Ecologist in Birmingham

This role can be remote or hybrid from our Edinburgh office depending on your location. Locogen is a renewable energy consultancy providing end-to-end development services to our clients across the UK. Our vision is a world powered 100% by renewables; where everyone has access to affordable, sustainable energy and clean air. Our work is important and varied across onshore Wind, Solar PV and Battery Storage (BESS).

About our Principal / Lead Ecology Consultant role:

Working with our Planning and Environment Team you will lead on Ecological Services for consenting of renewable energy projects. You will act as the Technical Lead for Ecology bringing your specialist skills across identification, assessment and management of ecological risks and constraints to advise clients on implications and opportunities. You will also lead work across EIA, HRA and EcIA and help lead, grow and develop the Ecology Consulting Team. Our team are predominantly desk-based with occasional site visits.

Some of the things you might be doing:

• Lead and support delivery of high-quality ecological consultancy and advisory services.
• Plan, organise and oversee all phases of ecological project work, including: resources, budgets and controls to meet programme and budget requirements.
• Lead and support production of ecology reports including: Preliminary Ecological Assessments (PEA), Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA) and chapters for environmental statements.
• Support development of technically robust and pragmatic solutions to complex ecological issues.
• Undertake quality assurance of project deliverables prepared by other team members.
• Act as a key ecology point of contact for clients, including leading on the preparation of proposals for consultancy works and discussing new opportunities with prospective clients.
• Management of project budgets and programmes.
• Manage sub-consultants and sub-contractors.
• Supervise and mentor members of the team and support their professional development.

Who would be a good fit for the role?:

The role would suit an experienced Ecologist who wants to lead and grow a small team. Some of the things that we are looking for are:

• Detailed knowledge of ecological principles, Biodiversity Net Gain, and relevant UK legislation, policy and guidance.
• Experience of leading and managing ecological surveys/licensing/impact assessment.
• Comfortable leading on multiple projects at various stages in development and with evolving scopes, in the context of competing priorities.
• Experience in the preparation of tender documents for projects.
• Capable of developing and building excellent client and stakeholder relationships.
• Able to write clear, concise and accurate reports and communications.
• Experience of providing quality assurance on work undertaken by other team members.
• Full UK driving license.
• A degree (or equivalent) in ecology or an associated subject.
• Protected Species Survey Licenses and mitigation licenses.

It would be great (but not necessary) if you have:

• Experience in Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW).
• Experience helping with business development.
• Experience with Environmental Impact Assessment.
• Ideally - Membership of an appropriate professional body and ideally working towards (or obtained) Chartered Ecologist or Chartered Environmentalist status.

What is it like to work at Locogen?:

This role can be UK remote or hybrid based in our Stockbridge (Edinburgh) office – the office is dog friendly and has secure, free parking for cars and bikes. We are a multidisciplinary team of friendly, welcoming and supportive people who are passionate about renewable energy. We are flexible, informal, inclusive and collaborative. Locogen is a place where everyone can grow and develop by working on interesting projects of varying scopes and sizes. We love what we do and believe in empowering and trusting each other to deliver. We learn from our experiences and take accountability. We are client focused and inspire each other to do the best we can.

We are a social bunch so there is always something going on whether in the office or remotely including:

• Company-wide socials, team socials, away day (paid for by Locogen)
• Clubs for remote and in-office people e.g. book club, wordle club, running
• Coffee roulette – an opportunity each month to chat to someone different
• Locopets teams channel for sharing pictures of your furry loved ones

Some of our benefits:

• We operate on a fully flexible hours basis with no fixed core hours.
• 25 days holiday + 5 flexible bank holidays + 4 company closure days (25 and 26 Dec, 1 and 2 Jan).
• Work from anywhere in the world for up to 60 working days per year (in 20 working day intervals).
• Enhanced maternity and paternity policies, sickness and other leave - including 4 days paid dependents leave.
• Ongoing professional and personal development opportunities – training, memberships and education costs covered.
• Private Health Insurance with AXA.
• Life Assurance, Critical Illness, and Income Protection options.
• Pension at 10% (5% employee/ employer contribution split).
• We are flexible for employees who want to opt out or contribute more of their salary.
• Cycle to Work & EV Car Scheme.
• Dog friendly office with snacks for you AND your dog.

How to apply:

No candidate will meet every single desired criterion. If your experience looks a little different from what we’ve identified, and you think you can bring value to the role, then we’d love to hear from you. We are not using agencies to recruit for this role, so please apply to us directly.