An exciting opportunity to join an ethical, nature-focused and employee-owned company that provides novel ecological services to a range of non-commercial clients.

Your work will help a range of organisations to better understand how to look after and protect sites and aid nature recovery. In this new post, you will deliver a varied portfolio of conservation projects, working with local authorities, NGOs and statutory agencies. Projects will involve working as part of a team and undertaking site visits, fieldwork, meetings and report writing/analysis relating to nature reserves and conservation projects.

About Footprint Ecology

Established in 2005, we have a national profile and undertake conservation projects across the UK. We work with those who share our values, in the most ethical and sustainable way that we can. This means we do not do typical consultancy work such as protected species surveys for developers and instead our focus is on positive, more nature-focused projects. The company is employee-owned, meaning that it is run for the benefit of employees and we place high importance on staff wellbeing. We take pride in being a flexible, responsive and friendly team that maintains the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. Our dynamic team is passionate about ecology, conservation and natural history. We are lucky to be based in one of the most biodiverse locations in the UK.

What’s in it for you?

• Working on high profile, often novel, conservation projects and fantastic sites around the country (examples of current projects include biodiversity audits for Purbeck, the Blackdown Hills, Kielder Forest and the North York Moors; a visitor management strategy for Burnham Beeches; a recreation mitigation strategy for the Suffolk Coast; bird disturbance surveys in Poole Harbour; botanical survey work in the New Forest and measuring success in species recovery programmes for Natural England)
• A competitive salary of up to £40,000 per annum
• Annual profit share (with first £3,600 tax-free) – e.g. all current staff that worked for the company for the full year 2023/24 received £3,600 (in addition to salary) in 2024
• 10% Company Pension contribution (after probation)
• Generous leave allowance - starting at 25 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays) with an additional 3 days at Christmas, increasing to 30 days (plus 3 additional days at Christmas) after 8 years.
• Subsidised weekly yoga classes
• Free confidential access for you and your family to employee assistance programme including 24hr helpline provided by an independent company
• Cycle to work scheme
• Professional membership paid for
• A range of training and professional development opportunities
• Flexible working opportunities (home working, flexible hours and unpaid leave options)
• Use of pooled company electric vehicle for work
• Social events, site visits and away days (paid for by the company), with recent examples including trips to Knepp, Windsor Great Park and the New Forest
• Involvement in the local conservation community outside contract work
• Relocation costs (financial help towards relocation costs in certain circumstances)
• Employee ownership of the company (through a trust) ensuring you are part of an innovative and supportive small business that invests in your development
• The opportunity to work in a beautiful part of Dorset at our woodland office.

Key responsibilities

As a senior ecologist you will be working on a range of projects, some of which you directly lead and others where you are part of a team. Projects can vary from the small (e.g. running a workshop) to large pieces of work (e.g. multi-taxa surveys or projects working with partnerships or at a landscape scale). Some projects span multiple years. Clients contact us directly and sometimes we tender for work, and as a team we make decisions on how to split work between us and which projects to do.

Project Delivery

Work on a varied portfolio encompassing (as appropriate to skills): biological surveys and site assessments, land management plans, conservation policy, planning policy, project evaluation etc. This will involve:

• Survey design and organisation
• Undertaking fieldwork and site visits in varied locations
• Leading/attending meetings and workshops, including delivering presentations
• Report writing and analysis
• Peer and technical review of others’ work at Footprint Ecology

Business development and strategy

• Working with the practice manager to tender and quote for work
• Developing proposals for work with new or existing clients including using your own network
• Building client relationships, including local authorities, NGOs, statutory agencies and universities
• Developing your skills and sharing knowledge and experience within the team
• Representing the company at events, conferences and meetings
• Liaising with potential clients and exploring new work areas
• Input into our employee-owned company, including participation in employee council meetings and potential to sit on Trust Board.

Qualifications & experience

We are seeking candidates who have previously worked with or for NGOs, local authorities, statutory agencies or those from academic backgrounds. The successful candidate will need to be familiar with the conservation sector, be highly professional with good people skills and proven ability in project management.

The essential qualifications, skills and experience are:

• BSc or equivalent in a relevant subject
• At least 3 years’ employment in relevant sector (NGO, statutory agency, local authority, academic or consultancy)
• Project management skills, including the ability to take responsibility, plan workloads, organise others, prioritise work and meet deadlines
• Excellent writing skills with demonstrable authorship of a range of reports, publications etc.
• Field ecology skills (e.g. proven botanical or ornithological survey skills)
• Ability to provide intellectual leadership and creativity in problem solving
• Excellent IT skills including use of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Microsoft Teams
• Basic mapping and analytical skills (i.e competent in GIS and statistical software)
• Detailed understanding of nature conservation issues
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Confident, resilient and able to defend views as well as actively listen to and respect others
• Self-motivated and flexible, with the drive, willingness and ability to work within tight deadlines
• A team worker with a collaborative, positive approach showing understanding, friendliness, tact, empathy and courtesy to others
• Commitment to environmental issues and nature conservation

This post is advertised on a permanent, full-time basis however part-time applicants are welcomed.

You will be required to work on projects across the UK, with occasional overnight stays. Our office is based in a beautiful part of Dorset and it’s important to us that you attend the office on a regular basis. We are happy to consider applicants who are based outside Dorset, who can adopt a hybrid approach of working from home and attending the office regularly.

To apply, please submit your CV (with your employment history, qualifications and relevant skills and experience) and a covering letter, explaining why you feel this opportunity is right for you to [email protected].

Deadline for applications: 29/9/2024

If your application is successful, we will contact you by email or telephone to discuss the next steps and, where appropriate, arrange an interview.

If you’re not sure if you have the experience for this role, we’d love to have a chat with you to explore this. We also welcome speculative CVs for other roles as our project requirements vary (but please note we do not need protected species surveys experience as we do not undertake such work).

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment or disability. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.