Senior Land Consultant

WSP in the UK & Ireland; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP in the UK & Ireland is seeking a Senior Land Consultant to join their leading Land team in Newcastle. This role involves securing land, managing access negotiations, and providing expert advice on land acquisition. The position offers a flexible hybrid working model and opportunities for personal development within a supportive team.

The ideal candidate will have a background in Geography or Land Management, strong interpersonal skills, and experience working on infrastructure projects. Join us to make a significant impact in planning and development activities.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or a relevant discipline.
• Worked on major infrastructure projects.
• Negotiation experience with landowners.

Responsibilities

• Secure land and land access.
• Manage relationships with landowners.
• Provide senior-level advice on land acquisition.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Land acquisition negotiation

Interpersonal communication

Project management

Legal process knowledge

Education

Degree in Geography or Land Management

Job description

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 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. Apply and discuss the contributions you can make in the delivery of the widest portfolio of projects across all sectors in the UK and Ireland.

The Role

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 surveyors. We provide services such as land referencing, securing powers, negotiating land acquisition and land access, property cost estimates, heads of terms, disposal and client account management, and full property‑related support to assist clients in planning, securing and exercising powers for construction, operation and maintenance of their infrastructure assets.

Senior Land Consultant

• The position focuses on securing land, land access, arranging surveys and building strong relationships with stakeholders and landowners via statutory powers and/or negotiation.
• Ideally have experience of managing land referencing and land access projects.
• Lead audits and quality assurance reviews of land referencing documentation and processes.
• Drive integration of land requirements with engineering, planning, and environmental strategies.
• Provide senior‑level advice to clients and project boards on land acquisition risks and opportunities.
• Oversee compliance with statutory processes and ensure projects meet regulatory and legal obligations, including those relating to data security and privacy.
• Resolve disputes and elevate sensitive issues with diplomacy and authority.
• Contribute to commercial strategy and risk management for land‑related contracts.
• Establish training programmes and succession planning within the Land team.
• People management and team leadership.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to engage with landowners, communities and stakeholders.
• Ability to arrange and coordinate land surveys, ensuring compliance with legal and environmental standards.
• Experience working on infrastructure, utilities or energy projects (preferred).
• Consulting with landowners to explain proposed scheme, programme, discuss potential impacts and ensure accurate consultation notes are taken and uploaded to our consultation database.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, building trust and maintaining positive relationships.
• Ensuring that WSP H&S procedures are adhered to for all site work.
• Knowledge of land access permissions, land access, s172 licences and site safety experience (preferred).
• Management of junior members of Land team providing support and technical training by contributing to and participating in our CPD‑accredited Land Academy.
• Using statutory powers and other available mechanisms to acquire land.
• Preparation and quality assurance of technical documents in relation to the identification of land interests and rights, negotiation of access to land for surveys, consents and acquisition of land rights.
• Negotiation of heads of terms to secure land for projects.
• Liaising with landowners, land agents, auctioneers, legal representatives, planning authorities, key stakeholders, contractors and clients.
• Work closely with Land team colleagues and collaborate with internal and external engineering, environmental and planning teams.
• Experience in working with multi‑disciplinary teams across a range of sectors and locations across UK and/or Ireland.
• Develop efficient working practices and promote innovation in the team to provide industry‑leading, best‑value services to our clients.
• Management and development of a team of early career professionals providing both technical training and career development support.
• Contribute to business development and the delivery of the business strategy.
• UK and Ireland travel plus the possibility of travel to WSP’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or a relevant discipline.
• Worked to deliver land referencing, land access, landowner engagement services and statutory processes on major infrastructure projects.
• Experience of negotiating with landowners and knowledge of the legal process for the acquisition of wayleaves, easements, servitudes desirable.
• Experience working with multi‑disciplinary teams across a range of sectors and locations across Ireland and/or UK.
• Demonstrable experience of reducing land risk for clients and advising them on land related matters throughout all stages of a project lifecycle.
• Proven track record of the development of orders or equivalent and/or acquisition of consents and interests in land, and knowledge of relevant legislation.
• Experience of infrastructure development schemes, particularly in the energy, highways, rail, water and/or aviation sectors.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships with colleagues, landowners and client at all levels.
• Ability to communicate effectively with strong influencing and negotiating skills.
• Knowledge of the urban and/or rural environment and farming practices would be desirable.
• Chartership or membership of a professional body would be advantageous.
• The ability to travel effectively to various sites/locations is a necessary function of this role.

Location and Working

The role is based in our Leeds or Newcastle offices, with the flexibility of hybrid working between one of these locations and from home. The candidate will ideally be located within North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, County Durham, Teesside, Tyne and Wear or North Lincolnshire.

Development and Training

We appreciate that development and training is important to you and that is why we have a supportive environment that invests in your development, whether that’s chartership, training or mentoring. WSP’s Land Academy is designed and delivered by our expert Land team for the Land team, with a focus on providing the best standard training and CPD across the industry and support and guidance to achieve your chartership. With a network of experts available to guide, we support your management and ownership of your own projects, client advisory, line management, presentation, training and leadership skills.

Opportunity

With a broad selection of projects, we don’t pigeonhole you into a particular project or role. The Land Academy enables you to broaden your capability into GIS, data management, valuations, negotiations, referencing and access and project management to be a more rounded and valuable consultant. Project experience rotates, on average, around every 18 months. Day‑to‑day activities vary from site activities, landowner engagement, access negotiations, client meetings, project management, report writing, data management, digital innovation scoping and map production.

Apply Today

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. Apply today.