Global GIS Lead (Principal GIS Consultant)

Global GIS Lead

The Global GIS Lead oversees BPP’s global geospatial capability, driving GIS strategy, governance, and scalability across 20+ countries. The role leads GIS platform development, data governance, and team management while ensuring GIS supports project delivery, business growth, and competitive differentiation. It also manages Regional GIS Consultants and owns the function’s people, resource, and operational strategy.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the Global Geospatial Infrastructure programme, GIS strategy, and data governance. 
• Manage and develop Regional GIS Consultants, resolving key escalations. 
• Serve as the primary GIS advisor to stakeholders, clients, and sponsors. 
• Drive GIS commercialization, business development, and cost recovery. 
• Oversee platform investments, licensing, and vendor management. 
• Champion continuous improvement in GIS delivery, tools, and capabilities.

Roles and Responsibilities

 Programme Leadership and Strategy

• Define and drive the GGI roadmap aligned to business strategy. 
• Govern GIS platforms, standards, and investments across entities. 
• Provide strategic updates, risk management, and recommendations to sponsors. 
• Promote GIS as a key business and operational differentiator.

  Platform Architecture and Governance

• Own and govern BPP’s GIS architecture, data standards, and governance frameworks. 
• Lead GIS platform, tool, and automation strategy to improve delivery efficiency. 
• Ensure data integrity, security, and access control for sensitive project information.

  Team Leadership and Capability Development

• Lead and develop Regional GIS Consultants through performance management and mentoring. 
• Own resource planning and align team capacity with business demand. 
• Act as the escalation point for operational and delivery issues. 
• Build capability across a global, multicultural GIS team.

  Stakeholder Management and Commercial Development

• Act as the primary GIS interface for senior internal stakeholders across BPP entities
• Engage external clients and partners on GIS capability, data requirements, and delivery integration at a senior technical level.
• Support business development by contributing GIS capability positioning, proposal oversight, and technology demonstrations.

  Skills and Capabilities Required

 Technical Skills

• Deep proficiency across the full Esri ArcGIS ecosystem: ArcGIS Online administration, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Enterprise, and associated apps.
• Broad awareness of the wider GIS software landscape including open-source platforms (QGIS) and enterprise GIS solutions sufficient to evaluate tooling options across diverse client and entity environments.
• Strong understanding of enterprise GIS data architecture: geodatabase schema design, naming conventions, feature service management, and spatial data quality assurance.
• Familiarity with enterprise workflow automation in a GIS context
• Working knowledge of spatial ETL tools (FME, Data Interoperability Extension) for large-format data conversion and migration.

 Leadership and Programme Management

• Proven leadership of global, multicultural teams in remote environments. 
• Experience managing complex programmes with structured delivery methodologies (PMP or equivalent). 
• Strong escalation management skills, with the ability to resolve or escalate issues effectively. 
• Expertise in workforce planning, aligning team capacity with business and programme needs.

 Stakeholder and Commercial Skills

• Strong executive presence and stakeholder management skills. 
• Experienced in client-facing GIS advisory and solution delivery. 
• Demonstrated ability to drive GIS commercial value and business growth. 
• Skilled at navigating complex, multicultural, multi-entity environments.

 Continuous Improvement and Innovation

• Drives process improvement and automation across GIS operations. 
• Keeps current with GIS technologies, industry standards, and best practices. 
• Fosters a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

 Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in GIS, Geography, Spatial Science, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive GIS experience spanning technical delivery, enterprise platform management, and programme-level leadership across multiple regions.
• Demonstrated expertise across the full Esri ArcGIS ecosystem with formal Esri certification at Professional or Enterprise level.
• Proven track record of leading complex, multi-stakeholder GIS programmes from initiation to close.
• Experience designing and governing enterprise GIS data frameworks including schema design, naming conventions, and spatial data quality assurance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead geographically distributed, multicultural teams at a senior level.
• Project management qualification (PMP or equivalent).
• Background in energy, infrastructure, utilities, or resources   in a delivery or advisory capacity.