Senior Ecologist

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to grow your career in ecological consultancy?

Greenwillows Associates Ltd is looking for an experienced Senior Ecologist to manage a range of projects, provide expert ecological advice, and support the development of junior team members. This is an excellent opportunity to work on diverse and meaningful projects while shaping the future of ecological consultancy.

As a Senior Ecologist, you will manage a variety of projects, provide technical leadership, and oversee survey work, reporting, and client engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Acting as lead ecologist on complex projects, undertaking and managing a range of ecological surveys, including UKHab, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), and protected species surveys (e.g., bats, great crested newts, reptiles, water voles).
• Project management of medium to large-scale projects, including quoting, surveying, reporting, and invoicing.
• Preparing and reviewing ecological reports and plans, ensuring high-quality outputs from Junior and Consultant Ecologists.
• Liaising with clients to discuss project proposals and ecological findings, as well as engaging with statutory bodies when required.
• Designing and implementing mitigation strategies for protected species.
• Writing and reviewing health and safety risk assessments and method statements (RAMS).
• Managing teams, overseeing staff performance, mentoring junior ecologists, and leading field survey teams when necessary.
• Preparing protected species mitigation licences, particularly for bats and great crested newts.
• Supporting the preparation of Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs) with guidance from senior staff.
• Carrying out Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) supervision.
• Conducting bat call analysis and producing high-quality habitat maps using GIS (e.g., QGIS).

Essential Skills & Experience

• A minimum of three years’ professional ecological consultancy experience.
• A BSc/MSc (or equivalent) in ecology, environmental science, or a related field.
• Strong project management, organisational, and report writing skills.
• Experience producing habitat maps using GIS (e.g., QGIS).
• Strong botanical skills.
• A thorough understanding of best practice survey techniques and field skills for commonly encountered protected species (e.g., water voles, bats, great crested newts, reptiles, badgers).
• Hold a GCN and bat survey licence.
• Experience managing teams and conducting staff performance and development reviews.
• Experience applying for badger sett closure licences.
• Full CIEEM membership.
• A full UK driving licence and access to transport.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• FISC Level 3 or above preferred, or willingness to develop these skills.
• Hold a CSCS card.
• Emergency First Aid at Work qualification.
• Experience undertaking bat call analysis.
• Experience preparing protected species mitigation licence applications.

About Us

Established in 2001, Greenwillows Associates Ltd is an independent multidisciplinary ecological consultancy committed to balancing nature conservation with client needs. Our work spans a wide variety of ecological surveys across Central and Eastern England, alongside arboricultural consultancy and practical habitat creation and management. We pride ourselves on our strong conservation ethos, choosing projects that align with our values, such as nightingale habitat restoration and rewilding initiatives, as well as small and larger scale infrastructure projects.

Why Join Us?

• A flexible and supportive working environment – We pride ourselves on being a family friendly, inclusive business, that places importance on our staff’s wellbeing. Our current staff have various flexible working arrangements to suit their individual needs and personal responsibilities.

• Competitive salary with regular salary reviews to ensure we remain competitive and offer clear paths for promotion and salary increases based on regular performance reviews.

• A collaborative and friendly team where your input is valued, and professional growth is encouraged.

• Annual training budget and CPD opportunities, including paid CIEEM membership and survey licences. We also offer continuous botany training (both in-house and from external providers) for our employees and clear opportunities for career progression into senior leadership roles.

• Diverse portfolio of work, minimising travel time with a strong local client base. We are fortunate to already have a diverse range of work; however, as a forward-thinking company we strive for continual improvement and proactively seek opportunities to expand our team’s skill set and our subsequent range of services that positively challenge but also inspire our staff.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis – apply early to avoid missing out on this opportunity!

We look forward to hearing from you!