Why pre-screen nature-based solutions designers before the interview
These schemes take years to work and fail without announcement in the meantime. Planting dies in the first dry summer, a wetland silts up because nobody maintained the inlet, and by the time anyone checks the funding has gone. Designers worth hiring know what their schemes looked like three years on. A short screen asks that, plus who was maintaining them.
What actually matters when screening Nature-Based Solutions Designer candidates
- 01
Technical depth
Check command of hydrology and ecology fundamentals: SuDS design to CIRIA SuDS Manual, infiltration testing, planting palettes, biodiversity net gain metrics, natural flood management runoff calculations.
- 02
Work that shipped
Probe schemes built on the ground: rain gardens, bioswales, leaky dams, saltmarsh or peatland restoration, with hectares, catchment area treated and monitoring results after two seasons.
- 03
Diagnosis under uncertainty
Test how they handled failures: plant die-off, clogged filter media, unexpected groundwater, contaminated ground, or a scheme underperforming against modelled flood benefit.
- 04
Working across the org
Assess coordination with drainage engineers, landscape architects, planners, Environment Agency or lead local flood authority, plus maintenance teams inheriting the asset.
Pre-screening questions to ask Nature-Based Solutions Designer candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Schemes that were built
3 questions01Can you describe a project where you delivered a nature-based solution?
Listen forA built scheme with location, scale and function described, and its condition since completion.
Designs that were never constructed, or schemes never revisited after handover.
02Can you discuss your experience with green infrastructure in urban settings?
Listen forUrban constraints handled, including underground services, soil volume and long-term access for maintenance.
Urban schemes designed without soil volume checks, or maintenance access not considered.
03Can you give an example of using these approaches to improve biodiversity?
Listen forBiodiversity outcome measured with surveys rather than assumed from planting a species list.
Biodiversity benefit claimed from planting alone, or no monitoring after establishment.
Ecology grounded
4 questions04How do you assess whether a nature-based approach suits a particular site?
Listen forSoil, hydrology and existing habitat surveyed, with a willingness to conclude it is unsuitable.
Feasibility assumed from site size, or no site they have advised against.
05How do you approach the selection of plant species for a project?
Listen forSpecies matched to soil, hydrology and future climate, sourced locally where provenance matters.
Species chosen from a standard list, or provenance and future conditions not considered.
06What techniques do you use for erosion control and water management?
Listen forHydraulic performance designed and checked, with maintenance requirements built into the design.
Hydraulic function assumed from vegetation, or no calculation behind the sizing.
07How do you integrate the existing local ecology into your designs?
Listen forExisting habitat surveyed and connected to, rather than cleared and replaced with a new scheme.
Sites treated as blank, or established habitat removed to install a designed feature.
Performance measured
3 questions08How do you measure the success of a scheme after implementation?
Listen forMonitoring over several years against defined criteria, with establishment failure reported honestly.
Success judged at completion, or monitoring stopping when the project funding ended.
09How do you build climate resilience into these designs?
Listen forFuture conditions considered for species and hydraulic sizing, with margin for a changing climate.
Design based on historical conditions alone, or drought tolerance not considered in planting.
10What process do you follow for environmental impact assessment?
Listen forAssessment proportionate to the scheme, with impacts during construction considered as well.
Assessment treated as paperwork, or construction phase impacts on habitat ignored.
Maintenance secured
2 questions11How do you secure community involvement in your projects?
Listen forLocal people involved early with something changed as a result, and their role after completion agreed.
Engagement limited to consultation events, or community maintenance assumed without agreement.
12How do you handle budget constraints without compromising the design?
Listen forMaintenance funding protected in the budget, since establishment years decide whether it survives.
Maintenance cut first to fit a capital budget, or whole-life cost never presented to the client.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Technical depth
35%5Names design standards and species selections precisely, explains infiltration rates, attenuation volumes and BNG unit calculations without hedging.
Work that shipped
30%5Cites named sites with area, cost per hectare, and post-construction monitoring showing establishment rates or measured runoff reduction.
Diagnosis under uncertainty
20%5Walks through a specific failure, the diagnostic steps taken (soil sampling, hydraulic recheck) and the design change that fixed establishment or performance.
Working across the org
15%5Describes resolving a concrete conflict between civil engineering constraints and habitat aims, and how maintenance regimes were agreed before handover.
Planting dies in the first dry summer and nobody checks. A one-way video screen asks about year three.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for this role take?
Fifteen minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async. Enough to establish built schemes, test their ecological grounding, and check performance monitoring and maintenance arrangements.
What background suits this role?
Ecology combined with engineering or site design. Someone with only one of those will produce a scheme that either performs hydraulically and supports nothing, or the reverse.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening this role?
What a scheme looked like three years after completion. Designers who follow up know, including where planting failed. Anyone whose involvement ended at handover has not learned from their work.
How do I judge their realism about maintenance?
Ask who maintains their schemes. Real answers name an organisation with a funded commitment. Anyone who assumes community volunteers indefinitely has designed something that will decline.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
