About Baker Consultants
What is Baker Consultants?
Baker Consultants is an ecological consultancy working out of Cromford Station in Matlock, Derbyshire. Andrew Baker established the firm in 2009. It is a CIEEM registered practice whose "senior team includes a fellow of CIEEM, chartered ecologists and some of the most respected technical and academic consultants in the country." The work spans the whole development timeline — preliminary ecological appraisal, species and habitat surveys, Habitat Regulations Assessments, Biodiversity Net Gain, protected species licensing and expert witness work at public inquiries — on projects "across the whole of the UK". It is deliberate about what it takes on: "We don't chase routine or high-volume survey work – instead, we seek out interesting projects and strategic advisory roles." A sister business takes its soil ecoacoustics research to market.
Where will I work?
The office is at West Platform, Cromford Station, Cromford Bridge, Matlock, Derbyshire. Remote working is long-standing rather than recent: Baker Consultants calls itself "a small but highly effective team, who have always used remote working to give our staff the maximum amount of flexibility so they can find the best work/life balance that suits their personal circumstances." Vacancies note that "our current team are all based within 1hr of our Derbyshire office", while adding that "your current (or preferred) location in the North is not necessarily a limiting factor". Home-working kit is provided — new joiners "will be given the necessary equipment needed to support you regularly working from home."
What is the Baker Consultants team like?
Small, technical and long-tenured. "The majority of our core team have been with the business for around ten years... We have an enviably low staff turnover rate." The team is organised around specialisms — bat and newt licence holders, invertebrate and botanical specialists, an ornithologist, an acoustic data scientist — and the firm says "each one of us has our 'geek' specialist area and is committed to professional development throughout our careers." It has "doubled in size over the last three years", and staff are supported "to pursue areas of training and CPD that interest them, alongside regular internal training sessions and shadowing opportunities."
Work-Life Balance
Baker Consultants works a four-day week. It launched a trial in January 2023 "inspired by the success of the recent UK pilot led by 4 Day Week – Global", telling staff they "will still get full-time pay... to help us deliver 100% of the work, in 80% of the time." Working days are Monday to Thursday, with "a free-day each Friday" and a Director available for urgent Friday queries. The firm later confirmed "successfully adopting a permanent 4-day week in January 2024". Night work is capped through a short-term time-off-in-lieu system "to sensibly limit the number of night-time surveys & your time away from home", and workloads are spread through the year to avoid "the typical cycle of crazy summers and quieter winters".
Perks and Benefits
- Permanent four-day week, Monday to Thursday, at full-time pay
- Contributory pension scheme
- Bonus scheme (discretionary at Associate Director/Director level)
- Equipment provided to support regular home working
- Supported training and CPD, plus internal training and shadowing
- Time off in lieu to cap night-time surveys and time away from home