Senior Landscape Manager - HS2
23 days ago
Birmingham
Senior Landscape Design Manager – HS2\nLocation: Birmingham or London (Hybrid – 3 days office/site - flexible working)\nSalary: £70,000 – £77,500 / 75,000 - £83,672 London + 12% Pension + Package\n🌿 One of the Most Unique Landscape Roles in Europe\nThis is not a typical landscape Architect/ Design role.\nThis is an opportunity to join High Speed Two Ltd and take a client-side leadership position on the largest landscape and ecology programme of its kind in Europe, forming part of HS2.\nWe’re delivering:\n * 3,500 hectares of landscape and habitat creation\n * 8 million trees and 400km of hedgerows\n * A long-term environmental legacy tied to a nationally significant infrastructure programme\nThis is a rare chance to shape a project that will define the UK’s landscape for generations.\n🚀 Why This Role Stands Out\n * Client-side ownership, you influence outcomes, not just advise\n * Strategic leadership role - act as the “strong voice in the room”\n * Massive scale & complexity — across multiple contracts and disciplines\n * Full lifecycle exposure: design, construction, handover, and long-term asset management\n * 30-year asset legacy backed by DfT commitment\n * 10+ years remaining on the programme → long-term career security\nThis is the kind of role that broadens your career beyond pure design into delivery, strategy, and asset management, indeed full estate management.\n🌍 The Role\nReporting to the Head of Landscape, you will join a small, high-level team as one of the senior leaders responsible for landscape design assurance and delivery across HS2.\nThis is a strategic oversight role, not hands-on design.\nYou will act as the client’s subject matter expert, ensuring landscape commitments are delivered to the highest standards across detailed design, construction, and long-term maintenance.\nWith civils and green asset packages already in detailed design and construction, your focus will be on assurance, verification, and performance across delivery.\n🎯 Key Responsibilities\n * Act as the Landscape Design Subject Matter Expert, setting direction and assuring quality across multiple contracts\n * Provide technical leadership and design verification, ensuring compliant and value-driven solutions\n * Influence and challenge Tier 1 contractors and design teams to drive performance\n * Work across a complex, multi-disciplinary environment including civils, environment, planning, and delivery teams\n * Oversee on-site verification of landscape works and ensure delivery aligns with design intent\n * Support handover and transition into long-term asset management and maintenance\n * Ensure landscape mitigation commitments are fully realised across the programme\n✅ What They’re Looking For\n * Degree in Landscape Architecture (or equivalent), ideally Chartered (CMLI)\n * Proven experience as a landscape/public realm SME on major infrastructure or large-scale projects\n * Strong track record overseeing landscape delivery (not just design)\n * Experience working across design, construction, and handover phases\n * Strong understanding of design assurance, programme, cost, and risk\n * Ability to influence, challenge, and hold contractors to account\n * Experience in complex environments such as rail, highways, regeneration, or large public realm schemes\n🔄 Why Move from Consultancy?\nThis role is particularly suited to those currently in consultancy who want more ownership:\n * Move from advisory → decision-making authority\n * Gain exposure across full lifecycle delivery (EIA → design → construction → maintenance)\n * Broaden your technical experience – will not be\n * Work on multiple phases simultaneously — experience that typically takes 10–15 years to build\n * No timesheets, no fee pressure — focus on quality and outcomes