Principal Ecologist

Company Description

At AECOM, we’re delivering a better world.

We believe infrastructure creates opportunity for everyone. Whether it’s improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive.

Here, you will have freedom to grow in a world of opportunity.

Our environmental practice helps industries and governments fulfill their responsibilities to the people they support, as well as the planet that support us all. We provide advisory and technical services to enable you to achieve compliance, manage impacts and reduce or even eliminate risks.

Our services help clients anticipate and manage the environmental impact at each stage of the project: planning and obtaining permits for new facilities; decommissioning, clean-up and closure of contaminates sites and surplus operations facilities; restoration for reuse; addressing critical climate - change issues; protection or restoration of habitats and water quality and the preservation of culture resource.

We’re one global team - 47,000 strong - driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world.

**Job Description**:
AECOM has an exciting opportunity for a passionate and quality driven Principal Botanist/Ecologist to join our growing Environmental group, working within our Natural Resources team in Western Australia.

In the team you have the opportunity to dictate your own career path whether it is client-facing, learning about managing project finance and delivery, and/or being a technical lead on a diverse range of programs. The current workload includes annual vegetation and rehabilitation monitoring programs, baseline flora, vegetation and fauna surveys, targeted flora, significant community and fauna species and habitat surveys. Our clients include government, transport, renewable energy, Defence and resource sectors. This role presents an excellent opportunity for someone who is looking to take the next step in their professional career, or a senior who is looking to further develop their skillset working in an international consultancy.

**What will a day in this role look like**:
+ Desktop ecological assessments using Commonwealth, State and local databases and mapping.

+ Plan and deliver field-based ecological surveys, including ground-truthing vegetation and habitat types, BioCondition assessments, threatened species surveys (flora and fauna) and monitoring.

+ Ecological impact assessment and management planning for a diverse range of projects.

+ Uphold positive and beneficial relationships with clients, contractors, government agencies, service providers and team members.

+ Planning and implementation of ecological investigations, including:
1. Baseline ecological surveys

2. Regional ecosystem verification assessments

3. Bio-condition assessments

4. Targeted flora and fauna surveys

5. Fauna Habitat Assessments

6. Offset suitability surveys

+ Preparation and review of technical reporting, including investigation reports, constraints assessments, species management plans, offset strategies and environmental impact statements.

**Qualifications**:
What are we looking for from you?

+ Relevant tertiary qualification in environmental science, natural resource management or similar

+ Significant proven relevant ecological experience (ideally 10 years+), preferably within a consulting environment

+ Proven experience of leading ecological programs including targeted and baseline surveys

+ Experience with GIS, preferably ArcPRO and data collection packages such as ESRI ArcGIS

+ Working knowledge of Commonwealth and state environmental legislation

+ Applied practice supporting State and Commonwealth approval processes

+ Experience in flora taxonomy - advantageous

+ Resourceful and able to research specific species and habitat requirements to inform survey sample design

+ Experience working in a consulting environment - highly advantageous

+ Class C, open licence (essential) and experience with 4WD (preferable)

+ Strong oral and written communication skills.

+ Capacity to work outdoors on short and extended field programs.

\#work180

Additional Information

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle - from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion - a safe and respectful workplace, where we invit