Finding experienced ecologists can take four to five months. But perhaps the bigger question is why so many businesses only start building relationships with potential employees when they have a vacancy.
As the 2026 survey season winds down, ecology consultancies across the UK will be reviewing project pipelines, workloads and staffing requirements for next year.
For many, recruitment will feature somewhere in those discussions.
But after 25 years working in recruitment and talent acquisition, including several years recruiting ecologists, one of the biggest mistakes I see businesses make is underestimating how long it takes to find and recruit the people they need.
And there’s another issue that I believe deserves more attention.
Why do so many businesses only start promoting themselves to potential future employees when they have a vacancy?
Recruiting an experienced ecologist can take four to five months
Let’s consider the timescales involved in recruiting an experienced Senior or Principal Ecologist.
- Finding suitable candidates: 4–8 weeks, sometimes longer for specialist positions.
- Interviews, decisions and offers: 2–4 weeks, depending on availability and negotiations.
- Notice periods: Often 2–3 months for experienced professionals.
Some of these stages can overlap, and every appointment is different, but four to five months is a sensible planning assumption for many experienced hires.
Start recruiting in January and your new employee might not join until May or June.
By then, the survey season is already well underway.
For a growing consultancy, that delay could mean additional pressure on existing staff, reduced capacity to take on projects or increased reliance on subcontractors.
The lesson is straightforward. If you’re anticipating additional resource requirements for 2027, you should be thinking about recruitment now.
The traditional recruitment model is reactive
For many ecology businesses, recruitment still follows a familiar pattern.
A vacancy appears, a job description is written, an advert is purchased and the business waits for applications.
If the right person doesn’t apply, the advert might be extended, another platform tried or a recruitment agency engaged.
Then, once the vacancy is filled, recruitment activity largely stops until the next position becomes available.
For smaller consultancies recruiting only a few times each year, this can mean their business is visible to potential employees for just a handful of weeks.
But what about the experienced ecologist who might be interested in joining your business six months from now?
What about someone who likes your projects, your culture or the way your consultancy operates, but isn’t currently looking for another job?
And what about the ecologist who would love to work for you, but you don’t have a suitable vacancy today?
Just because you don’t have a vacancy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be building relationships with people you might want to employ in the future.
Larger consultancies already understand this
There’s a reason larger environmental consultancies invest in internal recruitment and talent acquisition teams.
Good in-house recruiters don’t simply advertise vacancies and arrange interviews.
They build professional networks, identify potential future employees, maintain relationships and help their businesses remain visible to people who might consider joining them one day.
Someone may be perfectly happy in their current position when they first speak to a recruiter.
Six months or a year later, their circumstances might have changed.
If they already know the business, understand its projects and have developed a relationship with somebody there, that future recruitment conversation becomes much easier.
Smaller consultancies often don’t have the resources to employ a dedicated recruitment professional, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have opportunities to build the same kind of relationships.
What if you could promote your consultancy all year round?
This is one of the reasons we’ve been developing Aspire in Ecology.
Having previously operated Jobs in Ecology as a specialist job board, we’ve been questioning whether the traditional vacancy advertising model really provides the best value for ecology businesses.
Rather than focusing entirely on individual vacancies, we’re developing a broader career and employer platform that helps ecology businesses become more visible throughout the year.
The idea is straightforward.
Instead of paying to advertise a vacancy for a few weeks and then disappearing until the next recruitment campaign, why not maintain a presence where ecology professionals can discover your business at any time?
Showcase your people, projects, culture and career opportunities. Give ecologists reasons to learn more about your consultancy, even when you’re not actively recruiting.
We’re particularly focused on helping smaller and growing ecology consultancies compete for attention alongside larger employers.
For a cost comparable to a single traditional job advert, businesses can maintain visibility throughout the year.
And we’re also developing the platform from the ecologist’s perspective.
We want Aspire in Ecology to become somewhere professionals can access career advice, guidance and resources, discover employers across the UK and explore businesses they might want to work for in the future.
Our longer-term ambition is for ecologists to be able to follow companies they’re interested in and receive notifications when relevant opportunities arise.
Imagine having a growing audience of ecologists who have already expressed an interest in your business before you even advertise your next vacancy.
That’s a very different starting point for recruiting.
Recruitment shouldn’t start when a vacancy appears.
You can explore the platform and our employer membership options at:
Free employer listings are available, alongside paid membership options for businesses wanting greater visibility and opportunities to promote themselves throughout the year.
Building visibility is only part of the solution
Of course, having a stronger employer presence doesn’t automatically solve every recruiting challenge.
