General Ecologist (Wildlife Inspector Grade III), Dublin Pike

Job Title: General Ecologist (Wildlife Inspector Grade III)

Employer:

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Salary:

Starting at€39,974

About the Employer: The National Parks&Wildlife Service is an executive agency within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and is primarily responsible for formulation and implementation of policy and legislation relating to nature conservation and biodiversity. It also has responsibility for the protection and conservation of Ireland’s natural heritage and biodiversity at national government level. The NPWS collects, collates and publishes data and information about nature conservation sites, habitats, species, and other biodiversity-related matters, on an on-going basis.

Further information on the NPWS and its work may be found here.

About The Role: Reporting to an Ecologist (Wildlife Inspector Grade II), the Ecologists (Wildlife Inspector Grade III) may be assigned to any of the Directorates within the NPWS. They will be involved in the initiation, development, management and monitoring of new and existing surveys and other work relating to habitats, species, designated sites and their protection and other related matters.

The Ecologists will also be involved in assisting with project delivery and supporting the NPWS in its key work on the formulation and implementation of legislation and policy relating to nature conservation and biodiversity.

The Ecologists in the Planning Division will also support the Planning Division’s work on the formulation and implementation of legislation and policy relating to environmental screening and assessment.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: The key duties and responsibilities of the role in both areas may include the following:

Providing expertise, advice and information on the conservation requirements of relevant sites, in particular to inform the setting of conservation objectives and identifying necessary conservation measures and means for their implementation;

Working with the wider NPWS/Departmental team on the management and implementation of conservation projects and other work for the management of sites, habitats and species;

Developing management plans for National Parks and Nature Reserves;

Managing and providing expert opinion in relation to applications for consent for specific activities which have the potential to impact on a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Area (SPA) and providing advice on applications for the trade of endangered species of wild flora and fauna;

Assisting in the screening for appropriate assessment of plans and projects proposed by the Minister of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and supporting activities associated with the appropriate assessment;

Undertaking or coordinating the collation and analysis of data relating to habitats, species and designated sites and appropriate management and storage of that data;

Delivering a programme of environmental assessment of planning policies, programmes and projects;

Screening of policies, programmes and projects to identify environmental assessment requirements;

Monitoring assessments and assessment programme delivery;

Reviewing and providing observations on environmental assessment reports as part of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Appropriate Assessment Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) and Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA);

Engaging with plan, programme or project owners to address modifications as required;

Assisting in business planning including provision of annual budget estimates, management and reporting of approved expenditure and inputting into developing Requests for Tender for contracts and projects;

Contributing to the development and implementation of consistent and efficient procedures in respect of statutory consultation functions;

Providing advice and guidance on the application and enforcement of the Birds and Habitats Regulations and relevant parts of the Wildlife Acts;

Representing the NPWS and the Department at meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences at home and abroad;

Maintaining and developing effective relationships with other organisations and experts in relation to the conservation management and protection of relevant habitats and species, including appropriate management and enforcement measures and schemes for their delivery;

Communicating scientific work in accordance with NPWS and Departmental policies, including publications via scientific literature, production of reports and articles for print and websites.

Please note:

The above is a general guide to the key duties and responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive description. Other duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role may be assigned from time to time.

A full list of essential requirements is available in the Information Booklet.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is

3pm on Thursday, 11th June 2026 .

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.

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