Associate / Principal Ornithologist

SLR has an excellent opportunity for an experienced Associate/Principal Onshore Ornithologist to join our English or Scottish teams. You will play a lead role in undertaking and delivering a range of projects across the European Region and across all of our business sectors, with particular involvement in on-shore windfarms, other renewables including DCO scale projects and linear infrastructure . This role presents an exciting opportunity to be responsible for the delivery of ecology inputs to a number of large, complex and high profile projects. With over 240 experienced professionals, you would be joining a team that takes pride in providing high quality advice and ecological services to our clients.

While the advert focuses on ornithological expertise, we do not pigeonhole our ecologists. If you hold additional ecological skills, whether in protected species, botany etc – we actively encourage you to continue developing and utilising those competencies and we will ensure the range of work and training available to you enables you to do so.

The role

Duties will be varied but will include:

• Preparation of fee proposals and scope of works, report writing and technical review of reports.
• Preparation and coordination of tender submissions.
• Supervision and mentoring of ecology staff. Depending on skills and experience, the role may also include staff management.
• Scheduling, management and delivery of complex ecological survey work packages on time and budget, using in-house and occasionally sub-contracted staff.
• Client and Stakeholder engagement.
• Preparation and review of Ornithological Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments, ecology EIA chapters and other technical reports.
• Project management, coordination and delivery of onshore ornithology projects
• Liaising with other technical teams on a variety of subjects including planning, landscape, hydrology, noise and air quality whilst working closely with senior members of the ecology team in other offices, both in the UK and overseas
• Seeking opportunities through coordinated business development to expand ecology and other services and capabilities in the region

Please note, the role will involve working with other team members located across the UK and Ireland and may require short-term travel across the UK and potentially overseas, depending on client/project sites.

About us

SLR are global leaders in Sustainability Solutions, helping our clients achieve their sustainability goals. We are a consultancy with over 4,000 employees across 6 regions in 125 countries. Our ‘one team’ culture is at the heart of our business, providing a collaborative and supportive environment for professional development.

 Along with competitive salaries, our staff enjoy a comprehensive benefits package with a company pension plus excellent healthcare offering, travel and life insurance and a structured career framework with regular reviews offering outstanding opportunities for progression. Alongside 25 day’s annual leave, with additional flexible bank holidays, we offer flexible, agile and hybrid working which enables staff to tailor hours worked around core hours, with family friendly policies helping to balance the needs of professional and home life.

About you

If you think this could be your next move, we would love to hear from you. We would envisage that you would be able to demonstrate:

• A passion for ecology, for delivering high quality work and for assisting the career development of other ecological professionals
• Demonstrable experience and understanding of the European Birds and Habitats Directives and methods for assessments with regards to European designated sites
• Good theoretical grounding in ecology and environmental assessment
• Strong experience and understanding of the environmental planning system in relation to the production of ornithological impact assessments
• A flexible and proactive approach to work
• Demonstrable competence in project management, planning work in line with health and safety procedures, budget management and technical report preparation
• A track record in project winning, delivery and management
• The ability to produce and review high quality reports and deliver them to clients on time and to budget
• Good working relationship with regulators and statutory advisors

Due to travel requirements, a full UK driving licence is essential to carrying out the duties associated with this role.

Culture & Inclusion at SLR

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, and our expectations go beyond purely complying with legislation. Through our Regional C&I Committees, Global Council and Employee Networks, we foster an inclusive environment where all people regardless of their background can thrive.

We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of their background, including those from groups that are currently under-represented at SLR, such as people identifying as 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous peoples, ethnic minority groups, women, and people with visible or invisible disabilities, including those who are neurodivergent.

Should you require any special adjustments throughout the recruitment process with us, please let us know. As a Disability Confident Committed employer, we seek to ensure all applicants have equitable support when applying to SLR.