WSP in the UK & Ireland
Strategic Growth Director – Business Development and Client Engagement – Sustainability, Earth and Environment
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Strategic Growth Director – Business Development and Client Engagement – Sustainability, Earth and Environment
Head of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Business Development
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. Embrace your curiosity in a culture that celebrates new ideas and diverse perspectives. Experience a world of opportunity and the chance to shape a career as unique as you.
About the Role
Responsible for shaping, coordinating, and delivering structured business development, client engagement, and market profile activity across the Earth, Environment and Sustainability portfolio of Business Units.
This role will translate portfolio strategy into practical growth activity by:
- Strengthening relationships with existing corporate clients
- Identifying new decision-makers
- Recognising adjacent market opportunities
- Supporting coordinated work winning within priority sectors
The position requires an understanding of client needs, market drivers, and decision-making processes, then mobilising the right technical, sector, and commercial expertise to position the business effectively.
You will operate across Earth, Environment and Sustainability Business Units as a connector between client need, sector strategy, technical capability, and work-winning activity.
Key Responsibilities
- Senior engagement and relationship development: Foster strong relationships with senior-level clients, including executives, procurement leads, and technical sponsors.
- Cross-selling and portfolio growth: Identify and develop opportunities to combine capability across WSP’s Earth, Environment, and Sustainability business (with adjacent/emerging markets).
- Strategic programme execution: Design a structured engagement programme focused on high-priority clients, ensuring planned touchpoints, feedback follow-up, and relationship deepening.
- Market intelligence and pipeline development: Turn market insights, sector trends, and technical capability into a pipeline of qualified opportunities, driving sustained growth.
- Client feedback integration: Coordinate a robust feedback process to enhance client experience, improve future projects, and align delivery to client priorities.
- Market profile and communications: Lead marketing activities, including campaigns, thought leadership, events, and proposition materials to strengthen portfolio visibility.
- Bid and capture support: Assemble strategic advice for priority pursuits, guiding positioning, value propositions, and competitor intelligence.
- Matrix organisation coordination: Collaborate seamlessly with growth teams, sector leads, key account managers, technical experts, marketing, and project delivery across WSP.
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Responsibilities
Client Engagement
- Develop a structured engagement strategy and execution plan, aligning with portfolio growth goals.
- Own access to senior decision-makers, ensuring escalation paths and influencing priority client journeys.
Market Identification and Pipeline
- Identify target clients in existing, adjacent, and emerging markets—acting on intelligence to turn insights into qualified opportunities.
- Contribute to pipeline health—value, confidence, and alignment with target accounts—reviewed regularly.
Cross-Selling & Integration
- Facilitate collaborations between Earth/Environment/Sustainability and the wider firm, creating multidisciplinary solutions.
- Ensure integrated offerings reflect end-client challenges—from planning/consenting to digital transformation.
Thought Leadership & Branding
- Shape a coordinated presence—shape case studies, campaigns, and webinars—demonstrating technical leadership and competitive differentiation.
- Share horizon-scanning intelligence on trends/future disruptions with sector teams to inform strategy.
Client Feedback & Continuous Improvement
- Design and implement a systematic feedback programme to mobilise insights into better client outcomes.
- Build a culture of feedback-as-learning across teams, translating into confident delivery and strategic alignment.
What We are Looking For
Key skills and mindset
Core Competencies
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Client engagement strategy
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Senior relationship development
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Business development & opportunity identification
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Cross-business integration
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Market intelligence horizon scanning
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Coordination of marketing and profile activity
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Client feedback & improvement
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Matrix collaboration
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Commercial intricacies of technical proposals
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** Sturdy analytical skills and a disciplined evidence-based approach to prioritise efforts.
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Ability to balance ambitious aspirations with pragmatic execution when engaging priorities, business model innovation, and pipeline elevation.
Key Interfaces
- Strategic colleagues: Richard Clayton, Elena Amirkhanova, Mark Hurley, Barry Cowell
- Business Units: Managing Directors/Heads of Discipline
- Sector leads, Key Account Managers
- Bid, proposal, capture professionals and marketing teams
- External industry bodies and regulators
Success Looks Like...
Outcomes
✔ Clear and active client engagement programme with clear relationship tracking for senior stakeholders. ✔ Able to predict, anticipate and influence client buying priorities. ✔ Strong portfolio-wide cross-selling alignment backed by technical depth. ✔ Improved qualified pipeline: Ownership and early positioning. ✔ Consistent client feedback captured + clear data-driven action. ✔ Elevated brand visibility for the portfolio in target sectors.
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Measurable Goals (Based on Southern Europe/UK Portfolio Targets)
- Client Engagement: Quarterly engagement reviews, access maps, and action tracking
- Senior Access: Scheduled and asynchronous engagements with developing patterns within targeted Accounts
- Pipeline Quality: Monthly review, reframed to align with unit priorities
- Strategic Pursits: Active capture campaigns for high-level targets aligned with primary and secondary streams
- Cross-Selling: Embedded initiatives between UK/Int./multidisciplinary unit growth—with measurable corporate revenue impact
- Client Feedback Programme: Captured and reported from high-value engagements prescribing a 1-month cadence
- Market Influence: Aligned pitch/positioning for social venues and key peer commentators
Join Our Team
Don’t quite match the full criteria? Apply—our team can chart opportunities for new experiences within WSP.
Join us.
About WSP
A global leader in engineering and professional services, delivering innovative solutions worldwide. Backed by one decade of UK presence, 11,000 professionals, we combine innovation, integrity, and talent for change at every scale.
We’re better together. Apply now.
Benefits at WSP
Work-Life Balance
- Flexible, hybrid pathways with standard 2-days-from-home policy
- Modern collaboration-focussed offices
- “My Hour” arrangement to recharge
Inclusion & Belonging
- Applicants welcomed from diverse backgrounds
- ERGs fostering culture of inclusion
Health & Wellbeing
- Thrive Workplace Wellbeing Programme
- Virtual GP consultation and support packages
- Gymflex contributor discount scheme
- Menopause support
Flexible Opportunities
- Agreed leave mileage, part-time/flexible arrangements
- Adjustable leave—use bank holidays flexibly
- Opportunity for career growth via mentoring and chartered professional routes
“Imagine a better future for you and a better future for everyone.”
Equal Opportunities
WSP positively encourages applications regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, or religion. We actively engage with disabled candidates.
Note: Disability Confident holder—applicants qualifying for adjusted interview considerations should declare needs during assessment.
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