Technical Director – Marine Ecology & Ornithology

UK
August 20, 2025
Application deadline closed.

Job Description

City: England

State: England

Company: LMOceans Limited

  • Are you an experienced Senior Leader in the Marine Ecology space?
    • Have a personal passion for ornithology and marine ecology?
    • Want to do something industry-shaping?

    This one could be for you! . . .

    Our client, a world-leading science and engineering powerhouse, are seeking a strategically minded, highly experienced Principal – Director level, Marine Ecologist with specialist expertise in Ornithology to lead, shape, and drive forward our clients growing portfolio of marine ecology and seabird conservation projects.

    This senior role offers an outstanding opportunity to guide the ecological interface between seabird conservation and the rapidly expanding offshore wind sector. The successful candidate will bring depth of knowledge, strong leadership, and scientific credibility to help address some of the most pressing ecological challenges in the UK’s marine planning space. The role will play a central role in delivering evidence-led, regulatory-compliant, and stakeholder-aligned ornithological solutions, influencing not only individual developments but also national policy frameworks and biodiversity strategies.

    Scope of Work:

    As the offshore wind sector accelerates toward net zero targets, this role is integral to ensuring that seabird ecology is fully and effectively represented across all stages of offshore wind development. You will:

    • Provide technical leadership on ornithological issues across major offshore wind developments, including Round 4, ScotWind, INTOG and other projects.
    • Guide clients through regulatory processes, including scoping, baseline assessment, impact prediction, cumulative impact analysis, and post-consent monitoring.
    • Lead the delivery and interpretation of collision risk modelling (CRM), displacement assessments, and barrier effect evaluations for seabird populations, integrating the latest modelling approaches and peer-reviewed methodologies.
    • Collaborate with GIS, hydrodynamics, and noise specialists to build multi-disciplinary environmental models that quantify impacts on seabirds in complex offshore environments.
    • Develop and review mitigation and compensation strategies, including innovative ecological enhancement schemes (e.g. artificial nesting sites, marine habitat restoration).
    • Represent clients and stakeholders in consultations with statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs), regulators (e.g. Marine Scotland, Natural England), and planning authorities, providing authoritative advice at hearings and examinations.
    • Monitor emerging science and policy (e.g. OWSMRF, Offshore Wind Environmental Evidence Register, JNCC guidance) and feed these insights into adaptive management strategies.
    • Work with industry groups and strategic bodies to inform the development of offshore ornithology evidence bases, ensuring research gaps are prioritised and addressed (e.g. through ORJIP, Defra-funded programmes, or collaborative monitoring frameworks).

    Essential & Highly Desired Experience & Qualifications:

    • Extensive professional experience (typically 12+ years) in marine ecology / ornithology, with a demonstrable record of delivering high-impact projects across consultancy, research, or statutory sectors.
    • An advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in Marine Biology, Ecology, Conservation, or a closely related field, with specialist focus on seabirds or coastal avifauna.
    • Recognised authority on UK and North Atlantic seabird ecology, migration, breeding ecology, and population trends.
    • Deep familiarity with UK and international marine environmental legislation, including the Birds Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Wildlife and Countryside Act, and emerging Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) frameworks.
    • Strong background in EIA and HRA processes, including lead author experience for NSIPs, offshore wind developments, or major infrastructure.
    • Expertise in advanced ecological data analysis, spatial modelling (e.g. GIS, R, Python), and interpreting large ornithological datasets.
    • A respected profile within the ecological community – through peer-reviewed publications, advisory roles, or contributions to guidance documents.
    • An established network of contacts across government, academia, NGOs, and/or the renewables sector.

    This is a truly one-of-one role and is designed to attract the Senior end of the Ecology market. There is a real emphasis here from our client on finding "the very best" – so profiles who do not meet the minimum criteria, simply won't be considered or taken forward.

    Our client are willing to sponsor international profiles that meet the criteria, as part of a comprehensive overall package.

    For more information please get in touch directly: james@lmoceans.com