Location
Manchester

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
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.

There is a political consensus that infrastructure investment is vital and serves an enduring purpose. Across UK government, projects are progressing that support sustainable economic growth, decarbonise the movement of goods and people, and modernise services for end users. At WSP, with experience from over 36,000 transport and infrastructure projects in more than 40 countries, we are global leaders committed to sustainable transport and connecting communities.

As one of the largest environmental consultancies in the UK, you will have the opportunity to contribute to nationally significant transport projects and collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the industry. You will be encouraged to explore new ideas in a culture that values curiosity and diverse perspectives.

In the Resilient Infrastructure team in London, as an Associate or Associate Director, you will play a key role in navigating the increasingly complex consenting environment for UK transport projects. You will support transport expansion through strategic planning, environmental advice, and technical studies, contributing to significant and transformative transport infrastructure projects. Your work will include planning applications, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), GRIP stages, and support for Development Consent Order (DCO) examinations and planning inquiries.

This role is strategically significant to our business and offers a challenging and exciting opportunity to identify, win, and deliver multi-disciplinary inputs for transport infrastructure projects. We seek individuals with a creative spirit, dedication, and a solid grounding in environmental design, assessment, and management at any stage of the development lifecycle.

As an Associate or Associate Director, you will collaborate with diverse technical specialists and design professionals to lead and coordinate environmental contributions across project designs and assessments. You will be instrumental in improving environmental performance for a range of aviation projects and will have responsibility for directing and leading projects, including recruitment, bidding, project team management, delivery, and financial management.

You will play a key role in growing our transport sector offer by working with sector leads and client account managers to drive thought leadership and win new business. Providing environmental advice and support to clients, project managers, and colleagues will be central to your role, alongside promoting sustainable design and environmental enhancement.

You will lead large, multiple, and complex projects, overseeing technical, quality, commercial, and health and safety performance. Building strong client relationships and identifying opportunities to support project strategy, resourcing, and delivery will be essential.

You will undertake activities to secure new work, including developing proposals for complex opportunities, delivering strategic bids and framework opportunities, and pursuing business development. Championing innovation through Digital EIA, Technical Excellence, and Future Ready approaches will be encouraged.

Driving performance improvement and career advancement across the team, promoting an inclusive and positive environment, acting as a trusted advisor and mentor, and demonstrating commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing culture are key aspects of this role.

You will undertake actions that contribute to the success of WSP’s business strategy while being self-motivated towards goals relevant to your role, team, and projects.

Experience
- Relevant environmental or planning degree (or equivalent experience), with chartered status or actively working towards chartership.
- Demonstrable experience delivering Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for aviation schemes under UK planning regimes including the Town and Country Planning Act and the Planning Act 2008.
- Awareness of the Transport Works Act 1992 is beneficial.
- Familiarity with consenting processes related to transport infrastructure projects, including Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) and Environmental Permit applications.
- Understanding of integration between consenting processes, planning systems, and EIA for rail and road schemes, transport improvement works, rail sidings, or station and infrastructure upgrades.
- Proven ability to lead client communications and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, regulators, and the public, with solid understanding of public consultation and stakeholder engagement.
- Knowledge of emerging environmental and planning policy trends.
- Advantageous to have experience with HS2, Transport for London (TfL), Pathway, WebTAG, Network Rail, and/or London Underground requirements.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong report writing and review capabilities, attention to detail, and focus on quality assurance.
- Proven people management experience with a track record of developing and upskilling internal teams.
- Demonstrated ability to contribute to strategic planning, win new work through bids and proposals, and enhance reputation in the transport sector.

About you
An enthusiastic and dedicated individual with a creative spirit, committed to delivering high-quality environmental advice and leadership. You are motivated to influence, lead, and deliver environmental elements of complex transport infrastructure projects. You thrive in collaborative environments and are passionate about sustainable design and environmental enhancement. You are proactive in business development and champion innovation and continuous improvement. You promote an inclusive and positive team culture and act as a trusted advisor and mentor.

Qualifications
Relevant environmental or planning degree or equivalent experience. Chartered status or actively working towards chartership is required.