Freshwater Ecology Growth Lead

Overview

As Freshwater Ecology Growth Lead, you will steer growth, capability, and delivery excellence for our freshwater ecology practice. You’ll shape market approach, nurture client relationships, and build a nationally recognised team delivering impact across rivers, wetlands, lakes, and aquatic ecosystems. You’ll blend ecological expertise with commercial insight to win opportunities in infrastructure, water, transport, and energy sectors. This role offers strategic influence and hands-on leadership to transform freshwater ecology outcomes.

Pay / Benefits

• leadership development
• career progression opportunities
• support for professional memberships and chartership
• collaborative culture
• access to multidisciplinary teams
• work on landmark projects

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a growth strategy for freshwater ecology aligned with business priorities
• Identify market opportunities, trends, and client needs; build a strong opportunity pipeline
• Lead client relationships and cross-disciplinary collaboration across major projects
• Support bids, frameworks, and strategic pursuits; contribute to thought leadership
• Mentor and develop the freshwater ecology team; foster a collaborative culture
• Oversee delivery quality, risk, and profitability in the freshwater portfolio
• Drive innovation, digital tools, and smarter ways of working across projects
• Represent the practice at industry events and with regulators and stakeholders

Key requirements

• Strong track record of leading teams through growth, change or transformation
• Significant experience in freshwater ecology and the UK environmental sector
• Experience on major infrastructure projects and navigating complex consenting environments
• Strong knowledge of UK freshwater ecology legislation, policy and best practice
• Proven ability to develop client relationships and identify new business opportunities
• Experience supporting successful bids, frameworks or strategic project growth
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Collaborative leadership style capable of inspiring and developing teams

• communication
• influencing
• stakeholder management
• knowledge of UK freshwater ecology legislation, policy and best practice
• experience with monitoring techniques and emerging ecological technologies
• ability to integrate ecological insights with digital tools and data-driven delivery

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