Senior Ecologist (UK wide) in Edinburgh

Join Jacobs' UK Ecology Team as an Ecologist and become part of a dynamic, forward‐thinking organisation that is making a real impact—locally and globally. We're hiring nationwide, with opportunities available in our offices across Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Peterborough and Reading.

At Jacobs, we don't just offer jobs—we build careers. You'll be joining a respected and ambitious company with a strong reputation for excellence and innovation. Our commitment to your growth is backed by:

• Global Career Framework – chart your path with clarity and purpose
• Chartership Academy Programme – support to achieve professional accreditation
• Employee Networks & Communities of Practice – connect with over 200 ecologists in the UK & Ireland, and 600+ globally
• A culture of collaboration and sustainability – work on projects that matter

Role Overview

The role will include:

• Delivering some of the most challenging, diverse and innovative infrastructure projects.
• A combination of desk and site‐based tasks.
• Using your experience in protected species survey, Ecological Clerk of Works, 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.
• Enthusiastically leading from the front – being the first point of contact in the provision of expert advice to both clients and stakeholders.
• A willingness to both learn from and mentor others – developing and sharing skills that build team and individual resilience.

Qualifications

What you’ll need:

• A background in terrestrial ecology with significant years relevant industry experience.
• Full membership of a professional body (or experience to obtain full membership).
• Experienced in running ecological inputs on medium‐large scale projects.
• Outstanding written and verbal skills with good attention to detail.
• High level of personal responsibility.

Preferred

Ideally you’ll also have:

• Current and full driving licence.
• A technical specialism in the field of terrestrial ecology.

Culture & Values

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 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.

This is reflected in our wide range of Global Employee Networks centred on inclusion and diversity.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. For greater online accessibility please visit www.vercida.com to view and access our roles. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria. 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 via Careers Support.

Benefits

In addition to the benefits you’d expect, UK employees also receive:

• Up to 10% company contribution into their pension.
• Reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships.
• Support to their local communities through our Collectively program which incorporates matched‐funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations.
• Opportunity to buy/sell annual leave.
• Wellbeing Support and Resources.
• Free employee medical cover and digital GP service.
• A mindfulness platform.
• Dedicated Workplace Support.
• Confidential information & counselling service provided by Optum.
• Online demand fitness platform provided by Daily Burn.
• Personalised financial planning and support provided by Origin.
• Fertility and Family Benefits and Support.
• Enhanced parental leave pay.
• A free parental success solution and neurodiversity training benefit provided by RethinkCare Family.
• Bridge the Gap is our parental transition programme.

Work‐Life Balance and Flexibility

Hybrid working, part‐time roles, flexible working hours including compressed hours, and annualised hours contract options are available.

We value collaboration and believe that in‐person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

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