Senior / Principal Sustainability Consultant
WSPA little more about your role…
We are seeking a Senior/Principal Sustainability Consultant to join us. The role can be based from either our Bristol, Exeter or Taunton offices, with flexible working allowing for a mix of home and in-office working.
This is a varied role, with responsibilities including:
- Leading the embedment of environmental sustainability into the delivery of local government contracts
- Supporting our Local Government Sector Sustainability Lead and working with contract teams to coordinate and roll out best-practice, knowledge sharing and innovation in a collaborative manner across all our local government contracts
- Advising local transport authorities on how to decarbonise transport and infrastructure in line with carbon budgets and net zero
- Aligning transport decarbonisation and climate resilience with other client policy agendas such as green energy and tackling the cost of living
- Supporting the development and continual improvement of WSP’s local government sustainability and transport decarbonisation offers.
- Provide training to WSP colleagues and clients on carbon reduction
- Collaborating with other teams in our Local Government and Transport & Mobility business and other Business Units to identify the optimal solutions for addressing the challenges of climate change
- Leading decarbonisation projects and tasks such as carbon assessment and management of schemes, climate risk screening and development of new tools and guidance
- Proactively growing our business by strengthening client relationships, shaping new opportunities and providing sustainability inputs to strategic bids.
- Managing development of fee proposals to clients, including coordinating and preparing technical and commercial responses
- Building a collaborative, ‘carbon conscious’ culture across the wider Local Government team, and acting as a champion for embedment of sustainability best practice decarbonisation approaches across the business
The successful candidate will have strong technical experience in whole-life carbon assessment and PAS2080 carbon management, with experience working with local government and an understanding of the bigger picture and context of transport decarbonisation. They will also have an aptitude for challenging business-as-usual and an ability to communicate technical topics in plain language. This role is best suited to someone with carbon assessment, sustainability, environmental or transport planning background, but a passion for mitigating and adapting to climate change in the transport sector. We will also help you to broaden your experience or deepen your specialist skills in line with your career aspirations.
Your Team
While this role would sit within our Local Government Business Unit the successful candidate will be part of our Transport Decarbonisation & Sustainability (TDS) team and Expertise Practice Group. TDS are a group of carbon specialists that work as part of our wider Mobility and Local Government Business Units. This team was established to guide our clients and colleagues through the complex challenge of transport decarbonisation and embed carbon thinking at the heart of our wider transport and local government services.
The team deliver a wide range of decarbonisation services including, but not limited to, carbon assessment and management for transport infrastructure projects; quantification and assessment of carbon to inform transport strategies and plans; development of carbon management policies and advice for local transport authorities; authoring of government guidance and development of industry best practice.
Since its inception five years ago, our team has been at the forefront of change in the industry. This includes authoring the Department for Transport’s Quantifiable Carbon guidance; working with the Sub-National Transport Bodies to develop baseline emissions models and supporting regional decarbonisation strategies; advising local authority clients on the scale of and solutions to the transport decarbonisation challenge; and developing carbon management policies for major transport programmes and embedding sustainability into the delivery of local government services.
As the largest supplier of professional services to local government, we are in an exciting position to influence change across the industry through engagement with our clients and upskilling our wider Mobility team to embed the skills and services we develop. We also invest heavily in R&D to further innovate and grow our offer, both across decarbonisation and climate resilience.
Joining the team at this critical time for climate action presents a great opportunity to influence transport policies, shape WSP’s and our client’s decarbonisation approaches, and play a meaningful role on the national pathway to net zero.
What we will be looking for you to demonstrate…
- Strong experience relating to carbon assessment and PAS2080 carbon management
- Experience in technical leadership roles, involving scoping and reviewing technical outputs, and requiring a pragmatic approach to resolve often complex issues
- Experience in project management and client facing roles, with confidence in adapting complex information into concise, plain-language summaries
- Experience upskilling others, ideally on environmental sustainability
- An understanding of the principles of Net Zero in a transport and local government context
- Knowledge of local highways and transport services
- Strong analytical skills and ability to innovate beyond traditional processes and methods
- Confidence in working in complex project teams (often cross-discipline) and ability to upskill staff on decarbonisation best practice
- Good written and verbal communication skills
A deep interest and passion for delivering Net Zero
Closing Date: Friday 1st May 2026
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