Strategic Ecological Specialist - Expression of interest

Role description for Ecological Manager posting:

Kent's Environment Team welcomes expressions of interest from experienced environmental professionals to support the team's growth and workload. This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact and support the sustainable energy transition.

We welcome interest from UK-based environmental professionals with experience in providing strategic ecological input associated with major infrastructure and energy projects. This role will provide strategic ecological leadership across major infrastructure, energy and development projects, acting as a trusted adviser within multidisciplinary project teams. The successful candidate will oversee ecological inputs from project inception through to consent, construction and operation, ensuring that ecological risks, opportunities and requirements are identified early and managed effectively.

We are particularly interested in hearing from professionals with skills and experience in any of the following:

• Provide strategic ecological advice to project teams, clients and discipline leads across all project phases.
• Identify and define ecological assessment, survey, permitting and licensing requirements to support project development, consenting and delivery.
• Develop proportionate ecological survey strategies and programmes aligned with project risks, constraints, timescales and regulatory requirements.
• Undertake, manage and interpret ecological surveys and ecological datasets, translating technical findings into practical project advice.
• Lead ecological impact assessment workstreams, including Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA), Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) support and biodiversity assessments.
• Author and review high-quality ecological reports, technical assessments, Environmental Statement chapters and planning application documentation.
• Undertake quality assurance and technical review of ecological deliverables prepared by colleagues and external specialists.
• Manage ecological subconsultants and specialist contractors, including scope development, procurement support, programme management and quality control.
• Advise on protected species licensing, habitat management, mitigation design, biodiversity enhancement and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements where relevant.
• Engage with statutory consultees, regulators, local authorities and key stakeholders to support project development and consenting.
• Located in the UK

The deliverables and services required will vary depending on the project and scope required. However, at a broad basis, the following will be required:

• Report writing to a high standard, for both internal and external audiences
• Close liaison with internal and external project stakeholders
• Effective communication within engineering project teams
• Management of and/or input to Project Management documents

We are committed to our diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves, thrive and develop. From day one, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and employee networks to support staff from different backgrounds.

As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we value applications from all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.

We're a disability-friendly employer and can make adjustments to support you to perform at your best during the recruitment process. Please contact us confidentially at recruitment.uk@kentplc.com to find out how we can support you.