Charlie Ward

Ecological Consultant and Marketing Coordinator

Please describe the work that you do.

My job is divided into two key roles – ecology and marketing.

In my ecology role, I help clients to deliver their work with wildlife and the environment in mind. I undertake various habitat and protected species surveys, author reports, analyse data, monitor mitigation sites, translocate animals and supervise construction works.

In my marketing role, I manage Thomson’s social media platforms and create content for socials, website, newsletters and other marketing campaigns.

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

The thing I like most is the variety of field and office work, the fast pace, the people I meet, places I get to visit all over the UK and the wildlife encounters I wouldn’t normally see in my day-to-day life. No day is ever the same and most days are full of surprises. I love how much opportunity there is to learn and develop my skills.

What inspired you into this career?

I studied Ecology at university but never knew about consultancy as a career until ten years later! During this period, I went into zookeeping, specialising in elephant care, and travelled to Australia, where I was sponsored working as an Agricultural Scientist. Upon my return to the UK, I wanted a job that was outdoors and environment-focused. I saw an advertisement for a seasonal ecologist role, which sounded perfect.

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

It was a challenge starting out in this career as although I had many years of work experience abroad and an excellent transferable skill set, I lacked knowledge of UK wildlife and legislation and struggled to get my first role. After months of job applications, I finally got a seasonal ecologist position, and I invested a lot of my own time and money to learning about UK wildlife and legislation to progress more quickly.

What education/training did you have?

I studied for a degree in Ecology and a master’s in Zoo Conservation Biology. I also volunteered for many local wildlife groups including the RSPB, local bat groups and the ARC Trust. Joining the BSBI and local botany group helped me to develop my botanical skills. I’ve completed online training courses and webinars through CIEEM, Wildwood Ecology Training Academy, the Field Studies Council, Ecology Training UK (ETUK), Tragus Training and Linkedin Learning. I’ve also undertaken a Personal Track Safety (PTS) course to be able to work on railways, a course with Froglife to gain my Great Crested Newt (GCN) licence and a Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue course for aerial bat survey work.

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

Take every opportunity to learn and meet like-minded people by joining local wildlife groups and connecting with ecologists on LinkedIn. If you like routine, structure and forward planning, this profession probably isn’t for you. But if you like excitement, variety, working away and want a job that’s truly rewarding then get into consultancy.

@greenjobsfornature
What does an ecologist’s work life look like? Here’s a snippet of life as an ecologist, with photos provided by Ecological Consultant and Marketing Coordinator, Charlie Ward. 📸 Go to GreenJobsForNature.Org (link in bio) to find our jargon buster, job profiles written by people in the sector (including Charlie), more information on ecology careers and insights into a range of other green jobs that benefit nature! #EcologistLife #ecologycareers #GreenJobs #NatureLovers #EcologicalConsultant #EcologyCareers #GreenJobsForNature #ForYouPage #FYP
♬ original sound – Green Jobs for Nature – Green Jobs for Nature