Principal Ecologist

12 month Fixed Term Contract

Grade 5 - £45,091- £53,460

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review

Working 36.5 hours per week

Birmingham is a city with ambitious plans for growth, regeneration and sustainability. We're looking for an experienced and passionate Principal Ecologist to play a leading role in protecting, enhancing and championing biodiversity across the UK's largest local authority.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence major development projects, shape environmental policy, lead ecological programmes and ensure nature remains at the heart of Birmingham's future. Working across planning, regeneration and environmental initiatives, you'll provide expert ecological advice that supports sustainable development while delivering lasting benefits for wildlife, communities and the city as a whole.

What You'll Be Doing

As Principal Ecologist, you will:

Provide expert ecological advice on planning applications, development proposals and environmental projects across the city.
Lead on biodiversity, habitat protection, conservation and enhancement initiatives, ensuring compliance with legislation and policy.
Support the delivery of Birmingham's sustainability, biodiversity and natural environment strategies.
Manage and develop ecological databases and environmental information that support planning and decision-making.
Lead and contribute to environmental improvement projects, including green infrastructure and nature conservation programmes.
Produce ecological assessments, reports and briefings, presenting findings to a wide range of stakeholders.
Build strong relationships with developers, consultants, community groups, partner organisations and elected members.

About You

We're looking for someone who combines strong technical ecological expertise with excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. You will have:

Significant experience working in ecology, biodiversity, conservation or environmental planning.
Strong knowledge of planning legislation, wildlife protection, habitat management and biodiversity policy.
Experience advising on development proposals and working within a planning or regulatory environment.
The ability to manage projects, budgets and competing priorities effectively.
Excellent report-writing, analytical and presentation skills.
Strong partnership-building, negotiation and influencing abilities.
A proactive approach to problem-solving and a passion for delivering positive environmental outcomes.

Why Join Us?

At Birmingham City Council, you'll have the opportunity to make a genuine impact on the future of one of Europe's most ambitious cities.

We offer:

The chance to influence major regeneration and development projects across Birmingham.
A varied and rewarding role working on strategic environmental and biodiversity initiatives.
Opportunities to work with a wide range of stakeholders across local, regional and national partnerships.
Ongoing professional development and support for continuous learning.
Flexible working arrangements that support work-life balance.
A collaborative and values-driven working environment.
The opportunity to help create a greener, more sustainable future for Birmingham and its communities.

If you're passionate about protecting and enhancing the natural environment while helping shape a thriving, sustainable city, we'd love to hear from you.

Please upload your up-to-date CV via the attachments part of your application, this is required for shortlisting. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV attached

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Our data tells us that for this level of role, ethnic minorities are underrepresented and therefore we will use positive action to support us to achieve diverse shortlists. This may mean that recruitment times are a little longer, but we think this is worth it to achieve our aim.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

For any informal enquires please contact the Resourcing Team <Resourcing@birmingham.gov.uk>

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken.

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Birmingham City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our citizens and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. You can view our Corporate Safeguarding Policy | Birmingham City Council here.

Job Description and Person Specification - M154 Priciple Ecology Officer JDPS.pdf