Director of Ecology (Nature-Tech)

Shape the future of tech for ecology

Summary

• Join a fast-growing and innovative nature-tech business
• UK, remote team with regular meet ups
• Circa £50-80k (depending on experience) + share options
• Full-time or 4 days/week

Opportunity

About Verna

Verna builds software to help people manage land in the best way for the environment.

We have built the market-leading software for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) – England’s revolutionary new approach to data-driven nature recovery, which is spreading across the world. Our B2B SaaS app, Mycelia, is in daily use by ecologists and planners to get the best outcomes for BNG projects.

Verna has recently finalised a multi-million-pound fundraise, to help accelerate the growth of the company – and the impact we can have – over the coming years.

Role

We are looking for an experienced ecologist to be our Director of Ecology.

This is an opportunity to help shape the future relationship between ecology and technology. Over the coming months and years, we’ll be exploring opportunities like how AI can assist ecologists, how new kinds of ecological data can be collected and used, and other ways that tech can accelerate nature recovery worldwide.

Your role will involve identifying and exploring these opportunities, including through networking and research, and working with our world-leading software engineers to bring them to life.

The successful candidate will work directly with Co-CEO Matthew Brown, and colleagues across the team.

We currently operate as a remote team, with London office bases available including through our place on the Geovation accelerator programme. The whole team meets in person every 4-6 weeks. The co-founders spend roughly one day per week in London together, and this role will be welcome to join those days and to be office-based for as many days per week as desired.

Like ecosystems, teams are more vibrant, innovative, and resilient when they are more diverse. We welcome applications from everyone.

Responsibilities

This is a hands-on role with varied activities across a range of responsibilities, including:

• Influence and inform Verna’s strategic direction, including by researching and advising on relevant developments in nature policy (in the UK and elsewhere), and ecological technology.
• Raise Verna’s profile, by engaging broadly with the ecology and nature community and by making thought leadership contributions such as through articles, conferences, and similar opportunities.
• Provide ecology expertise, including researching and answering technical questions (on BNG and broader ecology) for customers and for the Verna team.
• Influence and support product development – including by generating insights into ecologists’ requirements and workflows, and learning about and experimenting with the latest tech possibilities.
• Engage directly with customers, to understand their situations and requirements and to provide them with practical support.

As an early-stage start-up, execution is paramount and every team member at Verna spends lots of their time rolling up their sleeves and getting things done. At this stage of our growth all team members can contribute across the business, wherever they see opportunities to add value.

About you

We are looking for evidence of the below experience, skills and ways of working. Above all, we believe that the desire and ability to learn quickly is more important than ticking every bullet point from this list.

• BSc and/or MSc degree in Ecology or closely related subject.
• Have, or be eligible for, CIEEM membership.
• Significant professional experience in applied ecology or a related field, with a proven track record of innovation and impact.
• Sound knowledge of the UK planning system and environmental legislation.
• Passion for experimenting with how technology can drive positive impacts for nature.
• Proactivity and use of initiative and creativity to unlock progress.
• Superb communication skills (written and verbal, in-person and remote).
• Strong team player, including eagerness to collaborate across disciplines and to both give and receive feedback.
• Ability to create structure and identify ways forward in uncertain/ambiguous situations.

For an informal chat about this opportunity:

Please email [email protected] to arrange a brief call.

We will consider applications and interview candidates on a rolling basis, until the role is filled.