Senior Aquatic Ecologist

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There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced Senior Aquatic Ecologist to join the Aquatic Ecology Team at AECOM. We have multi-disciplinary offices throughout the UK, and you would play a key role in providing technical expertise and undertaking surveys for new and existing projects, as well as in the continued growth and development of our team.

Key responsibilities will be to co-ordinate and undertake surveys, author reports, develop monitoring strategies, and provide specialist input to multi-disciplinary teams. The appointee would work closely with other members of the Aquatic Ecology, Water Environment, and multi-disciplinary teams to support a coherent nationwide approach providing expert advice to our external and internal clients.

  Here’s what you’ll do:  

You would contribute to projects for a range of clients by:

• Providing aquatic ecology input into EcIA, planning, mitigation, and multi-disciplinary projects;

• Authoring technical reports and working with multi-disciplinary teams to provide specialist input;

• Undertaking data analysis and processing;

• Production of EcIA documents in line with CIEEM guidelines;

• Managing aquatic ecology input into projects, including survey design and costing;

• Playing an important lead role in a team of multi-skilled aquatic ecologists in AECOM’s nationwide offices and laboratories;

• Supporting the wider environmental business.

Come grow with us.  

You will join a growing, friendly, and highly motivated team, and contribute to a diverse range of projects: baseline data collection and monitoring for major infrastructure and utility projects, fish passage and weir removal projects, habitat restoration for regulators and the private sector, pollution response surveys, water quality investigations, etc.

Become part of our dynamic Nature business, which boasts around 230 professional experts including national and global leaders located across the UK&I, from species licence holders to experts in impact assessment, habitat creation, freshwater ecology, ecosystem restoration, enhancement, and management. At AECOM, you’ll thrive in an inclusive and forward-thinking environment where your contributions are valued. 

And let's not forget about the perks at AECOM. You'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customised to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle, technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days. ​​​

Qualifications

Here’s what we’re looking for:  

• Understanding and implementing industry standard monitoring techniques and analyses for aquatic ecology and associated consenting/permitting requirements;

• Familiar with legislation relating to the aquatic environment and its implementation, including the Water Framework Directive (WFD);

• Experience of the EcIA/EIA process, from baseline data collection (desk-based and field surveys) to impact assessment and mitigation design;

• Experience of WFD compliance assessment;

• Full UK driving licence.

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us at View email address on jobs.smartrecruiters.com. At AECOM, we value everyone's unique contributions and perspectives. 

If you meet some of the requirements above or have transferable skills you believe would benefit us, we would be delighted to hear from you! 

Additional Information

Interested in the role or curious about life at AECOM? Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to explore our AECOM voices, employee stories, latest projects, and much more! 

For further information about the role, reach out to the recruiter on LinkedIn (Melissa Moody).

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address  View email address on jobs.smartrecruiters.com if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.