Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
Mace combines construction expertise with consultancy to unlock potential in every person or project and redefine the boundaries of ambition. As a purpose-led organisation, we place diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do. Our responsible business practice group, comprising 150+ people, strives daily to create a low carbon resilient world, shaping cities, building thriving communities, and helping clients realise their ambitions.

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified ecologist experienced in delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG) to join Mace’s responsible business team. You will become part of our growing nature-based solutions team, delivering BNG and sustainable development on key consultancy projects across a range of sectors. You will support innovative and technically challenging low carbon projects, working with sustainable and pioneering clients aiming to deliver at least +10% biodiversity net gain, technical ecology advice, nature-based solutions for climate change, and BREEAM outstanding on their projects.

This position is ideal for an individual with a profound understanding of BNG delivery and management, and a strong knowledge of sustainability aligned with current and future trends in the built environment. You will inspire, challenge, guide, and help us deliver our sector-leading sustainability targets outlined in our 2026 business priority, Pursue a Sustainable World.

You will be responsible for:
- Supporting project feasibility with early design layout involvement, applying mitigation hierarchy principles to consider biodiversity early
- Managing delivery of Phase 1 and UKHab surveys, species surveys, river condition assessments, preliminary ecological appraisals (PEA), ecological impact assessments (EcIA)/environmental statements, and habitat regulations assessments (HRA)
- Supporting colleagues with commissioning surveys, preparing technical scopes for sub-consultants, and developing strong working relationships
- Completing Defra’s biodiversity metric
- Supporting landscape architects with urban greening factor (UGF) targets
- Preparing biodiversity gain plans
- Leading stakeholder engagement for biodiversity offset opportunities with delivery partners, communications teams, sponsors, local authorities, and special interest groups
- Engaging with off-site biodiversity unit providers and advising on biodiversity statutory credits where required
- Collaborating with local authorities to share biodiversity management knowledge
- Supporting natural capital and ecosystem service assessments using the environmental benefits from nature tool and developing Mace’s natural capital reporting service offer
- Supporting BREEAM assessment reporting and performing GIS mapping
- Working with landscape architects to deliver green infrastructure plans, nature-based solutions, and biodiversity requirements
- Providing technical assurance of ecology and biodiversity assessments and reports, landscape and ecological management plans (LEMP), habitat management and monitoring plans (HMMP), and construction environmental management plans (CEMP)
- Supporting environmental and social appraisals (ESA) if required
- Working with construction project teams to deliver best practice in ecology protection and enhancement, translating technical requirements into layperson language
- Managing biodiversity on construction sites as the ecological clerk of works (ECoW)
- Supporting delivery of SITES assessment on new construction projects
- Managing licence applications, including developing mitigation and monitoring
- Advising clients on delivering strategic ecology priorities and nature-based solutions, including policy writing and portfolio/estate-wide strategy development
- Delivering training and mentoring junior team members

Experience
- Proven experience as a suitably qualified ecologist with strong survey skills including extended UK habitat surveys supporting BNG assessment
- Preparing biodiversity net gain calculations and reporting
- Conducting natural capital and ecosystem service assessments using the environmental benefits from nature tool
- Supporting urban greening factor (UGF) delivery and advising on planting species
- GIS proficiency (ArcGIS or QGIS)
- Experience managing biodiversity on construction sites and ecological clerk of works (ECoW) duties
- Managing licence applications and mitigation monitoring
- Delivering technical ecology advice and stakeholder engagement

About you
- Passionate about sustainability and biodiversity net gain with a strong understanding of current and future trends in the built environment
- Able to inspire, challenge, and guide teams and clients
- Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical ecology requirements into accessible language for diverse stakeholders
- Collaborative and able to build strong working relationships internally and externally
- Motivated to deliver sector-leading sustainability targets and continuous improvement

Qualifications
- Degree or equivalent qualification (e.g., N/SVQ level 5) in ecology or related subject
- Full membership of one or more of the following professional bodies:
- Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) (preferred)
- Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
- Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
- The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)