Job opportunity

Principal Ecologist

Location
Home-based: East Sussex, Surrey, or Kent £45,000 – £50,000 pa Full time or Part time (Min 30hrs over 4 days)

Reporting to
Graeme Down, Associate Director (Ecology)

Salary & Benefits
£45,000 – £50,000 DOE Home based (so your day starts from the moment you leave your home for surveys, no more unpaid commutes!) + flexible working pattern + full-time or part-time + contributory pension + 25 days holiday + time off in lieu for out-of-hours survey work (which is additional to rest time built around surveys to ensure safe working) + sick pay (after 12 months service) + generous CPD allowance + paid professional membership subscription + home working allowance.

Background
DAA is a small but expanding company with a multi-disciplinary approach, covering ecology, arboriculture and landscape. Our business model is based on employing highly qualified and experienced consultants who are home-based across the south and south-east, supported by high quality IT systems and a friendly virtual team environment (Teams meetings, support and mentoring). We aim to provide a high quality, timely and effective consultancy to our clients who are predominantly in the planning and heritage sectors. Typical clients range from single householders to mainstream housing developers, planning consultants, architects, heritage landowners as well as utilities contractors. The size of projects range from single dwellings to 200+ residential units and an increasing amount of heritage site work.

Key Responsibilities

  • Devising, undertaking and managing a wide range of ecological surveys including UK Habitats Classification and protected species surveys and mitigation.
  • Carrying out desk studies, consultations, research, data management and analysis and report writing.
  • Preparing protected species mitigation licences, and ideally being the Named Ecologist on these for bats in particular.
  • To project manage small, medium and large contracts and work with clients to ensure they have the necessary information when they are ready to submit a planning application.
  • To attend design team meetings and on-site meetings with planning consultants, LPA officers etc as required.
  • To prepare Ecological Impact Assessments and ideally carry out Habitats Regulations Assessments.
  • To manage project-based finances including providing the information needed to the accounts department for invoicing and maintaining commercial awareness at all stages of the project.
  • To liaise with internal team members regarding landscape and arboricultural issues and external team members in the wider design team.
  • Conduct a wide range of Phase 2 surveys, including regular out-of-office hours in line with the latest survey guidelines.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

  1. A minimum of four years’ full-time ecological consultancy experience, including extensive experience of
  2. Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, commercial bat surveys and Ecological Impact Assessment.

  3. At least two protected species licences, preferably including a level 2 class licence for bats.
  4. Full membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
  5. Experienced line manager
  6. Experienced at managing small-medium sized projects including client management, quote preparation and budgeting and report writing/reviewing.
  7. Excellent report writing and reviewing skills and the ability to turn around high-quality reports in good time.
  8. Strong commercial awareness.
  9. Sufficient botanical knowledge to carry out UK habitat condition assessments with species lists.
  10. Biodiversity Net Gain experience, including use of the latest Defra Metric.
  11. Excellent knowledge of current UK legislation and best practice policy.
  12. Full driving licence and access to a vehicle for work, with business use insurance.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

  1. Undergraduate degree in Ecology or other relevant environmental discipline.
  2. QGIS mapping skills.
  3. Named ecologist on Mitigation Licences from Natural England, ideally for bats and/or great crested newts.
  4. Experience of bat call analysis using Kaleidoscope, BatExplorer or equivalent software.

Person Specification

  1. Highly motivated
  2. Personable with good client management skills
  3. Approachable
  4. Good team player, relationship builder

How to apply

Please email your CV and a covering letter, including specific examples that demonstrate how you meet the qualifications and experience outlined above, to our Office Manager Lisa Kendall: admin@davidarcherassociates.co.uk. Please also use the same email address to request further information.