Location
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Wide (Flexible/Nationwide)

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
Wood PLC has a fantastic opportunity for a suitably experienced ecologist to join as a Principal / Associate Director within our thriving and growing biodiversity team. This role offers the chance to manage and deliver biodiversity inputs across a wide range of projects throughout the UK and potentially on international assignments. We seek a talented and ambitious individual who will bring fresh ideas and approaches, contributing to the ongoing evolution and growth of our team.

The successful candidate will provide clear, innovative, and technically excellent ecology advice, leading biodiversity elements of major development projects from proposal and assessment stages through to construction delivery. This role requires excellent communication skills, confidence in client engagement, and the ability to effectively challenge internal and external stakeholders when necessary.

Joining Wood means becoming part of a caring, people-first team that champions diversity, inclusion, and equality. You will benefit from working within one of the UK’s largest biodiversity, EIA, and planning consultancy teams, collaborating with around 70 passionate specialists delivering high-quality ecological services across diverse sectors including low carbon, hydrogen, transport, renewables, nuclear, power, waste, minerals, and property.

Key Responsibilities
- Provide clients with accurate, innovative, and proportionate biodiversity technical and consenting advice across a variety of projects
- Contribute to biodiversity inputs throughout all project lifecycles including bidding, feasibility, optioneering, field survey programming, detailed design, and assessment
- Act as technical lead for ecological assessments, including authoring and reviewing Preliminary Ecological Appraisals, protected species reports, biodiversity management and mitigation plans, scoping reports, biodiversity chapters of Environmental Statements and Habitats Regulations Assessments, managing quality, schedule, and budget
- Represent Wood and clients to key stakeholders through technical engagement and consultation with regulators, local authorities, NGOs, and the public
- Mentor, coach, and support junior staff to foster professional development and meet client needs
- Network across the wider UK consultancy business to develop interdisciplinary relationships and innovate approaches, techniques, and solutions

Experience
- Proven experience operating at a senior level within a consultancy, leading biodiversity elements of major projects and delivering high-quality outputs
- Project management experience including commercial, resourcing, scheduling, and subcontractor management
- Strong stakeholder engagement and client/contractor liaison skills
- Team leadership and mentoring experience
- Experience with energy generation and transmission projects is advantageous but not essential
- Knowledge of Habitat Classification and Biodiversity Net Gain
- Ecological specialism desirable, particularly in bats and botanical knowledge, though biodiversity generalists are welcome

About You
- Driven and solution-focused with a passion for delivering technical excellence
- Excellent communicator, confident in client interactions and stakeholder management
- Enthusiastic about new challenges and contributing to the growth and technical development of the biodiversity team
- Committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality within the workplace

Qualifications
- Undergraduate degree in ecology or related discipline
- Postgraduate qualification (MSc or PhD) in ecology is desirable