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Amy Kidd

Licensing Officer
What employment sector do you work in?

Public Sector

How long have you had a green job for nature?

2 years

Salary Range

£25,000 – £30,000

Please describe the work that you do.

As licensing officers, we receive applications from a variety of people and projects where their work will affect protected species. We review their applications in line with legislation and assess their level of mitigation and compensation. We also provide advice to people about protected species such as living with bat roosts in their home.

What do you most like about your job? Any dislikes?

I like that we facilitate development works but make them really take account of and protect the species on site. It feels like there is a double bonus of the country developing but not at the expense of nature.

One dislike I have is that a lot of people don’t understand wildlife management and it is very hard to serve the needs of everyone. Some people feel we are too hard and others think we are too lenient.

What inspired you into this career? 

Throughout school, I enjoyed the animal biology side of things the most and knew this is what I wanted to pursue. After working for a little while in ecological consultancy I wanted to see the other side of the work and really be a champion for vulnerable species. Growing up the climate crisis was really talked about in school so I want to do my bit to help the planet.

Have you faced any challenges in progressing your career so far? 

It was very difficult to get into the sector in the first place as there is such an emphasis on further education and hours and hours of volunteering.

What education/training did you have?

I did an undergraduate in Zoology and then did freelance bat work which gave me knowledge of a particular species and the legislation around developments. I also gained a master’s in Ecology and Conservation to try and gain more field skills (though this was just after COVID-19 so it was mostly online).

What advice would you give to someone coming into the profession? 

Network! The world of ecology is very small and you don’t know what opportunities may come up organically just by someone thinking that you would be a good fit and approaching you. And if you do choose to do volunteering try to be as involved as possible, if people associate you with hard work and being fun to be around chances are they’ll try to keep you around (hopefully in a paid position!).

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Scotland, Public sector, Ecologist, Environmental adviser, Desk-based role

Date profile submitted: 08/09/2023

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