Environment & Water Recruitment

We recruit permanent technical roles across both sides. On the environmental side that's environmental scientists and advisors, approvals and impact assessment specialists, ecologists, botanists, and contaminated land and remediation specialists. 

On the water side it's hydrogeologists, hydrologists, water resources and water engineers, and water treatment specialists. We work with consultancies, utilities, government and resource companies.

Two things are driving it. The workload across resources and infrastructure has grown faster than the pool of experienced people, and the WA candidate pool is small to begin with. 

Most of the good people are already employed and not applying for anything, so advertising and waiting rarely works. Finding them takes direct approaches and knowing the market, which is the part we handle.

Depends how specialised it is. A general environmental advisor moves quicker than an experienced approvals lead or a senior hydrogeologist, where there genuinely aren't many people to go round. We'll give you a straight read on the timeframe upfront rather than an optimistic one.

Because this is a small, technical market and knowing it matters. We understand the difference between an approvals lead, a field ecologist and a hydrogeologist, and we only run a few roles at a time, so yours gets real attention. 

A generalist agency covering every sector can't offer that depth, and at a technical level it shows in the quality of the shortlist.

We work either on contingency, where you only pay on a successful placement, or retained for harder or more senior searches. 

Which suits depends on the role and how difficult it's likely to be. We'll talk you through the options rather than push one, and we don't quote a percentage here because it varies with the brief.

A lot of our candidates come through direct approaches and relationships rather than job ads, because the best people usually aren't looking. 

We assess whether they've actually done the work, whether it was consultancy or client-side, along with references and right to work. The aim is that you only meet people genuinely worth interviewing, not a padded list.

There's a guarantee period on permanent placements, so you're covered if it goes wrong. 

We'd rather get it right first time, which is why we're careful about who we put forward, but the guarantee is there as a backup.

Yes. We recruit for environmental and water consultancies as well as resource companies, utilities and government. 

Because we work both sides, we understand how the roles differ and what tends to move people between them, which helps when we're making the case for your role to a candidate.

Yes, and those are often where a specialist earns its keep. Senior approvals leads, principal hydrogeologists and other scarce skills usually can't be filled by advertising, so they need direct approaches and market knowledge. 

We'll be honest about how realistic a role is and what it's likely to take to attract the right person.

Yes, with no obligation. We're happy to talk through what people are actually being paid, how realistic a role is to fill, and what the market looks like for a particular skill set. It's often worth having that conversation before you advertise, so the role is pitched right from the start.

You can also download our latest salary guide here - https://www.gatherrecruitment.com.au/2026-australian-environmental-salary-survey