Senior Ecologist

About us

Noctua Ecology is a growing ecological consultancy based in north-west Bristol. Our aim is to build a highly skilled team, provide high-quality ecological services, and have a positive ecological and ethical impact as a result of our work. Our longer-term ambition is to invest our profits in purchasing land to create nature reserves and deliver tangible benefits for wildlife. We want to build a successful consultancy that allows us to do good work for our clients while also contributing directly to nature conservation.

Our projects are highly varied and include more desirable conservation work and habitat banking projects, along with small householder schemes, residential developments and infrastructure projects.

We are looking for an experienced ecologist to join our team who shares our values and wants to develop their career within a small, ambitious consultancy. We are particularly interested in candidates with either a bat specialism and ideally holder of a Natural England Level 2 bat licence with experience managing bat mitigation licences, or a strong generalist with Biodiversity Net Gain experience. We are also interested in candidates with other areas of expertise, and we can tailor your workload to make use of your particular skills and interests.

The role

As a Senior Ecologist, you will have a high degree of autonomy and responsibility for delivering ecological projects, from initial client contact and survey design through to reporting and mitigation. Depending on your experience and specialisms, this could include leading protected species surveys, mitigation licence applications, Biodiversity Net Gain projects, report writing, client liaison and project management.

You will have the opportunity to develop your existing specialisms, take responsibility for projects, work directly with clients and contribute to the continued development of Noctua Ecology. There is also room to develop other areas of your expertise through ongoing training opportunities provided by the company.

As Noctua Ecology grows, there will be genuine opportunities for career progression and increased responsibility, including project leadership, staff mentoring and involvement in the wider development of the business. We want our senior team to play an active role in shaping the future of Noctua Ecology, with opportunities to progress into Principal Ecologist roles as the company develops.

Why work for us?

• £36,000–£48,000 salary, dependent on experience.
• Annual bonus of 10% of salary, linked to company performance.
• Employer contribution to pension scheme at 5%.
• TOIL or paid overtime, with flexibility to suit your preferences.
• Annual CPD and training budget.
• CIEEM membership and relevant survey licence renewals funded by the company.
• Flexible working arrangements, including working from home.
• Office based at Leigh Court Estate, adjacent to ancient woodland, SSSI and SAC.
• Company-funded social events.
• A clear focus on managing survey workloads and night work to minimise fatigue.
• Predominantly local work, with overnight stays rarely required.
• The opportunity to have a genuine influence on the development of a growing ecological consultancy.

What we are looking for

Essential

• At least 4 years' professional experience in ecological consultancy, or equivalent experience and demonstrable competence.
• BSc and/or MSc in a relevant subject.
• Full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle for business use.
• Good understanding of the planning system, wildlife legislation and relevant ecological policy.
• Excellent ecological report-writing skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.
• Good organisation, project management and client liaison skills.
• Willingness to undertake occasional evening and night surveys where required.
• Within reasonable commuting distance of Bristol and ideally willing to attend the office at least 2 days per week.

Desirable

• Natural England Level 2 bat licence (or above).
• Other protected species licences.
• Experience acting as the Named Ecologist on protected species mitigation licences.
• Demonstrable competence using the Statutory Biodiversity Metric.
• Membership of CIEEM.
• Competence using QGIS.
• Experience managing projects.
• Experience managing colleagues.

We are not expecting every applicant to meet all of the desirable criteria. We are particularly interested in hearing from strong candidates who can bring either a bat specialism or a strong general ecology and BNG background to the team.

The deadline for applications is 23rd September 2026.