Senior Agricultural Liaison Officer

Senior Agricultural Liaison Officer

• Provide expertise and support on agricultural and land management to facilitate access, way leaving and possession of land
• Advise on agricultural tenancies
• Secure land rights for high profile, strategic infrastructure projects across the UK and Ireland
• Utilising statutory powers and other available mechanisms to acquire land (Vesting Order, CPO) on behalf of WSP clients within the electricity sector, but also highway, rail, water, telecoms, gas and renewable energy sectors
• Negotiate commercial terms, option agreements and other land related agreements
• Work closely with the Land team and collaborate with engineering, environmental, and planning teams
• Organise and attend site visit meetings with landowners, their agents, legal teams and other stakeholders and provide meeting records for upload to a landowner and stakeholder communications database
• Regular communication with landowners and their agents to manage and build positive working relationships for the successful delivery of projects
• Liaise with landowners, land agents, legal representatives, planning authorities, key stakeholders, contractors and clients
• Landowner dispute resolution
• Attend weekly/monthly project meetings and provide updates to project stakeholders
• Report progress to clients regularly ensuring client satisfaction and expectations are met
• Prepare and check consenting documentation
• Experience working on infrastructure, utilities, or energy projects (preferred)
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, building trust and maintaining positive relationships
• Ensuring that WSP H&S procedures are adhered to for all site work
• Knowledge of land access permissions, land access, s172s licences and site safety experience (preferred)
• Preparation and quality assurance of technical documents in relation to the identification of land interests and rights, negotiation of access to land for surveys, consents and acquisition of land rights
• Negotiation of Heads of Terms to secure land for projects.
• Advise clients on compliance with statutory and industry best practice
• Support the sharing of knowledge and lessons across regions and projects
• Lead on quality assurance of deliverables and drive and promote innovation within team to improve working practices
• Lead on and contribute to business development and client relationship management

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate

• Degree or equivalent experience in Geography, Land/Estate Management, Agriculture or a relevant discipline
• Worked to deliver land referencing, land access, landowner engagement services and statutory processes on major infrastructure projects
• Experience of negotiating with landowners and knowledge of the legal process for the acquisition of wayleaves/easements/servitudes desirable
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams across a range of sectors and locations across the UK and/or Ireland
• Demonstrable experience of reducing land risk for clients and advising them on land related matters throughout all stages of a project lifecycle
• Ability to communicate effectively with strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Strong landowner and public engagement skills
• Knowledge of the urban and/or rural environment and farming practices would be highly desirable
• Chartership or membership or a professional body would be advantageous
• The ability to travel effectively to various sites/locations is a necessary function of this role
• Ability to travel to site and remote locations

Don’t quite meet all the criteria? Apply, and we can see how your experience aligns to this role and other opportunities within the team. Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Location

As part of WSP Land you will enjoy the support of your multi-disciplinary colleagues in our Dublin, Naas, Belfast and wider offices throughout the UK and well as in India

We support high-profile infrastructure projects across the whole of the island of Ireland such as Dublin Metrolink, the largest infrastructure project in the history of Ireland; the North South Interconnector; NM20; M1