Ecology and Biodiversity Lead presso High Speed Two (HS2) Limited

Base salary: £54,878pa to c.£64,562pa depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 20% which is paid on top of base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities. 

As Ecology & Biodiversity Lead you’ll acting as the single professional head for the ecology and biodiversity disciplines, the role leads and sets direction for all HS2 Ltd biodiversity and ecology policies realising opportunities within the HS2 Green Corridor to leave a positive legacy for ecology and biodiversity. The role assures that delivery of ecology and biodiversity works are undertaken in compliance with HS2 ecology and statutory requirements, engage with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and assure that ecology deliverables from designers and contractors are of an appropriate technical quality.

About the role:

• Act as the single professional head for Ecology & Biodiversity capability for HS2 being the key point of contact for all related activities. 
• Lead the development and execution of HS2 Biodiversity and Ecology strategy (and all related policies/plans) supporting delivery of key HS2 strategic objectives and programme requirements, ensuring that statutory requirements and broader external requirements are delivered through construction and HS2s transition into an operational railway. 
• Leads HS2s strategy for achieving HS2 key strategic ambition to deliver No Net Loss, setting strategy and policy, assuring contractor performance, leading external stakeholder engagement and reporting and working with Delivery to achieve the best possible outcomes within time and cost constraints 
• Provide leadership and professional direction, ensuring contractors compliance with consents and licences, and ensure that statutory license conditions form part of the operational railway requirements supporting HS2 to be successfully authorized and brought into use 
• Ensure the strategy for long-term ecological monitoring and maintenance of mitigation is undertaken in accordance with Ecological Site Management Plan, and forms part of the future operational railway requirements to meet regulatory requirements 
• Provide technical leadership, direction and assurance of ecological aspects of Contractor Site Method Statements, Ecological Site Management Plans and other contractor documents (as well as protected species issues these will include habitat translocation, invasive species management and biosecurity measures), ensuring appropriate stakeholder engagement 
• Provide regular performance reporting and escalation of key programme risks/issues/opportunities up to the Head of Natural Environment Design,HS2 Executive and HS2 Board when required. 
• Benchmark HS2 LTD’s performance on biodiversity against relevant projects and organisations and make adaptations to HS2 LTD plans accordingly to seek to be best in class 
• Lead and manage external stakeholder relationships and the technical interface with relevant stakeholders (e.g. Natural England, DEFRA, Forestry Commission and Woodland Trust) ensuring efficacy of Service Level Agreement with Natural England and the Forestry Commission is maintained to support the delivery Project requirements to time and schedule. 
• Provide information to or meet Secretary of State and other ministers as well as key persons in agencies (e.g. DEFRA, Natural England) as well as deal with FOI and media requests on biodiversity issues to ensure HS2 LTD plans can be implemented effectively 
• The role has a broad scope and will require the jobholder to work primarily with specialists and delivery project managers within location-based teams, the supply chain and ecology leads in ensuring the effective and timely implementation of surveys, creation and delivery of new habitats, translocation of protected and valued habitats and species and licence applications, all within time and schedule constraints 
• Leads the HS2 Ecology and biodiversity team, including line manager of a small technical team managing the team budget management and Task-Finish ecology commercial resources and instructions 
• Responsibility for Ecology related obligations such as Undertakings and Assurances ensuring compliance with HS2 Standards and legislation 
• Co-operate with HS2 in all matters relating to health and safety, including following safe working procedures at all times
• Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work. Support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

About You:

Skills:

• Analytical skills to collate, synthesize and communicate complex environmental data to non-technical audiences 

• Project and programme management skills to manage complex commercial taskfinish scopes of work 

• Ability to communicate, present and write strategy, policy and influence government thinking in relations to natural environment, nature, ecology and biodiversity 

• Leadership ability to manage a small team of technical SMEs, as well as lead matrix teams to deliver the right outcomes

Knowledge:

• Broad knowledge of the ecological issues and environmental management; 

• Developing and delivering ecology/biodiversity strategies in complex major infrastructure programmes 

• Defining and measuring ecologcy/biodiversity performance outcomes 

• Knowledge of Ecology related Policy and Statutory obligations and influencing government policy

Type of Experience:

• Experience of working with and directing Tier 1 contractors; 

• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary environment on a major project 

• Detailed knowledge and experience of protected species licensing issues and licence applications; • Experience in reporting on all ecology matters to a high standard; 

• Demonstrable ability to work effectively in a changing, high profile environment and deliver to tight timescales; and

 • Full membership of CIEEM or another relevant body. 

• Chartered status with a relevant body (e.g. CIEEM, Society for the Environment); 

• Experience with habitat translocation and habitat creation schemes

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect

It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert.

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

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