Principal Land Consultant in Belfast

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.

WSP’s Land team is seeking talented Land professionals to join what is already the largest and most successful team in our industry. This is an exciting opportunity to develop or begin a career with a team that enjoys a reputation for the successful delivery of major strategic infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland. We do this through the support provided in land referencing, urban and rural landowner engagement, consultation management, land access, formal consents, statutory orders, compensation agreements and land acquisition.

The Role: We are the largest and most successful Land business supporting infrastructure development in the UK and Ireland, with 300+ specialist professional colleagues consisting of land consultants, property specialists, project managers and utility and topographical surveyors. We have the widest portfolio of projects available in our industry, offering unrivalled opportunities to both develop and diversify careers, working on some of the most exciting and challenging projects across the whole of the UK and Ireland.

Our land referencing professionals identify land and legal interest in land and use this data to secure powers and/or negotiate land acquisition and land access to support infrastructure development. We provide clients with all the land-related statutory documentation they need to comply with planning processes as they develop, plan, secure and exercise powers to construct, operate and maintain their infrastructure assets.

Using the land referencing data, we ensure projects not just comply with legislation but also fulfil their data security obligations, engage meaningfully with landowners and other affected stakeholders, and maximise their benefits of the landed data we provide throughout the project lifecycle, ultimately registering the new rights in the name of the client.

Principal Land Consultant Responsibilities:

• Ensure successful delivery of projects securely, on time, within budget and to high standards.
• Be a trusted advisor to clients (externally and internally) and manage relationships.
• Advise on Land issues across the UK and Ireland, including relevant statutory processes to acquire land.
• Liaise with landowners, land agents, legal representatives, planning authorities, key stakeholders, contractors and clients.
• Work with Land team colleagues and collaborate with engineering, environmental, and planning teams.
• Undertake quality assurance of deliverables such as book of reference, land plans and statement of reasons.
• Support quality and the sharing of knowledge and lessons across regions and projects.
• People management as a leader and role model; manage, motivate, mentor and develop staff.
• Support the writing of bids/tenders to secure opportunities from internal and external clients.
• Delivery of training on technical topics by contributing to and participating in our CPD-accredited Land Academy.
• UK and Ireland travel plus the possibility of travel to WSP’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) in India.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate:

• In-depth knowledge of land referencing practices.
• Experience in working on infrastructure development schemes with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrable experience of reducing land risk for clients and advising them on land-related matters.
• Track record of the development of Orders and/or acquisition of consents and interests in land.
• Ability to communicate effectively with strong influencing and negotiating skills.
• Ability to work in a team and on own initiative, under pressure and deliver high-quality outputs.
• Strong landowner and public engagement skills.
• Good business and IT skills.
• Adherence to quality assurance and good document management skills.
• A degree in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or similar.
• Chartership or membership of a relevant professional body would be advantageous.
• The ability to travel effectively to various sites/locations is a necessary function of this role.

Where will you be based? We support high-profile infrastructure projects across the north of England as well as elsewhere in the UK and in Ireland. The role is based in Manchester with the flexibility of hybrid working between one of these locations and from home. The ideal candidate will be based in the greater Manchester area.

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. With us, you can. Apply today.