Associate Surveyor, Land Services - Ardent

Joshua Robert Recruitment Limited; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly competitive salary

Bonus scheme

Smart (hybrid) working

Private healthcare

Wellbeing care

Cycle to work

Regular events

Community involvement

Job summary

Ardent in Cambridge is seeking an experienced Associate to help build its Land Services presence in Cambridge and the East of England, leading the land and utilities interface on a major rail infrastructure project.

The role offers breadth across solar, wind, transport and utilities sectors, with hands-on leadership, mentoring juniors, and collaboration with London office.

Ardent values progression, a collaborative culture, and a clear path to senior leadership within a growing regional team.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering land services on infrastructure projects.
• Strong understanding of land acquisition and access processes.
• Experience managing stakeholder relationships with landowners, occupiers, authorities.
• Knowledge of compulsory purchase and compensation frameworks.
• Ability to lead project workstreams and coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
• Comfortable taking responsibility for project financial performance, risk management and budgeting.

Responsibilities

• Manage land, property and utility workstreams across nationally significant infrastructure and utility projects
• Pick up work across regional projects spanning the solar, wind, transport and utilities sectors
• Build their own network in the early weeks and months, with time split between Cambridge and London offices
• Contribute to bids and business development to support the region's growth targets
• Mentor and develop more junior hires as the team grows from the ground up

Skills

Land services delivery

Stakeholder management

Project leadership

Client-facing

Financial oversight

Job description

Associate Surveyor, Land Services - Ardent

About Ardent

Ardent is an infrastructure and regeneration specialist whose purpose is to deliver life-improving change for communities and future generations. The business supports major infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland, working with clients in the energy, transport, and renewables sectors, as well as city and town regeneration. Ardent also offers comprehensive services in land referencing, promotion, implementation, and compensation, delivering technical excellence across all aspects of its land and consents services.

Ardent has the largest team of CPO surveyors in the UK and Ireland and is the market leader in both Land Assembly & Compulsory Purchase and Development Consent Order (DCO) land advice.

The business has more than 35 years of experience, with over 100 DCOs submitted, involvement in more than 150 major DCO, CPO and TWAO projects, and experience acting as the property expert at over 100 DCO examinations to date.

Ardent has recently moved to a regional operating model, with a presence across the East of England, London & South East, South West, Midlands, North West, North East and beyond. This brings its former valuation & compensation and land assembly teams together into a single Land Services function within each region.

Where Ardent is Going

Ardent's growth is not just a future ambition; it is already well underway. The business has grown into the largest CPO team in the UK and Ireland and the market leader in Land Assembly & Compulsory Purchase Advice. That growth is set to accelerate further, with Ardent having established a 10-year plan through to 2035.

This creates significant scope for career progression and the opportunity to influence how a region develops. Building out Cambridge and the East of England is a key part of Ardent's growth strategy.

This makes the role a key hire for the business and an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to help establish one of its newest regional teams.

The Opportunity

Ardent is seeking an experienced Land & Property professional to help build its presence in Cambridge and the wider East of England.

Ardent's East of England office is new and follows the wider move to a regional structure. The business is looking for an Associate to join its Land Services team, with an opportunity arising in Cambridge for someone capable of leading the land and utilities interface on a major rail infrastructure project.

The Associate – Land Services role exists to provide commercial and technical leadership for day-to-day delivery. This is not simply a business development appointment; there is deliberate breadth built into the role, with exposure to regional projects across the solar, wind, transport and utilities sectors.

As the region builds from the ground up, there will also be an expectation to mentor and develop junior team members over time and to support the Senior Associate Director in managing the overall regional workload, allowing them to focus on winning work and growing the office.

Several of Ardent's current senior leaders joined as graduates or junior surveyors and have progressed to Senior Associate Director and Director level. This route to senior leadership can be achieved faster than is typically available at larger, more traditional firms.

For the right candidate, joining a region at this early stage offers a similar opportunity for significant career progression.

The Role:

• Manage land, property and utility workstreams across nationally significant infrastructure and utility projects
• Pick up work across regional projects spanning the solar, wind, transport and utilities sectors
• Build their own network in the early weeks and months, with the candidate encouraged to spend time in both the Cambridge and London offices
• Contribute to bids and business development to support the region's growth targets
• Mentor and develop more junior hires as the team grows from the ground up

The Ideal candidate:

• Experience delivering land services on infrastructure, utilities, energy or transport projects
• Strong understanding of land acquisition and access processes, including negotiating voluntary agreements, rights and easements
• Experience managing stakeholder relationships with landowners, occupiers, legal teams, local authorities and statutory undertakers
• Knowledge of compulsory purchase, compensation and associated statutory frameworks
• Ability to lead project workstreams, manage programmes and coordinate multidisciplinary teams
• Comfortable taking responsibility for project financial performance, resource planning, risk management and budget control
• Strong report writing, analytical and advisory skills, with the ability to provide strategic client advice
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements and securing land rights to support delivery
• An understanding of planning, consenting and environmental processes in infrastructure development
• Chartered status (MRICS, FAAV or equivalent) preferred but not essential
• An Associate with the potential to rapidly progress
• Client-side professionals are also considered
• A commercial mindset, with the ability to spot opportunities with existing and prospective clients
• A genuine interest in helping build and shape a growing regional team

Why Join Ardent?

Ardent's purpose is straightforward: delivering life-improving change for communities and future generations.

It is a mission the leadership team treats as something to be lived, not simply communicated. The business has grown on the strength of being a market leader in land and consents advice and is now working to a defined plan by 2035, while maintaining the personal, collaborative culture that has supported its growth.

That culture is shaped by five values that Ardent asks everyone to live by day to day:

• A thirst for knowledge
• Owning what you do
• Being the difference
• Enjoying the journey
• Adapting as the business and its markets change

Career development is treated as a genuine priority. Ardent invests in structured training and development, supports people toward the qualifications they need, and has a strong record of promoting from within, with several current directors and senior consultants having started as Assistant Surveyors or Assistant Consultants.

For someone joining a region during its build-out phase, that same commitment to backing people applies to building a team locally.

Ardent's people also point to the variety and significance of the projects on offer, from HS2 and Sizewell C to major regeneration schemes such as the Brentford Football Club stadium redevelopment. The business also makes a deliberate effort to give people breadth across sectors rather than siloing them on one scheme.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary, positioned ahead of the market
• Standard bonus scheme linked to business and team financial performance
• Smart (hybrid) working policy
• Private healthcare through Benenden Health, including 24/7 GP and mental health helplines, physiotherapy and cancer support
• Wellbeing care and support, plus discounted health and lifestyle benefits
• Cycle to work scheme
• Regular company and social events
• A genuine culture of charity and community involvement
• Broad exposure across wider sectors and projects
• A collaborative, values-led culture with real investment in developing people