Associate Director – Ground & Water

Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom

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.

We are seeking an Associate Director to play a key role in growing and leading our Ground & Water business in the North East, with a strong focus on business development, client leadership, and team growth alongside technical and project delivery.

A little more about your role… As an Associate Director, you will operate as a senior leader within the Ground & Water team, responsible for driving business growth, strengthening client relationships, and ensuring successful delivery of complex, multi-disciplinary projects. This role requires a balance of:

• Client relationship management
• Project and commercial oversight
• People leadership and team development
• Technical direction and assurance

You will be expected to operate as a trusted advisor to clients, a leader of teams, and a key contributor to regional and national growth strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Business Development & Growth (Primary Focus): Lead the identification, pursuit and conversion of new business opportunities across the North East and wider UK market, while developing and maintaining strong relationships with key clients and acting as a senior point of contact. Drive sector growth across contaminated land and remediation, energy transition and industrial decommissioning, and infrastructure and regeneration. Lead or support strategic bids, including bid strategy development, commercial positioning, and client engagement and negotiation. Contribute to regional and national business development plans and growth targets, while expanding WSP’s market presence and strengthening its reputation within the Ground & Water sector.
• Client & Project Leadership: Act as Project Director on key projects, with accountability for delivery to time, cost and quality, alongside full responsibility for commercial performance, financial management, and effective risk management and governance. Provide strategic advice to clients across complex environmental and remediation challenges, while maintaining high standards of technical excellence and client satisfaction, and ensuring the effective coordination and leadership of multi-disciplinary teams.
• Leadership & Team Development: Lead, mentor and develop teams within the Newcastle office and wider region, supporting recruitment, retention and capability development aligned to business growth. Build high-performing, collaborative teams and foster a positive working culture, while identifying skills gaps and supporting effective succession planning.
• Commercial & Operational Performance: Take accountability for project and regional financial performance, including revenue generation and profitability through effective margin management. Support forecasting, pipeline development and reporting, while ensuring projects are delivered in compliance with WSP governance, quality and health & safety requirements, and contributing to effective operational planning and resource management.
• Technical Leadership & Assurance: Provide senior technical oversight and maintain high standards of delivery, acting as a subject matter expert in contaminated land, hydrogeology or remediation (or related disciplines). Support innovation and continuous improvement across the service line, while contributing to technical excellence and promoting knowledge sharing across the wider business.

Your Team

You will be part of WSP’s Ground & Water Service Line, a national team delivering contaminated land, hydrogeology, and remediation services across sectors including infrastructure, energy, property, and industrial development.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• A degree (and ideally postgraduate qualification) in environmental science, geology, engineering, or a related discipline
• Chartered status with a relevant professional body
• Significant experience in Ground & Water, contaminated land, or related consultancy services
• A proven track record in:
• Winning work and building client relationships
• Delivering complex projects
• Leading teams and developing people
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of consultancy delivery models
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

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.

Benefits

• Work-life balance: At WSP, we understand that work is just one aspect of your life. It’s important to make time for you, your family, friends, interests and your community. Our hybrid working policy offers the flexibility to work from home two days a week, while also providing opportunities to collaborate in our modern offices across the UK.
• Inclusivity & Belonging: We welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and experiences. We enable rewarding careers by encouraging people to bring their whole and authentic selves to work so that our work represents the fullest spectrum of society. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP.
• Flex your time: To enhance work-life balance, WSP offers the “WSP My Hour,” allowing you to take one hour each day for personal activities, with the flexibility to make up the time earlier or later that day. We also provide part-time and flexible working arrangements, the option to purchase additional leave, and the ability to use your bank holiday entitlement to suit you.

We understand the importance of development and training to you. That’s why we foster a supportive environment that invests in your growth, whether through training, mentoring, or Chartership.

#WeAreWSP Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria, please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.