Senior / Principal Ecologist (Botany)

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

At Arcadis, we are driven by a simple purpose: improving quality of life. That means creating sustainable places, protecting and enhancing the natural environment, and helping our clients respond to some of the biggest challenges facing society today, from climate change and biodiversity loss to the delivery of resilient infrastructure.

We are looking for Senior and Principal Ecologists with strong botanical expertise to join our growing team in Glasgow or Edinburgh. This is an excellent opportunity for experienced ecologists who want to play a leading role in delivering high-quality work across Scotland, while developing their careers within a collaborative, forward-thinking consultancy.

Our ecology team supports a wide range of projects across the UK and internationally, including major infrastructure, renewable energy, transport, water, and development schemes. In Scotland, we are particularly focused on supporting projects in environmentally sensitive landscapes, and we are keen to hear from individuals with strong field botany skills and experience of surveying upland habitats in Scotland.

As a Senior or Principal Ecologist, you will provide technical leadership across a broad range of ecological commissions, with a particular focus on botanical survey, habitat assessment and upland ecology. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams and clients to deliver high-quality advice that supports sustainable development and positive environmental outcomes.

Depending on your level, you will take responsibility for managing projects, overseeing survey programmes, mentoring junior colleagues, and helping to grow Arcadis’ ecology capability in Scotland.

Role accountabilities:

You will be involved in a varied and rewarding mix of technical delivery, project leadership and client support, including:

• Leading and contributing to botanical and habitat surveys
• Delivering ecological inputs to Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
• Providing specialist advice on upland habitats, peatland and habitat management
• Supporting the development of biodiversity strategies and Natural Capital work
• Managing ecological projects to meet quality, programme and budget requirements
• Mentoring and supporting junior ecologists
• Contributing to the continued growth of our ecology business in Scotland

Qualifications & Experience:

We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates who have:

• Strong field botany and habitat survey skills
• A FISC Level 3+ certificate, or equivalent demonstrable botanical expertise
• Proven experience of surveying upland habitats in Scotland
• A strong understanding of Scottish habitats, vegetation communities and upland land use
• Experience delivering ecological advice for projects such as renewables, grid and transmission, transport, water, or major development
• Excellent technical reporting, project management and communication skills
• The ability to build strong relationships with clients, colleagues and stakeholders

Experience in NVC survey and the wider Scottish planning and consenting environment would be highly beneficial.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.