Senior Land Consultant

Overview

In this role you help secure land and access for major infrastructure across the UK and Ireland, working within WSP’s Land team to support a broad portfolio of projects. You will lead stakeholder engagement, land referencing, and surveys while guiding risk, compliance, and negotiations at senior levels. You’ll partner with engineers, planners, and environmental specialists to integrate land requirements into project delivery. This is a development-focused opportunity in a large, collaborative firm with a strong reputation in land services. You will contribute to client advisory, training, and strategic growth of the Land team.

Pay / Benefits

• development and training opportunities
• chartership support and mentoring
• hybrid working from Leeds or Newcastle
• UK and Ireland travel
• Land Academy and CPD-accredited training

Responsibilities

• Secure land and land access for infrastructure projects and coordinate surveys
• Build and maintain relationships with landowners, stakeholders, and clients
• Lead audits and QA reviews of land referencing documentation and processes
• Integrate land requirements with engineering, planning, and environmental strategies
• Provide senior-level advice on land acquisition risks and opportunities
• Ensure compliance with statutory processes and regulatory obligations (including data security and privacy)
• Resolve disputes and escalate issues with diplomacy and authority
• Contribute to commercial strategy and risk management for land-related contracts
• Establish training programmes and succession planning within the Land team
• Manage and develop junior team members; support CPD-accredited Land Academy
• Negotiate Heads of Terms to secure land; liaise with landowners, agents, legal representatives, and authorities
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across UK/Ireland and travel as needed
• Develop efficient practices and promote innovation to deliver best-value services
• Support business development and delivery of the business strategy

Key requirements

• Degree or equivalent in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or relevant discipline
• Experience delivering land referencing, land access, landowner engagement and statutory processes on major infrastructure projects
• Experience negotiating with landowners; desirable knowledge of wayleaves/easements/servitudes
• Proven ability to work with multidisciplinary teams across sectors and locations in UK/Ireland
• Track record of reducing land risk and advising on land matters throughout project lifecycles
• Experience of developing Orders or obtaining land consents; knowledge of relevant legislation
• Experience in infrastructure sectors (energy, highways, rail, water, aviation) preferred
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiating skills
• Ability to travel to various sites; hybrid working from Leeds or Newcastle

• excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• influencing and negotiation abilities
• relationship-building with landowners and stakeholders
• land referencing
• land access coordination
• landowner engagement

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