Group Director – Land

Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) is a leading environmental and engineering consultancy with a strong presence across Aotearoa New Zealand. For nearly 40 years, we have partnered with clients, iwi, and communities to solve complex challenges across air, land, and water, delivering practical solutions that stand the test of time.

As PDP continues to grow with purpose, an opportunity has arisen to join our senior leadership team as Group Director – Land, leading our Contaminated Land and Geotechnical teams nationwide.

About the role

This is a pivotal leadership role, reporting directly to the CEO and sitting alongside three other Group Directors as part of the business leadership team. Together, you will help shape PDP’s strategic direction, support sustainable growth, and ensure the business continues to deliver outcomes that matter for people and place.

As Group Director – Land, you will provide overarching leadership across a national, multi-disciplinary portfolio spanning multiple locations. You will balance strategic leadership with operational oversight, supporting technical excellence, commercial performance, and a strong, people-first culture.

This role will suit an experienced professional services leader who enjoys working at scale, values collaboration, and understands that long-term business success is built through trust, capability, and people.

While Auckland is the preferred base, we will consider strong candidates based in other PDP locations.

What you will do

• People-centred leadership: Lead, enable, and support teams across multiple locations and disciplines.
• Shared leadership accountability: Work as part of PDP’s senior leadership team with shared accountability for business-wide performance.
• Project and financial stewardship: Provide oversight of project performance and financial outcomes.
• Client and market leadership: Build and maintain trusted relationships with strategic clients and industry partners.
• Strategic growth: Contribute to and execute business plans that support sustainable growth and capability development.
• Quality, risk, and reputation: Champion high standards of quality, safety, and risk management across the Land Group.

What you will bring

• Extensive senior leadership experience within professional services, with a strong track record delivering complex engineering or science-based solutions at scale.
• Proven ability to lead multiple teams across disciplines and locations in a complex organisational environment.
• A degree in Civil, Environmental, or related Engineering discipline.
• Strong commercial acumen, including experience in business development, project governance, and financial performance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• A growth mindset, with a genuine commitment to continuous improvement and people development.

What we offer

• A senior leadership role with genuine influence over the direction and future of PDP.
• The opportunity to lead a nationally significant land portfolio within an established, employee-owned consultancy.
• A pathway to shareholding for the right candidate.
• A comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
• Ongoing professional development and fully subsidised professional membership fees.
• A supportive, inclusive culture that values collaboration and long-term relationships.

About Us  

PDP is a leading New Zealand consultancy specialising in air, land, and water. We cater to diverse projects from major infrastructure works to smaller scale investigations and upgrades in both the municipal and private sectors.  With almost 40 years of experience and a team of 300 experts across multiple locations in NZ, we’re proudly employee-owned and committed to an environment where your expertise is valued, and your career can flourish.  At PDP, we believe a great company is built and nurtured by great people, and so we’re dedicated to providing a fun and supportive environment to our people.