You still need to identify suitable people, approach candidates, manage interviews, make good hiring decisions and ensure recruitment activity doesn’t become an unnecessary burden on business owners and managers.
And sometimes, particularly when you need an experienced ecologist quickly, engaging a credible specialist recruitment agency is the most appropriate option.
We’re happy to recommend Rob Bennett at Access Group Talent, who has an excellent understanding of the ecology recruitment market and is particularly effective at identifying talented ecologists.
Importantly, we also respect his approach to recruiting and client relationships.
Having worked in the recruitment industry for many years, I’ve encountered practices that I fundamentally disagree with, including agencies helping businesses recruit people through the front door while subsequently approaching their existing employees to leave through the back door.
For me, a recruitment partnership should be built on trust, transparency and long-term relationships, not simply the next placement fee.
What if your business needs its own recruitment expertise?
Sometimes the challenge isn’t just finding candidates.
It’s the cost of recruitment, the time involved, inconsistent hiring processes, difficulty attracting suitable applicants or the financial and operational risks associated with making the wrong appointment.
For smaller and growing businesses, recruitment often falls to directors or managers who already have demanding responsibilities.
They may be excellent ecologists and business leaders, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the time or specialist experience to manage recruitment effectively.
That’s where Aspire to Grow offers a different solution.
Through our fractional Talent Acquisition service, we provide experienced, hands-on recruitment support for businesses that need the expertise of an in-house recruiter without employing somebody permanently.
Rather than simply acting as another recruitment agency, we work as an extension of your business, helping you manage recruitment from beginning to end.
That can include reviewing roles and salary expectations, developing attraction strategies, proactively identifying and approaching candidates, managing interviews, supporting hiring decisions and developing longer-term talent pipelines.
The aim is to make recruitment more effective, reduce unnecessary costs and hiring risks, and take much of the workload away from business owners and managers.
For businesses that recruit several people a year but can’t justify a permanent recruitment function, fractional support can offer a more structured and commercially sensible approach.
You can find out more about Aspire to Grow at:
Start building your future talent network now
The ecology sector has particular recruitment challenges. Experienced professionals are not always readily available, specialist skills can be difficult to find and seasonal workloads create pressure to recruit within relatively short timescales.
Recruiting doesn’t have to begin with a vacancy advert.
The businesses that start planning early, promote themselves consistently and develop relationships with potential future employees will be better positioned when they need additional people.
For 2027, I’d encourage ecology consultancy owners and hiring managers to consider three things.
First, plan ahead. If you anticipate needing experienced ecologists next spring, allow sufficient time to find them, interview them and accommodate their notice periods.
Second, build your employer visibility throughout the year. Don’t limit your presence in the market to the occasional vacancy advert. Give people opportunities to discover your business and develop an interest in working for you.
Third, get the right recruitment support. Whether that’s a trusted specialist agency, fractional talent acquisition expertise or improving your internal processes, make sure recruitment is being managed effectively.
After 25 years in recruitment and talent acquisition, I’m increasingly convinced that the businesses which recruit most effectively aren’t necessarily those spending the most on advertising.
They’re the ones that prepare, build relationships and understand the value of being visible before they need someone.
Your next great employee might not be looking for another job today. But they could already be getting to know your business.
And that could make all the difference when the time comes to recruit.
Garry Jones – helping businesses do their recruiting better
Founder, Aspire in Ecology, Ecology Ready and Aspire to Grow
Further advice and useful resources
Recruitment planning, building an attractive employer brand and developing a strong team all require more than simply advertising vacancies. The following organisations provide useful advice and practical support.
CIEEM – Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management
The UK’s professional body for ecologists and environmental managers. A useful starting point for professional standards, training, continuing professional development and career development within the ecology sector.
CIPD – Talent Management and Workforce Planning
Practical guidance on developing talent strategies, workforce planning, attracting and retaining employees, and building longer-term talent pipelines.
ACAS – Recruitment and Hiring Guidance
Free, independent advice for employers on recruitment processes, interviewing, making job offers, induction and fair recruitment practices.
GOV.UK – Recruiting and Hiring Employees
Official government guidance covering employment requirements, recruitment agencies, right-to-work checks and employer responsibilities.
Specialist support for ecology businesses
Aspire in Ecology – Build Your Employer Visibility
Discover how your consultancy can build year-round visibility, showcase your people and projects, and become better known to ecology professionals before you need to recruit. Free employer listings and enhanced membership options are available.
Aspire to Grow – Fractional Talent Acquisition Support
Experienced, hands-on recruitment support for smaller and growing businesses. Access the expertise of an in-house talent acquisition professional without employing a permanent recruitment team, helping you improve hiring processes, manage recruitment costs and build future talent networks.
