Castle Surveys has built its name on doing things properly, in-house, with no subcontracting and no shortcuts. We're a multidisciplinary geospatial surveying company covering everything from mobile mapping and 3D laser scanning to hydrographic surveys and utility detection, and we've reached the point where the next logical step is obvious: ecology.
We want to bring a senior ecologist on board to build our ecology offering from the ground up. Not join an existing team, build one. If that sounds daunting, good, it should be a little exciting too. You'll have the backing of an established company with a loyal client base already asking for this service, and genuinely the freedom to shape how it's delivered.
This is a rare one. Most "set up a new department" roles come with vague promises and not much else. Here, you've got real infrastructure behind you: an ISO 9001-aligned business, established relationships across highways, utilities, rail, water and property sectors, and a management team that's serious about making this work.
What you'll be doing
- Leading and delivering Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA) and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments, primarily for our existing client base across highways, utilities, property and infrastructure sectors
- Setting up the ecology department's processes, templates and quality standards from scratch, so it fits neatly alongside our existing ISO-aligned QA framework
- Carrying out protected species surveys and scoping further specialist work as needed (bats, great crested newts, reptiles, that sort of thing, depending on your background)
- Producing clear, defensible reports that our clients and their planning authorities can actually rely on
- Building relationships with clients who already trust Castle Surveys for their geospatial work, and introducing them to what ecology can add
- Recruiting and developing the team as the department grows; this starts with you, but it won't stay that way for long if things go to plan
- Working closely with our operations and CAD/BIM teams so ecological data sits properly alongside topographic, utility and hydrographic outputs on shared projects
What we're looking for
- A senior ecologist with solid, demonstrable experience in PEA and BNG assessment work; you'll know the Biodiversity Metric inside out and won't need it explained to you
- Full member of CIEEM (or working towards it) and ideally holding relevant protected species survey licences
- A degree in ecology, environmental science or a related field
- Someone who's comfortable being the first person in the room on a new discipline; you'll set the standard, so we need someone who holds a high one
- A driving licence, since site visits across our operating regions will be part of the job
- Strong report writing skills. Planning authorities and clients need to trust what you've written, and that only comes from clarity, not jargon
- Genuine enthusiasm for building something rather than just running it. This is a start-up department inside an established company, and that mix suits a particular kind of person
What's in it for you
- A good base salary, reflecting the seniority of the role and the responsibility that comes with it
- A commission scheme on top, so when the department grows (and we intend it to), you share directly in that success
- The chance to build a department your way, with proper support rather than empty encouragement
- Access to an existing, warm client base rather than starting from cold; this is genuinely one of the best parts of the role
- A company that delivers everything in-house and takes quality seriously, which means your work won't be undermined by corners cut elsewhere on a project
- Scope to grow into a genuine leadership role as the team expands under you
About Castle Surveys
Castle Surveys is a multidisciplinary geospatial surveying company delivering mobile mapping, 3D laser scanning, drone surveys, PAS 128 utility surveys, CCTV drainage, hydrographic and bathymetric surveys, BIM modelling and robotic site layout, all in-house, with no subcontracting. We're based in Ashby de la Zouch with offices in Manchester, London, Cheltenham and Scotland, and our work has included projects like the Paddington Station survey for Network Rail, delivered across five disciplines with zero incidents.
We're proud of what we've built, and this new ecology department is the next chapter. We'd like you to help us write it.
Pay: £35,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Ashby-De-La-Zouch
