Biodiversity & Conservation Specialist

Work location: Sines

About the Role

The Biodiversity & Conservation Specialist is Start Campus’ ecological Specialist, based at the SINES DC campus. The role is field-based, with regular surveying and monitoring, and covers the technical reports, project deliverables and practical guidance that the teams designing, building and operating Start Campus sites rely on.

With the biodiversity plan and commitments already largely defined, the priority is execution: delivering specific projects on the ground and documenting the results. The role also shapes how the plan develops as field data comes in and as the sites and regulation change.

Working closely with internal teams, environmental consultants, contractors, regulators and local stakeholders, the Biodiversity & Conservation Specialist will help minimise ecological impacts, identify opportunities for habitat enhancement and support the organisation’s wider nature-related commitments.

Key Responsibilities

Field survey and monitoring

• Provide technical oversight of field monitoring activities for the fauna and flora components, including species-specific monitoring, and process the resulting field and habitat mapping data in GIS.
• Run the biodiversity monitoring programmes during the construction and operational phases.
• Act as the reference ecologist on site: pre-construction checks, supervision of vegetation clearance and direct advice to construction management and planning.
• Monitor and track the mitigation, restoration and enhancement measures already in place, and flag possible ecological constraints early.
• Respond to ecological incidents and unexpected finds on site, coordinating with the authorities where required.

Technical reporting and compliance

• Prepare monitoring reports, field reports and technical notes for regulator and third-party review.
• Analyse monitoring data and turn it into clear findings and recommendations.
• Keep survey records, species and habitat inventories, monitoring results and GIS layers up to date and ready for audit.
• Track biodiversity commitments, licence conditions and mitigation measures, and report progress against them.
• Verify compliance with Portuguese and European nature conservation legislation, and provide technical input to licensing and permitting.

Project execution and technical coordination

• Execute specific biodiversity projects in habitat restoration, native planting, invasive species control, species protection measures and monitoring programmes, from scope to close-out, under overall project coordination.
• Translate ecological requirements into practical projects, specifications and contractor requirements.
• Handle the process side of project coordination: timelines, documentation, procurement steps, approvals and the flow of information between the parties involved.
• Develop and deliver environmental awareness initiatives across the campus and with the surrounding community.
• Coordinate ecological consultants and contractors on scope, field access, deliverables and quality, and review external reports critically.
• Provide biodiversity input into design reviews, method statements and construction planning, working alongside Design & Delivery, Construction, Operations, Legal and Procurement.
• Act as technical interface with environmental authorities, the municipality, academic institutions and conservation organisations, and support site inspections and audits.

Technical strategy and improvement

• Contribute to the biodiversity strategy, targets and action plans.
• Proactively identify biodiversity-related risks and opportunities across current and future developments.
• Follow developments in biodiversity regulation, monitoring methods and good practice, and bring what is useful into how the campus is built and run.
• Promote good field practice among employees and contractors.
• Identify partnerships and research collaborations relevant to Start Campus’ conservation work.

What We're Looking For

Qualifications and Experience (Must haves)

• Master´s Degree or equivalent, in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Conservation, Natural Resources Management or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years relevant professional experience, combining field survey work, detailed technical reporting and project management.
• Experience writing technical ecological and monitoring reports for regulators or third-party review.
• Experience managing biodiversity projects or workstreams to a schedule and budget, and coordinating external consultants and contractors.
• Practical GIS skills (QGIS or ArcGIS) for processing geographic information, survey mapping and field data management.
• Valid driving licence, and willingness to work outdoors in varied conditions.
• Professional proficiency in English; fluency in Portuguese preferable.

Also valued (Nice to have)

• Proven field survey and species identification skills relevant to Portuguese or Iberian habitats - flora, avifauna, herpetofauna, mammals or another recognised specialism.
• Experience in on-site ecological supervision (Ecological Clerk of Works or equivalent).
• Experience in habitat restoration, native planting or invasive species control.
• Knowledge of Portuguese and European nature conservation legislation and permitting, including the Birds and Habitats Directives, Natura 2000 and environmental impact assessment processes.
• Experience supporting large-scale infrastructure, construction, industrial or energy projects, including work on or alongside active sites.

Skills and Competencies

• Able to translate ecological requirements into practical actions that construction and operations teams can follow.
• Organised, able to run several projects in parallel, each with its own schedule, budget and evidence trail.
• A clear and disciplined technical writer.
• Able to gain the confidence of multidisciplinary teams without holding formal authority over them.
• Careful about data quality and traceability, and able to make sound calls on site when the information is incomplete.
• Safety-conscious and comfortable working on active construction and industrial sites.