Principal GIS Consultant

Role: Principal GIS Consultant

Location: Warrington, Leeds, Glasgow or Birmingham with travel as required (we offer Hybrid working supported by a Smart Working Policy)

Full Time or Part Time: Full-Time

Directorate: GIS

Company Overview:

Ardent is the UK’s leading provider of land, consent management and stakeholder engagement services to support major infrastructure and regeneration projects from concept to delivery.

We are Project Managers, Chartered Surveyors, Transport Planners and Land Referencers, based in London, Birmingham, Warrington, Leeds, Glasgow and Dublin and supporting projects throughout the UK and Ireland.

Established in 1992 to provide a 'one stop shop’ for land and property matters for major infrastructure projects, our client portfolio includes some of the biggest players across our four core sectors of transport, renewables, utilities and regeneration.

We are passionate about delivering life-improving change for communities and future generations and we are proud to play a key role in facilitating and delivering the UK and Ireland’s net zero agenda, improving connectivity, enabling the repurposing of high streets and town centres and delivering new homes for the people who need them most.

We are problem-solvers, can-doers and solution-drivers working collaboratively with our clients to provide proactive and strategic advice to identify and mitigate risks, deliver efficiencies and, ultimately, achieve deliverable consents and build projects that positively impact people’s lives and the world that we live in.

Key Accountabilities & Job Overview:

We are looking for a forward thinking, digitally minded Principal GIS Consultant to form part of our growing GIS Directorate in support of major infrastructure projects across the UK.

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Principal GIS Consultant to support the Head of GIS in the management and development of our GIS team. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of GIS services, ensuring quality control and assurance, and providing strategic direction to maximise the use of GIS across all projects. This role involves mentoring junior staff, supporting the development of GIS standards, staying informed on the latest GIS technologies, and developing of new service lines and opportunities.

Key Roles and Responsibilities of the role:

• Oversee the allocation and management of GIS resources to ensure efficient and effective project delivery.
• Work with the Head of GIS to monitor the GIS tracking system to ensure all tasks are actioned in a timely manner and communication is of a high standard.
• Manage the workload and development of GIS team members to meet project requirements and deadlines.
• Supporting members of the GIS team in their development including working towards official accreditation.
• Administer and maintain the quality control and assurance processes across Ardent projects to ensure the accuracy and reliability of GIS data and outputs. This will include providing constructive feedback and where necessary conducting training to improve performance
• Review and approve GIS deliverables to ensure they meet client and project specifications. Work with the Head of GIS to ensure our templates, styles and other documents used in the production of GIS deliverables are relevant and adhered to.
• Lead on the delivery of GIS projects, ensuring that GIS technology is utilised to its full capacity, beyond the day-to-day production of plans.
• The Principal GIS Consultant will be responsible for identifying opportunities to implement geospatial solutions where appropriate and will champion the GIS team across their projects.
• Work closely with project teams to integrate GIS into wider project workflows and decision-making processes. Be present at project inception meetings and ensure a plan for GIS and data management is implemented at the beginning of each project.
• Mentor and support the professional development of junior GIS staff, providing guidance and training as needed. Support in members of the team gaining official accreditation and represent Ardent at conferences and events related to the GIS industry.
• Foster a collaborative and innovative team environment including leading training sessions in-house and presentations for wider audiences such as the Lunch and Learn sessions.
• Support the creation and implementation of GIS standards, protocols, and best practices within the organisation.
• Gather requirements from different directorates to ensure procedures are in place to support the various work streams.
• Ensure that all GIS activities adhere to established standards and contribute to continuous improvement efforts.
• Stay informed of the latest advancements in GIS technology and assess their potential application within the organisation.
• Advocate for the adoption of new tools, technologies, and methodologies that could enhance GIS capabilities. Develop web- based solutions using ArcGIS online, Survey123 and ESRI Field Maps.
• Provide support to the Head of GIS, including stepping in during their absence to ensure continuity of leadership and service delivery.
• Contribute to strategic planning and decision-making at the senior management level.

Knowledge, Experience & Skills Required:

The ideal candidate for this Principal GIS Consultant role will have demonstrable experience in GIS and have held similar positions in other consultancy businesses. You will demonstrate an eagerness to learn and develop in a varied role that will require you to adapt and manage in a changing environment.

The successful candidate will have:

Essential

• Either a degree qualification in GIS or a related field combined with 5+years’ work experience, or extensive experience in using GIS software in lieu of a degree qualification.
• Experience using ArcGIS Desktop and ArcPro including the use of extensions such as the Spatial Analyst toolbox, topology tools for the QA/QC of data and carrying out analysis such as site identification.
• Experience of using ArcGIS Online environment for the publishing and sharing of data, designing and implementing mobile solutions such as Survey123, ESRI Field Maps and QGIS Field.

Desirable

• Experience managing large datasets including QA/QC of data, creation and implementation of metadata in line with standards and converting datasets into various formats.
• Experience of Python and/or model builder to enable the automation of tasks to drive efficiencies across the directorates.
• Experience in the use of FME and other third party software designed for data management and manipulation.

Behavioural Skills Required(Based on our Values) :

Thirst for Knowledge (We embrace opportunities to learn and improve for personal and professional growth) - Demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of yourself, and your people, for your role in a growth company and future role. Coach and mentor others (or actively engage with your Coach) to have a deep understanding of their knowledge and experience. Actively supporting with areas of development and career goals, extending beyond a technical remit and actively developing your business knowledge on an on-going basis.

Own It (We do what we say we will. We own our individual actions, are accountable for them and take pride in adding value) - Act like it matters, take pride and caring about the outcome of people in your team, or who you work with, and your clients objectives.

Be the Difference (Focus energy to make things happen. Be beyond process. Stand up, Stand out) - Be confident in your decisions and implementing them, taking into account the wider structure and objectives of the business, working with or alongside peers across the business .Be more than any other competent person in your role.

Enjoy the Journey (Have fun, be engaged and be proud to be Ardent)

Translating goals and visions of the business into meaningful objectives for your team in a positive and engaging manner (delivering excellence in your own objectives), demonstrating your commitment to Ardent and the wellbeing and development of your team and colleagues. Understand the needs of your people and colleagues to have, purpose/fulfilment, personal growth, engagement, team culture and fair pay.

Adapt ( We drive change and innovation to deliver growth and new opportunities in an ever-changing world) - As a growth company Ardent is all about change. You must be a change maker. Demonstrate ability to drive and/or implement change to enable Ardent to continue to excel. Listen to your team and people you work with to actively search for opportunities to create change. Exhibit a resilient attitude, communicate key information in a clear and engaging way to influence others.

Ardent is an equal opportunities employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of race, colour, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability status or other legally protected characteristics.

With people at the core of our business, we offer employees an unrivalled career opportunity rather than simply a job. In a fast growing organisation, we train, develop and support our staff to grow and achieve their career goals. This is supported by a number of initiatives to look after the wellbeing of our employees whilst allowing employees to work flexibility and maintain a positive work life balance.

We offer an attractive benefits package to include :-

• Hybrid working
• Smart Working Policy
• Medical health plan
• Career progression
• Coaching
• Cycle to Work
• Electric Car Scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

For more information, please see our services page on our website at

Interested? Get in touch

Should you be interested in hearing more about the position or wish to send your cv in to people@ardent-management.com or contact Stuart Thomas stuartthomas@ardent-management.com