The Project Officer (Land Access Support) role sits within the Stakeholder Engagement team and will be responsible for helping HS2 to progress land access and possessions and in particular to manage liaison with land owners/occupiers and other affected third parties before and during surveys and works taking place on their land.

Key responsibilities and duties:

Role specific

• Act as the single point of contact for all land access requests and communications with landowners/third parties;
• Work as part of the Stakeholder Engagement team, and alongside the Consents Management team to help identify land access and possessions needed;
• Inform and support the process whereby the company advises HS2 Land and Property on forward requirements for access and possessions, to include timely submission of requests for access or possessions to HS2
• Manage and lead the contractor obligatory landowner notification process whereby subcontractors must provide seven days written notices of accessing or taking possession of land, and follow up 48 hour email or telephone notice;
• Maintain register of all landowner/third party notifications for reporting to HS2 as required;
• Manage the process of receiving access agreements and related documents from HS2 in respect of land access and possessions;
• Manage adherence to land agreements, licences or other constraints advised to subcontractors;
• Review emerging Works Information provided by HS2 against requirements of licenses and access agreements to establish any discrepancies;
• Maintain, and report to HS2 as required, a validated schedule/tracker of site visits, works or other activities undertaken by access agreement, licence or notice, to include a forward plan of activities for a minimum of 6 months. Forward planning of those as part of the Work Package Strategy and individual Work Package Plans;
• Manage and lead liaison with landowners/third parties potentially in advance of the formal notification process (in liaison with HS2), and during periods surveys and works. This may involve responding to general queries, addressing specific issues or complaints arising from matters such as access, site security, site management and condition, contractor activities etc;
• Liaise with HS2 to plan activities and safe entry to land in advance of planned date of entry, and to plan and manage delivery of site possession protocols - security needs, logistics etc as part the team which includes specialists in those matters;
• Liaise with HS2 Land and Property to communicate and help manage landowner/third party matters with specific reference to HS2 procedures, HS2 Undertakings and Agreements or other obligations HS2 may have with landowners/third parties in order to assist in the discharge of those responsibilities;
• Manage the company responsibilities during access and possessions and on handover to HS2 or hand back to landowners/third parties;
• Maintain a register of Settlement Deeds requested by land owners/third parties, to be available for review by HS2.

Skills

• You must have had experience of working within a client liaison or client engagement role in the past.
• You must have an understanding of planning consents and site possessions
• You must have had exposure to land access previously as an intermediary