Head - Environmental Services (UK&I) GCC

The UK&I GCC Head of Environmental Services (E&E) is expected to demonstrate effective and visible leadership, focusing on employee engagement, retention, and capability development.

The role will build high-performing teams delivering Landscape & Urban Design, Cultural Heritage & Archaeology, and Acoustics services to UK clients, supporting infrastructure planning and environmental projects.

This position involves close collaboration with UK&I Environmental Services and other Earth & Environment teams within the E&E Business Unit in UK & GCC.

The Head of Environmental Services will provide strategic guidance on attracting talent, improving team utilization, embedding consistent practices, and ensuring high-quality delivery.

The role is growth-oriented, supporting the ambition to expand GCC Environmental Services through new service lines, capability building, and delivering high-value services that meet evolving UK market needs.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and represent the India-based Environmental Services team (Landscape, Heritage, Archaeology, Acoustics) as the primary point of contact, collaborating with WSP UK E&E teams.
• Support workforce planning, recruitment, and onboarding to meet growth targets.
• Oversee local compliance with health, safety, welfare, risk management, and environmental legislation.
• Foster a “one team” UK–GCC culture, encouraging open communication and collaboration.

Technical Excellence

• Bring specialist expertise in at least one discipline (Landscape & Urban Design, Cultural Heritage & Archaeology, or Acoustics).
• Demonstrate working knowledge and appreciation of the other disciplines to ensure integrated project delivery.
• Oversee production of high-quality outputs such as masterplans, heritage conservation strategies, archaeological assessments, and acoustic studies.
• Provide technical governance and quality assurance across all Environmental Services deliverables.
• Mentor and support team members, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation.
• Ensure all outputs align with UK standards, legislation, and best practices.

UK Integration & Ways of Working

• Promote GCC Environmental Services achievements within UK E&E and the wider GCC business.
• Seek feedback on team performance and convert challenges into opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate with UK and GCC leads to identify qualified staff for projects, balancing scope, schedule, budget, and quality.
• Support technical governance of GCC deliverables to align with UK standards.

Client / External Focus – Delivery Oversight

• Act as a key liaison with UK Environmental Services leadership, promoting GCC capabilities and ensuring success.
• Review audits and ensure adherence to WSP quality processes, implementing corrective measures where needed.
• Stay updated on UK environmental policy, heritage legislation, and competitor activity.
• Ensure GCC Environmental Services contributes effectively to bids, proposals, case studies, and client pursuits.

People – Capability Evolution

• Manage GCC Environmental Services resource utilization, forecasting, and cross-selling opportunities.
• Inspire staff towards professional memberships (e.g., Landscape Institute, Institute of Acoustics, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists).
• Lead appraisals, performance reviews, and succession planning.
• Mentor and coach team members towards qualifications in environmental sciences, design, heritage, and acoustics.
• Actively reshape the capability mix towards digital tools (GIS, BIM, acoustic modelling, heritage databases).

Success in this Role Means

• Strong, trusted UK–GCC relationships in environmental services.
• High utilization and predictable deployment of teams.
• New capabilities built and embedded across disciplines.
• High-quality delivery aligned to UK standards.
• Clear, scalable operating model between UK and GCC.
• Growing, motivated Environmental Services E&E team.
• Demonstrable shift towards digital and data-led services.
• Tangible GCC Environmental Services team actively supporting UK projects.

Key Competencies / Skills

• Senior leadership experience in environmental consulting, landscape architecture, heritage, archaeology, or acoustics.
• Proven GCC delivery model management with UK stakeholder engagement.
• Strong governance, quality assurance, workforce planning, and utilization management.
• Commercial awareness with contributions to bids and proposals.
• Excellent communication and ability to explain complex environmental issues to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience preparing assessments under UK legislation (e.g., planning frameworks, heritage protection acts, acoustic standards).
• Awareness of emerging technologies (GIS, BIM, acoustic modelling, digital heritage tools).

Desirable Skills

• Chartered professional accreditation (e.g., Landscape Institute, Institute of Acoustics, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists).
• Experience establishing or scaling GCC teams supporting UK/global markets.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Environmental Science, Landscape Architecture, Cultural Heritage, Archaeology, Acoustics, or related discipline.
• 18–20 years of diverse experience in environmental consultancy, design, heritage conservation, acoustics, project management, and leadership in consulting environments.