Natural Capital / Environmental Economist in Edinburgh

The Opportunity Stantec UK provides advisory services in sustainability including net zero carbon management, climate change resilience, natural capital and social value to a range of clients. We need to build our team further to ensure we can continue to grow and lead in this important, exciting and rapidly evolving area. Currently we are seeking a Natural Capital or Environmental Economist to join us, with flexibility on location and the potential to work with various clients across the UK.

We are excited by the potential for growth, and this is a great opportunity to join an ambitious team that will provide you with plenty of scope for career progression in the coming years. Working predominantly in our water sector, this position offers the right person a fantastic opportunity to play a central role in delivering high quality economic support services for clients in the water sector, and to occasionally support projects across energy, community development and transport sectors.

Your skills and experience will allow you to provide specialist economic and multi-capitals input to consultancy projects relating to sustainability, regulation, carbon management, life cycle analysis, climate change, natural and social benefits, and resilience. You will have the opportunity to support interdisciplinary project teams, manage your own workload, contribute to high quality outputs, support proposals, and participate in external events (e.g. conferences) and contribute to technical papers.

Specific Areas Of Work Could Include:

• Natural capital accounting and six capitals approaches
• Ecosystem services valuation
• Economic inputs into Environmental Social Governance
• Social Value Measurement and Wellbeing Valuation
• Green finance and creating a market for nature-based solutions

We can offer you great benefits including a competitive remuneration package, a strong culture of learning and development, and a great environment to work in. As we look to further diversify and grow our wider Stantec UK business you will potentially be presented with future opportunities across our diversified business lines to further your career.

About You:

You hold a relevant first/post degree qualification in environmental economics or a closely related subject, a higher degree (e.g. Masters) would also be an asset. You will be adaptable and flexible, with an ability to understand client needs, think creatively and provide pragmatic advice to meet client needs for sustainable solutions – within time and cost constraints. You will have the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team, forge new working relationships with clients and stakeholders. You can demonstrate a good understanding of the range of environmental, social, economic and regulatory issues pertinent to sustainable infrastructure.

The ideal candidate will be a professionally qualified Environmental or Natural Capital Economist, ideally with water sector experience (not essential) and a strong grasp of UK and international environmental legislation. You should be a technical expert capable of leading multi-disciplinary projects, managing contracts, and driving efficiency through innovation and the digital agenda. Beyond technical delivery, this role requires a proven track record in cost-benefit assessment or natural capital accounting, as well as the ability to develop long-term client relationships and an external professional profile. Successful candidates will combine strong numerical and analytical skills with the commercial acumen needed to contribute to proposals, develop strategic solutions, and navigate climate change impact and risk assessments.

About Stantec:

The Stantec community unites more than 34,000 employees working in over 450 locations across 6 continents. We have been working with our clients and communities in the UK for over 150 years. We plan, design, deliver and manage the development and infrastructure needed to support the creation of sustainable, healthy and prosperous communities. Our teams provide effective and relevant solutions, translating our clients’ vision into valued consents, deliverable plans for projects and programmes, and efficient designs for delivery, based on technical excellence and deep market insights.

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. Building an inspired, inclusive work environment that attracts, supports, and develops world‑class talent is a crucial key to our success.

If you are excited by this role but worry that your experience doesn’t exactly align, we encourage you to apply. At Stantec we want you to perform your best at every stage of the recruitment process and are committed to ensuring it is accessible to all. If you need any support or require adjustments to be made then please contact us and we will talk to you about how we can support you.