Principal Land Consultant

WSP Global Inc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Benefits package

Job summary

WSP Global Inc. in the UK is seeking a Principal Land Consultant to lead land referencing, acquisitions, and access for major infrastructure projects. You will advise clients, manage stakeholder relationships, and collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams across the UK and Ireland.

The role requires experience in land matters, strong negotiation and leadership skills, and willingness to travel to sites and project offices. Flexible working and a competitive benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• Degree in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or similar.
• Chartership or membership of a relevant professional body would be advantageous.
• Ability to travel across UK and Ireland as part of the role.
• Experience with infrastructure development schemes and land acquisition processes.

Responsibilities

• Deliver successful land referencing, land acquisition, land access and related consents for major projects.
• Advise clients on land issues and manage external/internal relationships.
• Secure land rights for high profile infrastructure projects across sectors.
• Liaise with landowners, legal representatives, planning authorities and contractors.
• Mentor and develop staff; contribute to bids and training within Land Academy.
• Support knowledge sharing and ensure QA of land-related deliverables.

Skills

Land engagement

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

People management

Project delivery

Communication

IT skills

Education

Degree in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or similar

Job description

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can access our global scale, contribute to landmark projects and connect with the brightest minds in your field to do the best work of your life. You can embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. You can experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.

WSP’s Land team is seeking talented Land professionals to join what is already the largest and most successful team in our industry. This is an exciting opportunity to develop or begin a career with a team that enjoys a successful reputation for the successful delivery of major strategic infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland through the support provided by land referencing, urban and rural landowner engagement, consultation management, land access, formal consents, statutory orders, compensation agreements and land acquisition.

When considering a career move it’s vital to work for a business that is aligned to your values and goals, a place where you can belong. See what WSP stands for in 2026 and beyond…

We are the largest and most successful Land business supporting infrastructure development in the UK and Ireland, with 300+ specialist professional colleagues consisting of land consultants, property specialists, project managers and utility and topographical surveyors. We have the widest portfolio of projects available in our industry, offering unrivalled opportunities to both develop and diversify careers, working on some of the most exciting and challenging projects across the whole of the UK and Ireland.

Our clients rely on us to deliver the essential land elements of their infrastructure projects and we enjoy a hard‑earned reputation of success. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of this success, delivering land referencing, land acquisition, land access, formal consents, statutory orders and landowner engagement across all infrastructure sectors and make a positive impact on the economy and communities these projects serve.

Our land referencing professionals identify land and legal interest in land and use this data to secure powers and/or negotiate land acquisition and land access to support infrastructure development. We provide clients with all the land‑related statutory documentation the need to comply with planning processes as they develop, plan, securing and exercise powers to construct, operate, and maintain their infrastructure assets. Using the land referencing data, we ensure projects not just comply with legislation but also fulfil their data security obligations, engage meaningfully with landowners and other affected stakeholders, and maximise their benefits of the landed data we provide throughout project lifecycle, ultimately registering the new rights in the name of the client.

We offer flexible working patterns, competitive salaries and other benefits.

Principal Land Consultant

• Ensure successful delivery of projects securely, on time, within budget and to high standards.
• Be a trusted advisor to clients (externally and internally) and manage relationships.
• Advise on Land issues across the UK and Ireland, including at least some of the relevant statutory processes to acquire land such as DCOs, DNOs, hybrid Bills, Scottish Bills, TWA, T&CPA, CPOs, Motorway Orders, Vesting Orders, etc.
• Secure land rights for high profile, strategic infrastructure projects across all sectors.
• Liaise with landowners, land agents, legal representatives, planning authorities, key stakeholders, contractors and clients.
• Work with Land team colleagues and collaborate with engineering, environmental, and planning teams both within WSP and as part of project supply chains.
• Undertake quality assurance of deliverables in relation to the identification of land interests and rights, negotiation of access to land for surveys, consents and acquisition of land rights for large scale development projects, as well as land acquisition and planning applications.
• Support quality and the sharing of knowledge and lessons across regions and projects.
• People management as a leader and role model.
• Manage, motivate, mentor and develop staff and contribute to the development and delivery of the business strategy.
• Support the writing of bids/tenders to secure opportunities from internal and external clients.
• Delivery of training on technical topics by contributing to and participating in our CPD‑accredited Land Academy.
• UK and Ireland travel plus the possibility of travel to WSP’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate

• Expertise in urban and/or rural environment, property, communities and stakeholders.
• Experience in working on infrastructure development schemes with multi-disciplinary teams across a range of sectors and locations.
• Experience of negotiating commercial terms with landowners and knowledge of the legal process for the acquisition of wayleaves and easement and negotiated access.
• Demonstrable experience of reducing land risk for clients and advising them on land-related matters throughout all stages of a project lifecycle.
• Track record of the development of Orders, etc and/or acquisition of consents and interests in land, and knowledge of relevant legislation.
• Ability to communicate effectively with strong influencing and negotiating skills.
• Ability to work in a team and on own initiative, being able to work under pressure and deliver high quality outputs.
• Strong landowner and public engagement skills.
• Good business and IT skills.
• Adherence to quality assurance and good document management skills.
• A degree in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or similar.
• Chartership or membership of a relevant professional body would be advantageous.
• The ability to travel effectively to various sites/locations is a necessary function of this role.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Join our close‑knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 69,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.