FOUNDER OF SHEARWATER
Josh Francis
Former Senior Marine Environmental Consultant helping graduates and environmental professionals communicate the level of technical work they can actually deliver.
I founded Shearwater after seeing the same problem repeatedly across the UK environmental sector: capable people were being overlooked because their experience was difficult for employers to interpret quickly.
Environmental consultancy experience across EIA, marine licensing, offshore wind, regulatory assessment and environmental compliance.
Why I founded Shearwater
I came into the environmental sector through marine biology and applied marine science before building a career in environmental consultancy.
Over time, I worked across technical assessment, environmental consenting, project delivery and regulatory engagement. I also saw how differently the same experience could be interpreted depending on how it was presented.
A dissertation could demonstrate applied research capability but be written as an academic exercise. Fieldwork could support a major environmental assessment but appear as a list of survey activities. An experienced professional could hold substantial responsibility while their CV still read as though they had merely assisted.
The capability was often there. The professional evidence was not visible.
I founded Shearwater to close that gap. Its purpose is to help environmental professionals present their technical identity, project contribution and professional level in a form that environmental employers can understand quickly.
“The capability was often there. The professional evidence was not visible.”
Experience behind the service
Shearwater is informed by direct experience of how environmental work is scoped, delivered, reviewed and communicated across professional settings.
Environmental consultancy
Experience delivering and supporting environmental assessment, consenting and compliance work across major infrastructure and offshore development projects.
Technical and regulatory assessment
Work spanning Environmental Impact Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment, Water Framework Directive assessment, marine licensing and protected species considerations.
Project and regulator perspective
Experience working with project teams, clients and statutory bodies, including an extended secondment within Natural Resources Wales and earlier water-quality work within the Environment Agency.
Marine environmental specialism
A professional background covering offshore wind, marine mammals, coastal processes, intertidal and benthic ecology, underwater noise and environmental compliance.
What I look for in an environmental profile
A credible environmental profile must do more than list qualifications, duties and technical interests.
It must allow the reader to establish:
What is this person’s technical identity?
What projects, assessments or outputs have they contributed to?
What level of responsibility have they held?
Which regulatory or professional contexts have they worked within?
What role are they credibly positioned to perform next?
These are the questions I use when reviewing a CV or LinkedIn profile.
The purpose is not to inflate experience. It is to make the real level, relevance and context of that experience easier to identify.
Every paid service is reviewed by me
The free Environmental CV Assessment is an automated starting point. It identifies likely visibility problems and helps candidates understand where to focus.
Paid Shearwater services are different.
I review the candidate’s materials personally, interpret their experience in the context of their target role and market, and check every final deliverable before it is issued.
The work is not generated from a generic CV template. The structure, terminology and emphasis are determined by the candidate’s actual experience, career stage and intended direction.
A sector practitioner’s perspective
My experience comes from delivering environmental work, working within professional project teams and understanding how technical evidence is interpreted across the sector.
Shearwater is not a recruitment agency and does not guarantee interviews or employment. It improves the clarity, relevance and professional positioning of the material used to pursue those opportunities.
Professional background
Former role
Senior Marine Environmental Consultant
Academic background
MRes Applied Marine Science
BSc (Hons) Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology
Selected project experience
NSIP-scale environmental assessment
Offshore wind and marine consenting
Environmental compliance and EnvCoW delivery
Marine and coastal technical assessment
Regulatory perspective
Extended secondment to Natural Resources Wales
Previous water-quality experience within the Environment Agency
Direct engagement with statutory environmental bodies
Shearwater
Founder and reviewer of every paid client deliverable
What clients receive
“Josh, thank you so much for everything. Trying to position my UK environmental experience for the Australian market felt genuinely daunting at times, and I wasn't sure how best to present my background to employers on the other side of the world.
The work you've done through Shearwater has given me a huge amount of clarity and confidence. You took a complex brief and turned it into something practical, detailed and easy to act on. The way you rebuilt my CV and LinkedIn profile has completely changed how I present myself professionally, and the accompanying strategy and action plan gave me a clear direction for my job search.
Most importantly, I now feel confident applying for roles in the Australian environmental sector. Thank you for the care, expertise and attention to detail you brought throughout the process.”
— Environmental Advisor, Contaminated Land Specialist; Professional Positioning PackageFind out how clearly your experience is currently reading
The free Environmental CV Assessment reviews your CV across four areas: Technical Visibility, Commercial Visibility, Regulatory Fluency and Market Positioning.
You will receive an immediate score and a clear indication of where the main problem may sit.
Free to use. PDF, Word and pasted text accepted.
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