Senior Consultant - Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) in Bristol

You’ll be part of our 300-strong technically diverse Intelligent Infrastructure business, delivering for a range of transportation and infrastructure clients - Intelligent Infrastructure services (I&I) | WSP.

Our operations and safety group comprises around 70 committed experts from a range of engineering, science, academic and applied backgrounds. We are growing our vehicle automation team at an exciting point for the industry, as policy, technology, safety and operations come together to shape how automated mobility will be deployed in the real world.

Our work in operational safety is centred on understanding the safety impact of design, operation and technology in infrastructure, in support of reduction of harm to transport users, workers and other impacted parties. Through hazard identification, risk assessment and safety evaluation we put a safe systems approach into practice and support our clients’ decision making and safety governance.

In practice this means that your work as part of our operational safety group will:

• Take a systems view and understand the context - whatever the policy, process, technology or governance change we recognise that it will be only one part of a wider system.
• Put people at the heart of our designs and decision making – any policy, process or technology needs to be designed around people and the capability, opportunity and motivations that shape behaviours.
• Make safety inclusive – to ensure people feel comfortable and safe when using products and services and accessing transport, including populations with protected characteristics and neurodivergent needs.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively with other specialists across WSP, on commissions which may range from short-term advisory projects to long-term multi-disciplinary engineering design schemes; from responsive risk assessment and evaluation in the face of emerging challenges, through to shaping higher level safety governance approaches and application.

A little more about your role...

Working in step with UK Government policy and direction, we are helping clients navigate this fast-moving area with confidence: making safe, timely and proportionate decisions while exploring the new possibilities that automation can create.

The successful candidate will work alongside senior experts and specialists across WSP, contributing to projects across roads, rail, energy, active travel and emerging mobility. You will be part of a friendly, fun and hardworking team with a flat structure, where people are trusted to take responsibility, use their initiative and make a real contribution. For the right person, the opportunity to grow is significant: if you are ambitious, self-motivated and willing to get stuck in, there is scope to take on meaningful responsibility and shape your own progression.

The focus of the role is to deliver high-quality technical work across the Intelligent Infrastructure discipline, while continuing to develop your expertise across the wider automated vehicle discipline, including systems analysis, operational safety, engineering, new technology and real-world operations. Your attitude, enthusiasm and foundational skills will be more important than prior experience in automated vehicles. You will need excellent written and verbal communication skills, a practical can-do mindset, and the confidence to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a wider team.

A typical week could include:

• Working with our Clients, to provide expert advice to support their objectives.
• Working collaboratively with other specialists across WSP providing subject matter expert insight to safety risk assessments, operating procedures, policy and major projects.
• Presenting findings and recommendations clearly, both in writing and in meetings, so that clients and stakeholders can understand the issues and act with confidence.
• Engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, such as operational teams, highway authorities, emergency services and technology providers, to gather insight and test thinking.
• Undertake lead responsible roles for technical packages of work in terms of time, cost and quality of the output, ultimately ensuring customer satisfaction throughout delivery.
• Keeping up to date with developments in automated vehicles, operational safety and emerging technology, and helping the team identify opportunities to grow our work in this fast-moving area.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate...

• Previous experience in a relevant industry, such as safety, risk management, engineering, automotive, transport or infrastructure.
• An interest in emerging technology and the ability to keep pace with a fast-moving industry where the opportunities, challenges and applications continue to develop.
• Experience or knowledge of automated vehicles would be a benefit, but it is not essential if you bring the right mindset and willingness to learn.
• A curious and proactive approach, with the ability to think creatively, ask questions and look for practical ways to solve complex problems.
• A can-do attitude, enthusiasm for learning and the self-motivation to take initiative while knowing when to seek support.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical information clearly to different audiences.
• The ability to be a strong team player, while also being comfortable working independently and taking ownership of your own tasks.
• An appetite to learn, develop and progress as part of a supportive team, with opportunities to take on more responsibility as your confidence and experience grow.

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

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.