Associate - Nature Team (Ecology / Biodiversity)

Overview

Job Title: Associate

Nature Team: Ecology/Biodiversity

Salary: £50,000 – £62,000 depending on experience

We are looking for a motivated Associate to deliver projects, ensuring positive outcomes for nature whilst supporting client needs and meeting fee targets. This includes leading and delivering high-impact ecology and biodiversity projects, managing complex projects from start to finish, collaborating with colleagues to support the delivery of larger projects, and producing fee quotations, client liaison and management of budgets. Our primary purpose is to ensure that biodiversity is not just protected from harm through development and other land management actions, but is actively enhanced, above and beyond minimum policy and legislative requirements.

Responsibilities

• Independent day-to-day management of complex projects.
• Delivery of particularly large and/or complex projects.
• Supporting other members of the Nature Team by writing reports and proposals.
• Training and mentoring junior members of the Nature Team.
• Line management of Principals or Seniors within the Nature Team.
• Contributing as a member of larger project teams (both within the Nature Team and the wider Greengage team).
• Attendance at client meetings and/or project meetings.
• Undertaking surveys and assessments as appropriate to your role.
• Independently writing complex reports.
• Contributing to business development and sales.
• Contributing to defining, developing and delivering annual forecast and associated budget for the department.

What we are looking for

Qualifications and accreditations

• Graduate (MSc desirable) in a relevant scientific degree (ecology, biology, environmental science or similar).
• Full member of CIEEM (or equivalent).

Key attributes

• Highly organised and motivated.
• Working knowledge of IT (Microsoft Office programmes including Word and Excel).
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Enthusiastic about nature conservation.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Client care experience and skills.
• Accomplished in project management, communication, and health and safety.
• Expected to maintain an understanding of contemporary best practice and approaches and seek to deliver constant improvement in service delivery.

Ecology skills and knowledge

Must be accomplished in the following areas:

• Botany and habitat identification.
• PEA survey and report preparation.
• Bat survey, including survey design and approach, call identification, bat ecology and behaviour, and mitigation, compensation and enhancement approaches.
• Herpetofauna survey, including survey design and approach, call identification, reptile and GCN ecology and behaviour, and mitigation, compensation and enhancement approaches.
• An accomplished understanding of at least one other group of species as above points, but a strong understanding of all protected species legislation and survey approaches, including dormice, badgers, invertebrates, birds and plants.
• Protected species mitigation licence preparation – must at least have accomplished understanding of bat licencing.
• HRA and appropriate assessment.
• Ecological Impact Assessment.
• BREEAM land use and ecology credit assessment.
• Desirable to hold protected species licences for bats, GCN or other species.

Biodiversity skills and knowledge

Must be accomplished in the following areas:

• BNG baselining, including botanical identification and habitat classification.
• A detailed understanding of how the Statutory Biodiversity Metric functions.
• Understanding how GIS can be used to optimise these approaches but not necessarily be skilled to undertake GIS mapping.
• BNG legislation and policy, including future trends and contemporary interpretation of best practice.
• BNG optimisation through habitat action.
• BNG habitat banking principles and approaches for offsetting.
• Principles of River MoRPh assessment (although may not hold accreditation).
• Production of BGPs, LEMPs and HMMPs.
• Preparation of ecological management plans following contemporary best practice.

What we offer

At Greengage, you’ll be part of a diverse and inclusive team that values your unique perspectives and ideas. We offer a supportive environment where you can grow, learn and make a real impact.

Salary and benefits

• Competitive salary package with potential for a discretionary bonus.
• 23 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Enhanced pension contributions.
• Training and development programs to help you thrive in your career.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Hybrid working, including an option to work from abroad for a set period each year.
• Enhanced family policies.
• Two volunteer days a year, to give back to the community.
• Opportunities to shape industry best practice, through professional body working groups and initiatives such as NextGen.
• Online benefits including shopping and leisure discounts, health and wellbeing services, 24hr GP appointments, gym membership and more.
• Regular socials.

About Greengage

Our vision at Greengage is simple, to live in a more sustainable world. Through leadership, innovation and collaboration, we enable the delivery of resilient places for today and tomorrow. Sustainability is the greatest issue of our time. But how do you put it into practice? How do you achieve net zero, become climate resilient, create a circular building, measure social value, protect nature? Becoming truly sustainable is complex and challenging. It requires radical reinvention, new technologies, close collaboration and specialist know-how. We’re an award-winning team of consultants with expertise across the full spectrum of sustainability. Sustainability matters more than ever. We have the knowledge and experience to help businesses transform and thrive. Together we make the world a better place, so come and join us!

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