Principal Land Consultant

Principal Land Consultant

• Provide technical leadership on land matters across the UK and Ireland, with particular expertise in Development Consent Orders (DCOs)
• Lead the delivery of land workstreams for DCO and major infrastructure projects, including land referencing, land access, statutory consultation, and land acquisition activities.
• Liaise with landowners, land agents, legal representatives, planning authorities, key stakeholders, contractors and clients.
• Collaborate with engineering, environmental, planning and project management teams within WSP and across project supply chains.
• Lead quality assurance reviews of deliverables relating to the identification of land interests and rights, land referencing, access agreements, statutory processes, land acquisition and planning applications.
• Support continuous improvement by promoting quality, innovation, knowledge sharing and lessons learned across projects and regions.
• Ensure the successful delivery of land projects safely, on time, within budget and to a high standard.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients and project teams, building and managing strong internal and external relationships.
• Provide people leadership as a role model within the Land team, managing, motivating, mentoring and developing colleagues.
• Contribute to business planning, resource management and the delivery of the wider Land business strategy.
• Support business development activities, including the preparation of bids, tenders and client proposals.
• Deliver technical training and share knowledge across the business through contributions to our CPD-accredited Land Academy.
• Undertake travel across the UK and Ireland, with the potential for occasional travel to WSP's Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate 

• Proven experience delivering land workstreams for Development Consent Orders (DCOs) and other statutory processes, with a strong understanding of relevant legislation and land acquisition mechanisms.
• Experience working on major infrastructure projects within multidisciplinary teams across a range of sectors and locations.
• Expertise in land, property, communities and stakeholder engagement within urban and/or rural environments.
• Demonstrable experience of identifying and mitigating land risks and advising clients throughout the project lifecycle.
• Experience negotiating with landowners and their representatives, including securing access, wayleaves, easements and other land rights.
• Strong understanding of the acquisition of land, rights and consents required to support major infrastructure projects.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, managing competing priorities while delivering high-quality outputs.
• Strong quality assurance, document management, business and IT skills.
• Degree qualified in Geography or related discipline.
• Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body would be advantageous.
• Ability to travel effectively to project sites and client locations as required.