Casual Ecologists – All Levels | UK

Our core purpose is to enable nature and business to thrive together.

Our brand mission is to be chosen by clients as their preferred specialists and regarded by people in our industry as the company to work for. We aim to be the most innovative, pragmatic and fast-growing environmental consultancy in the UK.

With offices across the UK, our experts are committed to delivering exceptional outcomes to our clients across a range of environmental services and ecological contracting.

Our services include but are not limited to: terrestrial ecology, freshwater ecology, hydrology, marine laboratory, habitat management, arboricultural services, geographic information systems (GIS) and mapping, environmental impact assessments.

Casual Field Surveyors:

We have multiple casual opportunities for passionate field surveyors that are looking to support our terrestrial ecology UK team for the the 2025 season. We are looking for casual surveyors to assist us with a variety of projects this year which may include surveys for water vole, Great Crested Newt, reptiles, dormice and bats across the UK.

You will be undertaking professional surveys and using mitigation techniques, in a range of species and habitats. We would like to hear from anyone with field surveyor experience.

We have numerous positions throughout the UK, we are looking for both experienced and non experienced field surveyors.

Casual Assistant Ecologists:

This is a great opportunity to learn professional survey and mitigation techniques, in a range of species and habitats, and to gain experience of working in a busy independent environmental consultancy.

We would like to hear from hardworking graduates and those looking to get into the industry with a degree in ecology, environmental science, zoology or another related field and have a passion to work as an Ecologist.

You’ll need to;

• Have a degree in ecology or a related field, or suitable relevant experience.
• 1 year / season of previous experience undertaking ecological surveys in the UK.
• Have the ability and willingness to travel and stay away at survey sites in various locations around the UK.
• Have confidence to work independently, and as part of a team.
• Be self-motivated with the ability to learn quickly.

It would be advantageous if you also had the following:

• A protected species licence e.g. GCN, bat or dormouse.
• Membership to the Chartered Institute of Ecological and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
• A Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card.
• First Aid at Work certification.

Casual Ecologists:

We’re interested in hearing from candidates already in an Ecologist level role as well as those who have gained experience in an Assistant Ecologist role and are now ready to step up to Ecologist level.

Variety and travel are key aspects of life as an Ecological Consultant at Thomson, so you’ll need to enjoy this part of the job, as travelling and staying away from home is a regular requirement, particularly during peak season. As with all ecological consultancy work, you will need to be a professional with the ability to communicate effectively and to maintain positive client relationships.

Successful candidates will

· Have proven, previous experience in a similar role, ideally within a commercial consultancy

· a degree or postgraduate degree in ecology or a closely related subject

· have field skills in one or more specialist areas

· have prior experience of project management/coordination and/or coordinating surveys

· have working knowledge of ecology, legislation and survey best practice

· be an excellent communicator with the ability to write clear, concise reports

· have a full, clean, UK driving licence, use of a car, and be willing and able to travel and stay away from home regularly

· have a positive outlook a strong desire to succeed

· have membership to the Chartered Institute of Ecological and Environmental Management (CIEEM)

It would be advantageous if you also had the following:

· one or more protected species licences e.g. GCN, bat or dormouse

Casual Senior Ecologists:

You will be technically competent, with an in-depth knowledge of ecology, legislation and survey techniques with advanced field skills in one or more specialist areas as well as holding protected species licences.

You will also hold a clean, valid UK driving licence and have your own car / access to a car which will be insured for business use.

You’ll need to;

• Be UK based with the right to work in the UK.
• Have a valid UK driving licence and vehicle, that can be insured for business use. (essential)
• Have the ability and willingness to travel and possible stay away at survey sites in various locations.
• Have confidence to work independently, and as part of a team.
• Be self-motivated with the ability to learn quickly.

Working at Thomson

At Thomson, we strive to be the very best at what we do, both in the eyes of our customers and our colleagues. We believe in One Thomson; we draw on and value every individual’s unique skills and experience to come together and support each other in delivering an exceptional service.

Our people are our greatest asset. We want Thomson to be a great place to work, where everyone feels supported to be the best they can be. We are proud of our friendly, supportive, ‘nothing is too much trouble’ culture. We live and breathe our RISE (Respect, Integrity, Support, Excellence) values. Your opinions matter to us; we are constantly evolving.

We promote a healthy work-life balance to ensure we have an engaged, productive and happy team. We are flexible and committed and welcome new challenges.

We recognise the importance in training and developing our team as well as offering a competitive pay and reward package.

Involving ourselves in our local communities is important to us and we are proud of our continued achievements in fund raising for charity. We work hard but have fun too.

We are passionate about career development so we make sure we nurture talent. Our people benefit from access to a diverse range of industry-accredited external training, as well as in-house training opportunities led by our specialists. The variety of projects we deliver across the breadth of environmental services encourages cross-team working and collaboration. We can offer you the opportunity to contribute to and lead on high-profile, once in a life-time projects.

You’ll enjoy all the benefits we have to offer which include: 25 days annual leave, healthcare cash plan, enhanced stakeholder pension scheme, life insurance, discounted gym membership, paid professional memberships, clothing allowance, outstanding performance rewards, long service awards, free parking and regular local and company social events.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As an equal opportunities employer, Thomson is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, gender reassignment, being married or in a civil partnership, being pregnant or on maternity leave, disability, race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply to and join Thomson.