Associate - Engagement & Consultation

WSP; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Thrive programme

Gymflex scheme

Job summary

WSP is seeking an experienced leader to join our UK Engagement and Consultation team within Planning and Consents. You will shape how major infrastructure projects connect with communities, leading distributed teams across water, transport, energy and environmental sectors.

You will drive engagement excellence, manage tender opportunities, and build strategic client relationships while embedding global best practice in stakeholder strategies.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading the DCO engagement process across large infrastructure projects.
• At least degree-qualified or equivalent.
• Membership of relevant professional or trade body is desirable.
• Experience in the road, rail, utilities, water, environment or energy sectors.
• Strong team player with an enthusiastic and motivated attitude.
• Proven line management experience including delivery of training initiatives.
• Proven experience of effectively managing and building stakeholder relationships in complex environments.
• Effective decision-maker with ability to act on own initiative.
• Persuasive influencer with ability to strike rapport and exert strong negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Well ordered, structured approach to delivery of tasks, and flexible with ability to adapt within demanding and fast-changing environment.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills to manage a varied workload.

Responsibilities

• Managing and enabling your team to successfully deliver engagement and consultation activities across a range of multidisciplinary projects.
• Having commercial responsibility for tender production and business development opportunities.
• Identifying opportunities to embed global communications and engagement best practice.
• Advising project teams and clients on stakeholder and community strategies for multi-disciplinary projects.
• Developing and implementing the competency focussed training programme for the team.
• Planning and delivering stakeholder communication and consultations, including managing risks and issues, organising and manage public information events, and managing outputs to achieve engagement and consultation objectives.
• Project managing schemes including resourcing, budget management and ensuring delivery to programme.
• Delivering projects including resources, budgets and risk, in order to ensure projects are delivered on time and to budget.
• Collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams to deliver projects.
• Acting as a people manager for engagement specialists.

Skills

Team leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Proposal development

Communication

Education

Degree qualified

Professional body membership desirable

Job description

Job Description

A little more about your role…

You’ll be joining WSP’s expanding UK wide Engagement and Consultation team of 75 plus as an experienced leader, where you’ll play a meaningful role in shaping how major projects connect with communities. Working on some of the UK’s largest infrastructure programmes—as well as projects across the water, health, energy and environmental sectors—you’ll help deliver engagement that is thoughtful, impactful and built on best practice.

Recent contract and framework wins across the water, transport, energy and environmental sectors underpin strong growth over the next three years, with clients including National Grid, East West Rail Co, Nuclear Waste Services, the Environment Agency and others.

As a member of the Engagement and Consultation Team within our Planning and Consents business, you will assist in leading engagement delivery across major UK infrastructure projects, shape regional delivery models, lead distributed teams, build strategic client relationships, and drive excellence and innovation in engagement practice.

Key Responsibilities:

• Managing and enabling your team to successfully deliver engagement and consultation activities across a range of multidisciplinary projects
• Having commercial responsibility for tender production and business development opportunities
• Identifying opportunities to embed global communications and engagement best practice
• Advising project teams and clients on stakeholder and community strategies for multi-disciplinary projects
• Developing and implementing the competency focussed training programme for the team
• Planning and delivering stakeholder communication and consultations, including managing risks and issues, organising and manage public information events, and managing outputs to achieve engagement and consultation objectives.
• Project managing schemes including resourcing, budget management and ensuring delivery to programme.
• Delivering projects including resources, budgets and risk, in order to ensure projects are delivered on time and to budget.
• Collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams to deliver projects.
• Acting as a people manager for engagement specialists.

Preferred qualifications / education:

• Demonstrated experience in leading the DCO engagement process across large multidisciplinary infrastructure projects.
• At least degree-qualified or equivalent
• Membership of relevant professional or trade body is desirable.
• Experience in the road, rail, utilities, water, environment or energy sectors.
• Strong team player who has an enthusiastic and motivated attitude
• Proven line management experience including delivery of training initiatives
• Proven experience of effectively managing and building stakeholder relationships in complex environments.
• Effective decision-maker with ability to act on own initiative
• Persuasive influencer with ability to strike rapport and exert strong negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Well ordered, structured approach to delivery of tasks, and flexible with ability to adapt within demanding and fast-changing environment.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills to manage a varied workload.

The Consultancy hierarchy structure:

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.
Work on landmark projects around the world and embrace opportunities to make an even bigger impact in the communities you care about. What if you could do the

best work of your life and create a legacy for yourself?

#LI-JT1

Job Info

• Job Identification 93329
• Posting Date 08/14/2026, 09:14 AM

About Us

We are one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms. Our passionate people are united by the common purpose of creating positive, long-lasting impacts on the communities we serve through a culture of innovation, integrity, and inclusion. With over 11,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland, we are dedicated to our local communities and propelled by international brainpower.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Work-life balance

At WSP, we understand that work is just one aspect of your life. It’s important to make time for you, your family, friends, interests and your community.

Our hybrid working policy offers the flexibility to work from home two days a week, while also providing opportunities to collaborate in our modern offices across the UK.

Inclusivity & Belonging

We welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and experiences. We enable rewarding careers by encouraging people to bring their whole and authentic selves to work so that our work represents the fullest spectrum of society. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP. We have our employee resource groups bring together employees and allies with different backgrounds to promote a culture of inclusivity.

We are committed to supporting our people, giving you the tools to make improvements to your health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme.

Our Virtual GP service gives you access to an NHS or Irish Medical Council GP at a time and place that suits you – giving you peace of mind and quick access to medical advice when you need it most. We also provide reasonable workplace adjustments for those in need. Additionally, you can benefit from the Gymflex scheme, which offers up to 40% off annual gym memberships through our WSP flexible benefits program, as well as a comprehensive menopause support package.

Flex your time

To enhance work-life balance, WSP offers the “WSP My Hour,” allowing you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with the flexibility to make up the time earlier or later that day.

We also provide part-time and flexible working arrangements, the option to purchase additional leave, and the ability to use your bank holiday entitlement to suit you.

We understand the importance of development and training to you. That’s why we foster a supportive environment that invests in your growth, whether through training, mentoring, or Chartership.

#WeAreWSP

Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria, please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.