Location
Liverpool or Manchester offices, United Kingdom

Hours
Full Time - Hybrid working model with flexibility to work from office, remote location or client sites

Salary
Competitive salary commensurate with experience

About the Role
Join AECOM as a Graduate Ecologist and take the next step in your career within an established and successful environmental consultancy. You will be part of the Nature team, which operates across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments, delivering environmental management services including habitat and species surveys, impact assessments, biodiversity mitigation, offsetting, enhancement, and management planning. Working alongside architects, engineers, planners and other specialists, you will contribute to projects spanning energy, water, government, manufacturing and transportation sectors primarily in the UK and Ireland, with potential opportunities overseas.

In this role, you will conduct desk-based assessments and field surveys such as preliminary ecological appraisals, UKHab surveys, biodiversity net gain data collection, and protected species surveys. Fieldwork may involve travel, overnight stays, and night-time surveys. You will develop strong organizational, research and planning skills while working safely and to high technical standards. The role encourages working with a variety of taxonomic groups and supports pursuing your ecological interests.

At AECOM, you will benefit from a structured graduate development programme including mentoring by senior team members, technical and safety training, project management support, and business systems training. The 2-year ADVANCE programme offers instructor-led sessions, online learning via AECOM University, and opportunities to work towards professional chartership with the Chartered Institute for Ecologists and Environmental Managers (CIEEM).

Enjoy a supportive and flexible work environment with career development opportunities, volunteering days, and a culture that values diversity and inclusion.

Experience
Previous exposure to protected species surveys and practical field skills are desirable. Experience in the ecology sector through work placements, volunteering or professional consultancy is beneficial but not essential.

About you
Self-motivated, enthusiastic, hardworking and ambitious with strong communication skills. You should be able to work effectively as part of a team, demonstrate strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to prioritise tasks. A keen interest in UK wildlife and ecology with confidence to engage with a variety of stakeholders is essential. Willingness to travel for site surveys and work flexible hours including occasional nights is required. A full driving licence is beneficial.

Qualifications
Minimum 2:1 degree or above (or equivalent) in Ecology or a related subject with an ecological component such as Environmental Biology, Zoology, Wildlife Conservation, Environmental Science, Geography or similar. Strong Microsoft Office skills including Word and Excel are required. Preferred qualifications include working towards protected species licences (e.g. bats, great crested newts), postgraduate qualifications, proven experience of Phase 1 habitat or UKHab surveys, and membership or working towards membership of a relevant professional institution.