Marine Environment Consultant / Senior Consultant (Marine Ecology)

Location: Remote or hybrid from one of our UK offices


NIRAS have an exciting opportunity for a Marine Environment Consultant / Senior Consultant (Marine Ecology) to join our UK based team of marine environment specialists to support the development of our UK and international portfolio of marine consulting work.

You will contribute to projects across multiple sectors with some of NIRAS’ most high-profile clients, providing technical input and collaborating across NIRAS internationally and through strategic partnerships with other organisations, and playing a part in initiatives that inform the future direction and shape of NIRAS’ European and international sustainable marine development portfolio within the context of NIRAS’ green energy transition strategy.

NIRAS helps developers and policy makers take the best approach to the development and operation of marine infrastructure, primarily by supporting them on compliance with environmental regulations, offshore spatial planning, marine assessments, consents and related issues. This includes Habitats Regulations assessments, EIA and ESIA, applied R&D, biodiversity net gain measures, emerging UK legislation, and compensation/derogation in relation to UK and European Habitat Regulations.


Key accountabilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Lead on and deliver high quality, high value and complex benthic ecology assignments, advising and consulting with clients and stakeholders.
• Provide technical contributions to projects within areas of benthic ecology expertise, including technical reports, client and stakeholder meetings, workshops or briefing notes as appropriate, demonstrating excellence to the team.
• Support technical teams within ENIN and the wider NIRAS Group in enhancing the quality of their consultancy delivery for the benefit of the company.
• Lead or manage all aspects of medium risk projects, including personnel, finance, scope, timeframes, technical content and outputs, and manage high risk projects with Project Director support.
• Manage project teams and illustrate excellence in project delivery, maximising the commercial and intellectual value to the company.
• Support teams and delegated Project Managers in the management of projects, providing quality assurance to the project process, client interactions and deliverables.
• Contribute to the understanding of NIRAS markets and key clients and use this to identify new opportunities that contribute to the company’s strategic growth.
• Proactively build collaborative relationships with a diverse group of clients, partners and key individuals to achieve objectives and raise NIRAS’ public profile.
• Lead and support internal and external events for the company and its clients such as meetings and workshops, initiatives defined in the company business plan and long-term strategic plan.

About you

We are looking for a highly motivated and talented individual, with prior relevant experience in benthic marine ecology, including surveys and impact assessment; engagement in key areas, including biodiversity net gain; and a personal passion for working in the marine environment.

You will need to be able to work effectively and proactively across a multi-cultural organisation with a fast-paced, dynamic, and evolving operating environment. You will have the potential and desire to grow and develop in your role, including developing technical understanding and pursuing continued professional development opportunities.

You will thrive when leading and creating positive working dynamics within teams, with a commitment to delivering high quality work. You will be an excellent communicator, with adaptable and strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and manage professional relationships with colleagues, partners, and clients.

Demonstrating exceptional attention to detail, problem solving and organisation, you will be highly efficient and capable of strong-time based delivery including being flexible and adaptable to challenges, changing circumstances, and competing demands.


Essential requirements:

• Proven benthic ecology expertise.
• Degree in a relevant subject area or equivalent professional qualification, with 3+ years of relevant experience.
• Excellent scientific and technical writing skills, including impact assessments and/or HRAs.
• Offshore marine environmental and ecological survey experience.
• Consultancy or developer experience.
• Ability to effectively plan, project manage and deliver work to tight deadlines, within a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstratable experience of delivering high quality analytical and written work in consultancy or public service.
• Familiarity with marine infrastructure developments (such as offshore wind, ports and harbours, coastal defences etc.) and their related environmental issues.
• Strong motivation to develop appropriate technical and commercial solutions to meet client needs and the ability to communicate these in influential, engaging text.
• Excellent and adaptable communication skills (written/verbal) in fluent English, with strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to negotiate effectively with individuals, partners and clients and convey information/data clearly requiring little clarification or quality assurance, such as in tenders, reports, knowledge sharing etc.
• Demonstrated competence dealing with/managing financial information
• Expertise in the statistical analysis of large ecological data sets.
• Competence with GIS.

Building Professional Expertise

At NIRAS, we believe in empowering our employees to be the best they can be, and you will be given the opportunity to cultivate and expand your areas of professional interest and expertise. This can be achieved through a variety of means, including work assignments, personal development initiatives, voluntary engagements outside of NIRAS, coaching sessions, and conducting your own research, with the potential for publication. NIRAS will support these efforts by providing mutually agreed-upon time allowances and appropriate funding where suitable.


Employment details

This is a permanent, full-time position (37.5 hours per week, routinely Monday to Friday) with remote or hybrid working available.

The position will attract a competitive salary and will increase with time subject to achieving objectives, behaviour standards, and development.

Our employee benefits include:

• 25 days paid annual leave plus public holidays
• Employee Life Assurance
• Employer pension contributions, and optional salary sacrifice arrangements
• Company Sick Pay available from day one of your employment
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced provisions for family-friendly leave/pay
• Paid time off for dependents and emergencies
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Flexibility over your working hours
• Paid time off for volunteering activities

About us

NIRAS Group is a multi-disciplinary engineering and environment consultancy, fundamentally committed to sustainable progress and service delivery. We work across a wide range of sectors encompassing process facilities and construction, energy, environment and infrastructure, development assistance and urban planning. NIRAS has an expanding international presence with approx. 3000 employees globally in over 61 offices and across 7,000 projects. Our UK operations are growing rapidly, with over 250 professional staff providing marine environmental, process engineering, civil engineering, energy, international development consultancy, and project management services to a variety of clients.

NIRAS has a leading position in sustainable development within the marine environment. We provide environmental consultancy services in relation to offshore wind, submarine cables, ports and harbour and other sectors. Our Marine Environment UK team specialise in helping developers and policy makers take the best approach to the development and operation of marine infrastructure support. We undertake environmental impact and strategic environmental assessments, marine and coastal surveys, marine investment planning for blue chip companies in technology and renewable energy sectors, and have key involvement in marine and coastal developments across the world. In addition to our UK and EU marine work, we currently work closely with our international team in Asia and Africa.


How to Apply

To apply for this position, please submit your CV. Applications will be reviewed continuously before the closing date, so please do not delay in applying.

Please do not hesitate to email Evan Wilcock (UK Talent Manager) at ewil@niras.com should you have any questions.


NIRAS is an equal opportunity employer with a focus on Sustainable Development Goals. We value diversity in all its forms and welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds. We look forward to receiving your application.

Note: Due to time and workload constraints, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and should you not receive feedback within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.