Senior/Principal Ecologist

Quantock Ecology Ltd – Senior / Principal Ecologist

Salary: £33,000 – £48,000

Contract: Full Time

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Location: Based from home or at our offices at Prockters Farm Office, West
Monkton, Taunton TA2 8QN, to suite the successful applicant.

Quantock Ecology has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Ecologist and/or
Principal Ecologist to join our expanding team. We are looking for a motivated individual to
help continue to deliver a professional, experienced and reliable service. The successful
candidate will work alongside the Director/current Principal Ecologist in providing technical
support for the team when required, along with undertaking ecological surveys, report writing,
project management, providing technical support to the team and ideally live within a
reasonable commuting distance to our office.

You will also be responsible for ecological subcontractors, approving scope of works,
undertaking technical reviews, team leadership and provide mentorship to junior staff. Good
communication skills are essential as you will be liaising with clients, project managers
statutory bodies and other project stakeholders including contractors.

This will be a fantastic opportunity for the right candidates to build on existing knowledge
and skill sets, with career development opportunities. Quantock Ecology is family run business,
which specialises in terrestrial ecology working primarily across the southwest, south Wales
and southern Britain.

Duties will include:

• The undertaking or leading of ecological surveys for a range of fauna, including bats,
  birds, badger, great crested newts, reptiles, dormouse, water vole and otter etc.
• The undertaking or leading of habitat surveys, with the ability to differentiate main broad
  and priority habitat types in the field.
• The production of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments and calculations/reports, using the statutory metric.
• The writing/completion of scientific reports based on the surveys undertaken above.
• Peer review reports prior to release.
• The production of method statements/mitigation plans and European Protected Species
  Mitigation Licences.
• Keeping accurate field notes in accordance with the principles of scientific data
  collection, with experience in handling, recording and storing data effectively.
• Taking responsibility for staff management on mitigation projects, ensuring that there is
  sufficient staffing for various projects.
• Provide technical support to team members and seasonal ecologists.
• Recording data and tasks accurately on our project management software and understanding
  the commercial nature of consultancy projects.
• Work will include evening bat surveys, paid as overtime, TOIL or as part of
  contracted hours.

The successful candidate will:

• Have a good understanding of wildlife legislation and be able to communicate this clearly
  to colleagues, clients and contractors.
• Have a degree within a relevant discipline.
• Be self-driven and motivated, with personal achievement goals.
• Have at least five years’ experience working within an ecological consultancy.
• Have a good understanding of the BNG process and the UKHabs classification.
• Hold a bat survey licence (level 2 or above).
• Hold full membership with CIEEM or equivalent professional body (e.g. Royal Society of
  Biology).
• Hold a full UK driving licence.
• Have excellent attention to detail and communication skills.
• Be competent in GIS/QGIS and the MS packages (word/excel/outlook etc).
• Take personal responsibility for their health and safety whilst at work and conduct work in
  a safe, professional and responsible manner.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience with software such as CORIO.
• Hold survey licences for barn owl/dormouse/GCN
• Registered consultant under the Bat Mitigation Class Licence system/Earned Recognition.
• Competent and experienced in compiling European Protects Species Mitigation licences
  (bats/badgers etc)
• Competent in bat sound analysis software (e.g. Kaleidoscope Pro).

What we can offer:

• £33,000 – £48,000 per annum.
• Based from home’ working if desirable.
• Performance based bonuses
• Overtime paid for ‘out of hours’ bat surveys.
• Extremely flexible working through flexi-time.
• 25 days holiday plus statutory holidays pro rata.
• Unlimited training budget.
• Company pension scheme.
• Company health insurance.
• Colleague recognition bonuses.

Contact Details:

To apply, please send a covering letter along with your CV to Simon Pidgeon (Director) [email protected]

Closing Date: 20/06/2024
Location: Taunton