Irwin & Colton
Principal Ecologist
Principal Ecologist at Irwin & Colton, based in Beaconsfield, Oxfordshire. This is a contract role with hybrid working.
- Pay
- Not given by the employer
- Hours and contract
- Contract · Hybrid
- Location
- Beaconsfield, Oxfordshire
- Closing date
- Sector
- Research Scientist
Reference d98290d7e5b36abe883219169f3ed9d92c5530ee
About the role
Principal Ecologist
50,000 - 65,000 + Company Car + benefits
Home-based with weekly travel to offices and sites across the South East and South West
Are you ready to help shape an in-house ecology team that protects habitats and supports vital infrastructure delivery?
We are looking for a Principal Ecologist to join a leading UK principal contractor, turning over in excess of 2bn. This is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the UK's leading infrastructure businesses and play a key role in delivering ecological support across major infrastructure projects. The team is expanding significantly, offering excellent long term career progression and exposure to a diverse range of projects, habitats and protected species work.
This is a hybrid role, with offices based across Oxfordshire, Beaconsfield, Bristol, Exeter, Cambridge, Suffolk, Ipswich, Luton or Winchester.
Key responsibilities of the Principal Ecologist:
- Lead and support habitat and species surveys, ensuring ecological requirements are met
- Manage ECoW requirements, impact assessments, licensing and mitigation activities
- Contribute to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) delivery, including BNG condition assessment
- Engage confidently with project teams to coordinate priorities and expectations
The successful Principal Ecologist will have:
- Experience in field surveys and reporting, including UK Habitat Classification assessment, BNG condition assessment and protected species surveys
- Sound knowledge of ecological principles, legislation, policy and guidance
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage competing priorities effectively
- Valid UK driving licence, with willingness to travel and stay away from home for short periods when required
If you're looking to join a supportive, values-driven team and make a tangible difference to biodiversity outcomes, we'd love to hear from you. For further information and to apply, please contact or (phone number removed). Job Reference - AL 4754
Irwin and Colton are a specialist Health and Safety recruitment company, based in the South East of England we recruit across the UK. We recruit all roles in the health and safety industry from Health and Safety Manager, Health and Safety Director through to Health and Safety Advisor positions.
Irwin and Colton Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at our website (url removed). Irwin and Colton is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion please let us know if we can do anything to make the process more accessible to you.
Reference: d98290d7e5b36abe883219169f3ed9d92c5530ee · Posted 1 week ago · Closes 11 Dec 2026 · Listed via Irwin & Colton
Apply for this job
This role is listed via Irwin & Colton. Applications are handled on the employer's site.
Apply on employer siteOpens the employer's website in a new tab.
Signed in? Every job you apply for counts toward your weekly goal and badges. How it works
Safe applying: a genuine employer will never ask you to pay for a DBS check, training or equipment, or move you onto WhatsApp before you are hired. If this listing does, report it and do not pay anything.