Roles at Ricardo
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Office Location
Bristol, London
Role Type
Full time, Permanent
Contract Type
Hybrid - commutable to office location
Closing Date
30 September 2025
Role ID
2025-3067
Consulting
Principal Environmental Consultant - (HRA – Environmental and Ecological Assessment)
We are looking for an experienced HRA Consultant at Principal Consultant grade to join our team. You will join colleagues in providing technical support on a variety of ecology projects, across a wide range of clients in the water, developer, infrastructure and public sectors.
Key Responsibilities
- Your role will involve project management and implementation of HRA, plus the coordination of consultation and mitigation in support of our clients’ proposals and operations.
- You will be involved in managing the technical work of more junior staff and sub-consultants and (depending on experience) managing projects and their direction too. There will also be team leadership opportunities as the team expands.
Key competencies and experience
- In depth knowledge of Habitats Regulations, UK and EU Wildlife Legislation, planning policies, licensing requirements and best practice survey techniques;
- Capable at leading HRA at both project and plan level; options appraisal experience would be an advantage;
- Experience of working on large infrastructure or development projects;
- Leading, planning and co-ordinating HRA analysing and interpreting survey results and planning and co-ordinating ecological mitigation works;
- Experience of writing thorough and complex reports and assessments
- Experience in the preparation of proposals and tenders
- Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; be able to produce meticulous and accurate technical reports as well as communicate confidently with a variety of clients and stakeholders
- Be organised with proven ability to multi-task and handle several projects simultaneously
Desirable experience
- Have experience of leading and motivating a team
- Mentoring junior colleagues;
- Building client relationships and generating opportunities;
- Preparing bids and managing project budgets; and
- Collaborating with our multi-disciplinary teams within the region.
Skills and behaviours
- A self-starter, as you’ll be part of a small and very busy team. Excellent team working skills are therefore essential together with strong communication skills, sound understanding of and a close attention to detail.
- This is a fast-paced and challenging environment offering you the opportunity to make your mark. You will have support from the wider business for your career to develop into a wide range of future opportunities within Ricardo Energy & Environment.
Working with Ricardo
You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.
We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on. Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.
Work life balance
We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.
Benefits
We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health.
Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle.
Next steps
Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.
Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruit@ricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process.
Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.
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