The Marine Ecologist role requires you to bring experience of surveying in marine environments, both land and boat based surveying. Ideally you will have experience in a taxonomic discipline (such as fish, invertebrates, plants or plankton) or a willingness to learn. You will need to be an advocate for good Health and Safety processes and sufficiently organised to plan and deliver a range of aquatic surveys. Many of our projects are long-term monitoring projects therefore you will also be required to work with large data sets and be proficient at technical report writing. Demonstrating flexibility you will use your experience to support the freshwater and national terrestrial team if required.
We are looking to recruit across our southern UK offices (London, Reading, Bristol or Cardiff). The role will require a mixture of hybrid working flexibility to travel for survey work and a requirement to spend time within a team environment in a core office is essential. There will be the opportunity to work alongside our taxonomic specialists in our laboratory in Southampton.
- A background in an aquatic ecology with +3 years of relevant industry experience
- Experience in the delivery of marine surveys in UK environments
- Ideally experience of taxonomy and analysis of ecological samples in a laboratory setting
- Data analysis, interpretation and technical report writing
- Flexible approach to working, with regular travel required across the UK and Ireland
- Inquisitiveness and willingness to learn
- A ‘hands on’ work ethic and good self-awareness
- Ability to adapt to working on a wide range of projects
People are Jacobs’ greatest asset, and we offer a competitive package to retain and attract the best talent.
In addition to the benefits you’d expect, UK employees also receive:
- Up to 10% company contribution into their pension
- Reimbursement towards relevant professional development and memberships
- Support to their local communities through our Collectively program which incorporates matched-funding, paid volunteering time and charitable donations
- Opportunity to buy/sell annual leave.
- Wellbeing support and resources
- Free employee medical cover and digital GP service
- Mindfulness Platform
- Dedicated Workplace Support 1:1 Counselling Consultations,
- Confidential information & counselling service provided by Optum. Emotional Wellbeing Solutions is a free confidential information and counselling service available 24/7 via phone or online. Experienced consultants are available to discuss finance, legal, family matters and counselling can be provided for personal support
- Online demand fitness platform provided by Daily Burn
- Personalised financial planning and support provided by Origin, with 1:1 access to dedicated certified financial planners.
Fertility and family benefits and support:
- Enhanced parental leave pay
- Fertility healthcare and family-forming benefit provided by Carrot. With Carrot, you can virtually chat with experts, explore educational resources, find a vetted provider, and use employer-sponsored funds to pay for care. Get support with: understanding fertility health, preservation (egg, sperm, embryo), assisted reproduction (e.g., in vitro fertilisation), adoption, gestational surrogacy, donor assistance, pregnancy, menopause, and low testosterone.
- A free parental success solution and neurodiversity training benefit provided by RethinkCare Family. The family solution gives you and your family 24/7 access to behavioural health support tools and resources to help parents or caregivers of children raise happy, healthy and resilient children: 1:1 digital & live support – unlimited access to Board Certified Behaviour Analysts and thousands of clinically validated audio/visual trainings, including support with ADHD & developmental disabilities.
- Bridge the Gap is our parental transition programme which aims to make Jacobs employer of choice for working parents, supporting them before, during and after the life-changing milestone of becoming a parent. Bridge the Gap supports our efforts to create an environment where we can bring our authentic selves to work and achieve our full potential.
Flexible Working:
- Work-life balance and flexibility is a key focus area for Jacobs. We’re happy to discuss the different working patterns we offer:
- Hybrid working
- Part-time role
- Flexible working hours including compressed hours (working full time hours over fewer days), and
- Annualised hours contract (working a defined number of hours over a year with an estimated average weekly hour pattern).
Our Culture
Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain diverse talent. For greater online accessibility please visit to view and access our roles. As a Disability Confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.
If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team.
Your application experience is important to us and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. We welcome feedback on our recruitment process and if you need more from us before deciding to join Jacobs then please let us know.
