Natural Capital Technical Lead

Job Description

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.

A little more about your role…

This is an exciting opportunity to join an industry leading and supportive team doing innovative and challenging work with broad reach across sectors. Our dedicated Nature Advisory team sits within Nature Services in the Earth & Environment Business Unit. Nature Advisory works closely with technical specialists across the business to deliver challenging and innovative projects for our clients which enable them to take account of nature in decision-making.

We provide assessment and advisory services for a wide range of projects, sectors and clients, including corporates, local/regional government, water industry, developers and landowning clients. Working across thematic areas and at the forefront of how business incorporates nature into operations and decisions, we take on the most challenging projects focusing particularly on opportunities relating to biodiversity and nature strategy development, metrics and targets; nature finance; nature-based solutions and institutional level biodiversity strategy and governance.

We're looking for a well-established natural capital professional with significant experience to provide technical leadership of our natural capital offering across our UK business. Natural Capital is a core service offer at the forefront of our 2025-2027 Nature Advisory strategy and this role is central to the growth of our Nature Advisory service offer within the 250-person strong WSP Nature Services team.

The role provides an exciting opportunity to grow our natural capital work, developing new client relationships and liaising with other disciplines in WSP to bring natural capital to the forefront of wider delivery, embedding it across our portfolio of work as a UK business. The role will focus primarily on projects in the UK but with potential to engage in our wider international work. Typical project examples include:

• Developing the project pipeline and financial model for nature finance projects, to restore nature at scale;
• Developing spatial natural capital opportunity maps for local authorities and utility companies to inform strategic investment;
• Assessing natural capital as part of new infrastructure and development projects including providing advice on enhancement opportunities in collaboration with ecologists and landscape architects;
• Developing natural capital accounts for clients looking to embed quantitative measures into decision-making and nature-related reporting (e.g. TNFD) to highlight its value and monitor changes over time;
• Working with the economics team on using natural capital approaches to realise benefits to the economy from restoring nature.

You will be fully supported by technical experts from across WSP but the role will provide autonomy to grow this work and develop innovative ideas that deliver better outcomes for our clients, the environment, economy and society.

A typical week would include:

1. Generating opportunities, preparation of tenders and raising the profile of WSP's work;
2. Providing technical leadership on all aspects relating to natural capital and ecosystem services assessment;
3. Overseeing the delivery and project management of a range of deliverables (technical, commercial and financial) in support of our clients' projects;
4. Being a focal point for natural capital work by communicating internally with other disciplines about potential areas for cross-disciplinary work and collaboration;
5. Working with the leadership team to develop staff, capabilities and retain/attract the best natural capital talent.

What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…

• A good post-graduate degree in environmental/natural science or environmental economics;
• A proven record of delivering natural capital work with private and/or public sector clients including direct knowledge and use of relevant guidance and tools;
• Excellent client relationship skills and experience of providing strategic and technical advice to private and public sector clients;
• A proven ability to win work, writing and contributing to bids and managing projects;
• Passion for delivering positive natural capital outcomes for clients and society;
• The ability to apply technical excellence in a commercially astute manner;
• Advanced ecosystem services modelling skills;
• An interest in mentoring and developing junior staff;
• Excel VBA, GIS and other programming skills desirable.

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.

About Us

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To find out more about our business click on the following link and discover what awaits you at WSP: Who We Are | WSP

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU

Work-life balance?

WSP recognises that work is only one part of your life and making time for other things is important – whether that's for your families, friends, or yourself.

Inclusivity & Diversity?

We want our people to achieve rewarding careers, bringing their whole selves to work. We celebrate integrity and treat people with respect, supporting each other and embracing diversity to create a culture of inclusion and belonging at WSP.

Health & Wellbeing?

We are committed to supporting our people, giving you the tools to make improvements to your health and wellbeing through our Thrive programme.

Flex your time?

For improved work life balance, WSP offers the “WSP Hour” which enables you to take one hour per day to do as you wish and make up the time earlier or later that day.

Your development?

We appreciate that development and training is important to you and that's why we have a supportive environment that invests in your development, whether that's chartership, training or mentoring.

APPLY NOW AND BE THE FUTURE OF WSP!

#WeAreWSP

Here at WSP we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity. As a Disability Confident leader, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria, please let us know if you require any workplace adjustments in support of your application.

Please note WSP reserves the right to close the vacancy before the advertised closing date.