Location
Croydon or London, UK

Hours
Full Time

About the Role
Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. We work across diverse global industries, delivering impactful projects that define our future and benefit communities worldwide. Our people power our performance, and we provide countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow in a supportive, employee-owned environment.

Within our Environment and Social division, ecological considerations are central to our purpose and services. We are leading the way in Nature Services and seek a Principal Ecologist to join our Ecology Team, helping integrate nature into developments to build a better future.

The Croydon Ecology Team, consisting of 8 members, works on a wide range of projects including flood defence schemes, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) strategies and implementation, specialist species surveys, and landscape-scale planning for nature recovery. Projects include key infrastructure such as the Lower Thames Crossing, NHS hospital biodiversity improvements, water treatment and flood management nature-based solutions, and Environment Agency schemes.

As Regional Deputy Team Lead, you will support the Regional Lead in managing the Croydon and Reading Ecology Teams, focusing on staff wellbeing, mentoring, career development, and line management. You will collaborate with leadership to manage resource utilisation, recruitment, training, and team communications through regular briefings.

Your work will span all project stages from design conception to implementation, providing opportunities to influence scheme design, promote best practice, and contribute to a fast-moving, client-focused commercial environment. While primarily office-based, some site work may be involved, especially in your technical specialism.

This role suits a dynamic, proactive team player eager to grow their career and help deliver high-quality ecology services within a supportive and expanding business area.

Experience
- Over seven years' experience in Ecological Consultancy or equivalent with transferable skills
- Proven project management skills
- Experience in people management
- Track record in report writing and acting as a checker/reviewer for ecological deliverables
- Technical specialism such as holding protected species mitigation licences or advanced botanical skills
- Experience preparing costs and text for bids (desirable)
- Willingness to travel throughout the UK (desirable)
- Level 1 and 2 Bat Licence (desirable)

About you
- Strong communicator able to engage with multi-disciplinary teams, clients, and regulators
- Proactive, dynamic, and a collaborative team player
- Committed to staff wellbeing, mentoring, and career development
- Able to work effectively in a fast-paced, client-focused commercial environment

Qualifications
- Degree in Ecology or a directly related subject
- Additional higher degree advantageous
- Full Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) or equivalent
- Chartered Environmentalist, Chartered Ecologist, or Chartered Biologist status (or able to achieve within 6 months)