Head of Land and Property

Salary: Circa £120,000, depending on skills and experience Full-time, with flexibility for part-time. 37 hours per week/permanent

Location: London and Peterborough - Hybrid Working 2-3 days in office weekly with attendance in Peterborough as required.

• Private health care Double-matched pension Car allowance Life assurance at 8 times salary
• About the Programme

Help unlock one of the UK's most significant infrastructure programmes Before a single reservoir can be built, before planning consent can be secured, before future generations benefit from a resilient water supply, the foundations must be laid through strong partnerships, trusted relationships and a land strategy that enables delivery.

At Anglian Water, we're delivering the Fens Reservoir and Lincolnshire Reservoir schemes, two nationally significant infrastructure projects that will help secure water supplies for millions of people, support economic growth and enhance environmental resilience across the East of England.

Together, they form our multi-billion-pound Reservoirs Programme, the largest and most complex infrastructure programme ever undertaken by Anglian Water.

We're now looking for an outstanding Head of Land & Property to lead the land and property strategy that will help make these transformational projects a reality.

This is a career-defining opportunity to shape nationally significant infrastructure while working at the centre of one of the most ambitious development programmes in the UK.

Why this role matters

As Head of Land & Property, you'll lead the strategy that enables project development, secures access to land, manages land acquisition and property matters, and builds the relationships needed to help deliver successful outcomes for communities, landowners and the Reservoirs Programme.

You'll oversee all aspects of land agency and land referencing across both reservoir projects, ensuring the programme has the land rights, agreements and strategies required to progress through the DCO process and ultimately into delivery.

You’ll also help shape how the programme engages with hundreds of stakeholders whose land, businesses and communities will play a crucial role in the future success of these projects.

• What you'll be doing
• Develop and drive the land acquisition strategy for both reservoir schemes, ensuring alignment with consenting, programme and delivery requirements.
• Lead the programme's appointed Land Delivery Partner, ensuring the right expertise, resources and capabilities are in place to deliver critical land activities.
• Oversee land referencing, land acquisition, compulsory acquisition strategy, landowner negotiations and access arrangements.
• Build trusted, long‑term relationships with landowners, occupiers, local communities and key stakeholders affected by the projects.
• Lead the management of property acquisition activities and oversee the programme's growing property portfolio.
• Manage significant budgets and commercial considerations associated with land acquisition and compensation activities.
• Work closely with planning, engineering, environmental, legal, stakeholder engagement and commercial teams to ensure land considerations are embedded in programme decision‑making.
• Provide strategic advice and leadership on complex land, property and compulsory acquisition matters throughout the project lifecycle.

What we're looking for

• Significant experience leading land and property activities on major infrastructure programmes, ideally within the DCO or wider NSIP environment.
• A degree in Rural Land Management, Estate Management, Property, Surveying, Real Estate, Law or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• MRICS or FRICS status, or equivalent professional standing.
• Extensive experience in land acquisition, compulsory acquisition, compensation and complex land negotiations.
• Strong understanding of DCO processes, including land requirements, Book of Reference, Land Plans and Examination procedures.
• Proven experience working across multidisciplinary infrastructure teams.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and negotiation skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with landowners, regulators, local authorities and senior leaders.
• Strong commercial acumen and experience managing budgets, programme risks and consultant performance.
• Leave a lasting legacy

Few land and property opportunities offer the scale, complexity and visibility of this role.

The Reservoirs Programme will help secure water resilience for future generations while supporting communities, businesses and the environment across the East of England.

These projects will become some of the most significant infrastructure assets delivered in the UK over the coming decades.

As Head of Land & Property, you'll play a pivotal role in making that future possible.

You'll influence nationally important decisions, shape land strategies that unlock delivery, build relationships that last for years, and help deliver infrastructure that will serve millions of people for generations to come.

Benefits

• Personal private health care
• Life assurance (up to 8 x salary)
• Personal accident cover (up to 5 x salary)
• Car allowance - £650 p/m
• Double-matched pension (maximum 7% employee/14% employer contribution)
• 30 days annual leave – rising with length of service and the ability to buy more
• Excellent family friendly policies, such as 26 weeks full pay for maternity / adoption leave, as well as 4 weeks paid paternity / partner leave.
• Opportunity for shared parental pay
• Bonus scheme - up to 25%
• Flexible benefits to support your wellbeing and lifestyle.
• Inclusion at Anglian Water

We value the representation & diversity within our communities.

Inclusion is for every one and we are an equal opportunity employer, which means we’ll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic.

We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion for creating better outcomes, and we’re committed to creating an environment where all our colleagues feel they belong.

We are committed to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve in both our workforce and our supply chain partners to help us to understand and meet the needs of our customers.

We are passionate and dedicated to the learning and development of our people, making sure they have the right skills and knowledge to be successful and to help achieve their potential.

We want to give everyone equal access to our recruitment process.

If you have a disability or long-term condition, including neurodiversity and mental health conditions, we’ll support you throughout your application, and make any adjustments to make sure your disability or long-term condition is not a barrier to recruitment.

If you are offered a job with us, you’ll be subject to the relevant employment checks for your role, which could include references, driving licence check, DBS Check as well as your right to work in the UK.

More information about how we look after and use your information can be found in our Privacy Notice.

Become a part of Anglian Water’s future and join us on our journey as we live through our values to build trust, do the right thing, and are always exploring, to bring environmental and social prosperity to the region.

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