Principal Consultant - Land Referencing

Principal Consultant

Location: Leeds (with travel as required – Hybrid working available)

Contract: Full Time

Directorate: Land Referencing

Salary: Negotiable, dependent on experience

About Us

Ardent is the UK’s leading provider of land, consent management and stakeholder engagement services for major infrastructure and regeneration projects.

Since 1992, we’ve been trusted by some of the biggest players across transport, renewables, utilities, and regeneration to deliver projects that improve connectivity, enable sustainable growth and support the UK and Ireland’s net zero future.

Our team of Project Managers, Chartered Surveyors, Land Referencers, and Transport Planners work collaboratively to provide expert, proactive advice that helps clients navigate challenges and deliver projects that make a real difference to communities.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Principal Consultant to join our Land Referencing directorate.

This is a senior role where you’ll take responsibility for leading projects, building strong client relationships, and supporting the development of our people. You’ll play a key role in delivering high-quality land referencing services while contributing to the growth and success of our team.

What You’ll Do

• Lead projects, ensuring delivery on time and within budget.
• Manage and develop client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor.
• Provide people leadership, coaching and mentoring team members.
• Monitor project finances, providing estimates, managing costs and supporting cash/debt collection.
• Identify risks, propose solutions and lead lessons-learned sessions.
• Support business development by contributing to winning tenders and securing repeat work.
• Drive compliance with company processes and champion best practice.
• Contribute to resource planning and recruitment by identifying needs and sourcing talent.

About You

• Proven experience in project leadership within land referencing or related fields.
• Strong people management skills with the ability to mentor and inspire.
• Ability to build trusted client relationships and win repeat business.
• Commercial awareness with experience managing project finances.
• Excellent organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Proactive, adaptable, and able to make decisions within delegated authority.

Our Values

At Ardent, we live by our values:

• Thirst for Knowledge – Always learning and growing.
• Own It – Taking pride in our work and accountability for our actions.
• Be the Difference – Driving impact and standing out.
• Enjoy the Journey – Creating a fun, engaging workplace.
• Adapt – Embracing change and innovation.

What We Offer

We know our people are our greatest strength. That’s why we provide an environment where you can thrive:

• Hybrid & smart working
• Private medical health plan
• Career progression & coaching
• Cycle to Work scheme & Electric Car scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Supportive, collaborative culture with wellbeing at the core

Interested?

If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and want to make a difference on projects that shape communities, we’d love to hear from you.

📩 Send your CV to people@ardent-management.com

📩 Or contact Savanna Poselay at savannaposelay@ardent-management.com

🌐 Find out more at www.ardent-management.com