Location
Belfast

Hours
37.5 hours per week with flexible and core working hours

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
Lead with expertise and influence major projects as a Principal Arboricultural Consultant at WSP. You will play a pivotal role in leading complex arboricultural commissions, developing client relationships, mentoring professionals, and driving technical excellence across our national arboriculture team. Working within a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment, you will provide strategic arboricultural advice on some of the UK's most significant infrastructure and development projects. You will help shape best practice and consistent delivery standards across regions while supporting business growth and team development. This role offers the opportunity to lead major project workstreams, contribute to work winning activities, and support the senior leadership team on technical and operational matters. You will also be instrumental in mentoring and coaching consultants and senior consultants, fostering career development and succession planning.

Why Join WSP?
Join one of the world's leading professional services firms and take your career to the next level. Benefits include:
- The chance to work on nationally significant and high-profile development and infrastructure projects
- Opportunities to lead major projects and build strategic client relationships
- A supportive, inclusive, and collaborative culture prioritising development
- Clear career progression pathways and leadership opportunities
- An annual training budget aligned to your personal and professional goals
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements to support work-life balance
- Opportunities to contribute to WSP's Future Ready initiatives, digital innovation, and global service development
- Paid professional membership
- WSP Treats employee benefits programme
- Competitive pension contributions

Experience
- Extensive experience in arboricultural consultancy, planning, and project delivery
- Strong technical expertise in BS5837 assessments and reporting
- Proven experience advising multidisciplinary design and project teams
- Experience managing complex projects, programmes, budgets, and client expectations
- Commercial awareness including scope management and budget control
- Strong relationship-building skills with clients, stakeholders, and internal teams
- Experience leading, mentoring, and developing technical professionals
- Positive approach to health, safety, and wellbeing with ability to promote safe working practices

About You
You are a confident and experienced arboricultural professional with a passion for technical excellence and leadership. You thrive in a collaborative environment and are committed to mentoring and developing others. You have strong commercial acumen and excellent communication skills, enabling you to build and maintain strategic client relationships. You are proactive in promoting health and safety and are motivated to contribute to the growth and success of a nationally recognised team.

Qualifications
- Chartered Arboriculturist or Chartered Forester status, or working towards chartership (desirable)
- Significant experience supporting NSIP/DCO projects, major infrastructure schemes, or EIA delivery (desirable)
- Experience supporting public inquiries, expert witness services, or planning appeals (desirable)
- Proven track record in work winning, tender preparation, and client development (desirable)
- Knowledge of forestry considerations within the planning system (desirable)
- Experience using digital survey technologies, canopy cover assessments, and emerging AI-enabled workflows (desirable)