Public jobs in United Kingdom

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WSP Land is seeking a talented Land Consultant, at Associate level, to join our teams in Birmingham / Manchester. This is an exciting opportunity to become part of our Land team in the delivery of land referencing, landowner engagement, consultation management, land access, formal consents, statutory orders, compensation agreements and land acquisition in support of strategic infrastructure development projects across Ireland and the UK.

We support high-profile infrastructure projects across the Energy, Water, Road, Rail and Local Authority sectors such as East West Rail, Heathrow, as well as HS2 and many other high-profile infrastructure development schemes in GB. Many of our Energy projects are critical for the deployment of renewable energy, helping Ireland and the UK economies to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions.

Delivering the Development Consent Order (DCO) for East West Rail is a critical project for us, which when successful will enable one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure projects to create a fast, sustainable connection between Oxford and Cambridge, unlocking economic growth, supporting up to 100,000 new homes, and improving access to jobs, education, and services across the region. By reducing road congestion and cutting carbon emissions, it aligns with national net‑zero targets while strengthening the UK’s transport network. Successfully delivering this DCO ensured statutory compliance and coordinated complex land requirements across multiple counties, paving the way for a project that will transform connectivity and drive long‑term prosperity.

• Lead the delivery of WSP Land business development across the UK electricity, highway, rail, water, telecoms, gas and renewable energy sectors to secure new projects, extensions to projects and new clients.
• Work closely with our other WSP Disciplines in the UK, including Engineering, Engagement, Environmental and Planning teams, to exploit opportunities at multidisciplinary and strategic level and grow our business.
• Raise profile of WSP Land in Birmingham / Manchester, across public, target business sectors and academia.
• Be a trusted advisor to clients (externally and internally). Actively engage with client capture teams and Key Client Managers (KCMs).
• Lead the writing of bids/tenders to secure opportunities.
• Manage Resource Strategy including staff retention, planning for succession and recruitment to ensure that the Ireland team has the necessary skills and resources to deliver successful projects and grow the business.
• Lead at Project Director level, successful delivery of projects on time, within budget and to the highest standards.
• Undertake project reviews to support risk and opportunity management as appropriate. Routinely review task/project delivery to ensure alignment with client needs and objectives. Seek client feedback, proactively share it, and ensure feedback is acted on.
• Provide Technical Direction on Land projects within UK, including the relevant statutory processes to acquire land and land rights including Vesting Order, CPO, Motorway Order, Wayleaves etc.
• Contribute to positive team & project outcomes. Engender collective purpose to achieve project/team goals. Excellent team working with other members of senior leadership in WSP Land.
• Promote our WSP culture of health, safety & wellbeing (HSW).
• Promote our adherence to Quality Assurance and development of our processes.
• Promote our adherence to Data Protection and development of our processes.
• UK/Ireland-wide Champion of a core pillar eg sector strategy, people development etc.
• Ireland and UK travel.

• Experience managing and directing the delivery of Land Services, including land referencing, Orders production, acquisition of consents, consultation, and landowner engagement on infrastructure development schemes.
• Delivered a Development Consent Order (DCO) project, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and successful coordination across multidisciplinary teams.
• Extensive experience with Linear Land Referencing projects, managing complex datasets and supporting legal and planning processes.
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams across a range of sectors and locations and through all stages of scheme development.
• Proven ability to reduce land risk for clients and advise on land‑related matters throughout all stages of a project lifecycle.
• Experience of Public Inquiries/Oral Hearings and managing objections.
• Experience developing business and services with existing clients and securing new business opportunities.
• Knowledge of target business market in Ireland.
• Experience in bid writing and approvals process.
• Skilled in resource strategy and development.
• Knowledge of rural environment, property, communities, and agricultural working practices.
• Strong landowner and public engagement skills with excellent influencing and negotiating abilities.
• Ability to communicate effectively and develop strong relationships with senior clients and management colleagues.
• Excellent team working skills at all levels and ability to work under pressure to deliver high‑quality outputs.
• Strong business and IT skills with adherence to quality assurance, data protection, and Health & Safety standards.
• Degree in Geography, Agriculture, Land and Estate Management or similar; chartership or professional membership advantageous.
• Ability to travel to site and remote locations.

Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Apply, and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team. 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.

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