body (or experience to obtain chartership).
• Experienced in running ecological input on large scale projects.
• Outstanding written and verbal skills with good attention to detail.
• High level of personal responsibility.
• A technical specialism in the field of terrestrial ecology. However, if that’s not you, but you have broad experience and ability to pick up other ecological interests quickly, we’d love to hear from you too!

People are Jacobs' greatest asset, and we offer a competitive package to retain and attract the best talent.

Our Culture

Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and diversity. We put people at the heart of our business and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

We aim to embed inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected, and if we are diverse, we’re more creative. We accept people for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, mental health, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process, please contact the team. Your application experience is important to us and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. We welcome feedback on our recruitment process.