Senior/Associate Ecologist - Dunedin

About the business and the role

Do you believe you can make the world a better place?

SLR’s purpose is Making Sustainability Happen, which we achieve by having a team of experts who partner with our clients to tackle some of the world’s most complex sustainability Challenges

SLR is an international environmental consultancy with a globally recognised reputation for providing high quality tailored services. With close to 200 staff spanning the length of Aotearoa and an additional 800+ staff across Asia Pacific, we provide consultancy advice and support on a wide range of strategic and site-specific issues to a diverse and growing base of business, regulatory and governmental clients. We celebrate a ‘One Team Culture’, where bringing together diversity of thought and expression is key to building the best team to deliver excellent results.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior or Associate Freshwater Ecologist to join our growing and collaborative Ecology & Marine Science team in Dunedin. This role is ideal for someone with strong field experience and a practical understanding of freshwater systems who can hit the ground running on a range of dynamic projects. You'll bring proven strengths in data management, technical reporting, and a detail-focused approach to your work. Experience in consulting is a plus, particularly with knowledge of RMA processes and regional council water planning. We’re looking for someone who is comfortable working independently, can take ownership of tasks, and brings initiative and sound judgment to project delivery. This role will allow you to contribute to meaningful environmental outcomes across Aotearoa.

Responsibilities

You will be confident in your technical ability and have a positive attitude to do the following tasks:

• Providing high quality service and advice in your area of expertise to clients and colleagues, in both office based and fieldwork activities
• Proactively managing selected projects or components of projects and ensuring effective communication with internal and external stakeholders
• Managing delivery of ecological surveys and impact assessments of freshwater ecosystems
• Plan and participate in field survey programs to collect a variety of different ecological data
• Interpretation and application of environmental legislation to projects across a variety of different sectors
• Development of technical reports detailing the outcomes of field survey programs and implications for environmental impact assessment and management
• Assisting in preparing tenders and proposals
• Experience with mentoring junior staff and leading field trips
• Integrating your technical work into multidisciplinary assessments and project teams
• Travel to remote areas, to conduct field survey programs

Skills and experience

The successful candidate will have:

• An appropriate tertiary qualification in Science, Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Natural Resources or in another related field
• 5+ years' experience in an ecological role in the environmental consulting sector or an equivalent role in Government, including undertaking ecological surveys and report production
• Previous experience in the design and implementation of freshwater ecology surveys.
• Mature report writing and computer skills, with demonstrated ability to prepare high quality written material for publication
• Proven ability to work to deadlines and manage multiple tasks
• Proven project management experience in relation to client management and budget control

Our Benefits

We are proud of our unique culture where we work together to collaborate on projects to get the best possible outcome for our clients. SLR supports flexible working arrangements as we recognise that every person is different, and our benefits aim to ensure that we cater for all.

You can find a comprehensive list here.

Next Steps

We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion. Please note that interviews are conducted with gender diverse interview panels to the best of our ability. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.

Unsolicited resumes from recruitment consultants will not be accepted. You must be part of the preferred supplier agreement list which is coordinated through our Talent Acquisition team.