Associate Director - Transport Planning

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There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

Are you ready to challenge the boundaries of what's possible?

AECOM offers a dynamic and collaborative environment where you can lead impactful projects and work alongside industry experts. As an Associate Director, you will have the opportunity to shape the future of transport planning, delivering solutions that enhance connectivity, sustainability, and quality of life.

We believe infrastructure creates opportunity for everyone. Whether it’s improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive.

About You

The Associate Director role in Transport Planning and Strategic Consulting is a leadership position focused on delivering innovative and sustainable transport solutions. Responsibilities include leadership, client engagement, project delivery, business development, and team development. Candidates should have extensive experience in transport planning, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to excellence.

The Leeds office has an established track record of successfully delivering Transport Planning projects and works closely with other disciplines from Streets and Technology, Highways, Aviation, Ports, Rail and Environmental sectors. The team workload ranges from feasibility studies, preliminary / detail design and on-site management, working with mainly public sector clients.

We are currently looking for an Associate Director to support and lead on the delivery of a variety of transport projects. The role will suit a self-motivated individual who is aspiring to take a lead role in client engagement and manage dynamic teams delivering high quality projects covering:

• Transportation studies covering all modes including active travel and passenger priority schemes
• Modelling and data analytics to support public sector business case development and funding applications
• Localised and strategic transport model development
• Collaborative working across multi-disciplinary major projects

Here’s what you’ll do:

Strategic Leadership : Lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives to grow the transport planning and consulting practice. Align team objectives with AECOM’s broader business goals, ensuring integration across disciplines. Proven work winning, project management and team management abilities with excellent Client relations.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement:  Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients, including public sector agencies, private developers, and infrastructure operators. Provide strategic advice to clients, ensuring their goals are met with innovative and sustainable solutions. Represent AECOM at client meetings, industry events, and conferences, enhancing the company’s reputation as a leader in transport planning.

Project Delivery:  Oversee the delivery of complex transport planning projects, ensuring they meet quality, budget, and timeline requirements. Provide technical oversight and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards. Manage project risks, develop mitigation strategies, and ensure successful outcomes.

Business Development : Identify and pursue new business opportunities in the transport planning sector. Lead the preparation of bids and proposals, ensuring they align with client needs and AECOM’s strategic priorities. Collaborate with other business lines to secure and deliver multidisciplinary projects.

Team Development:  Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of transport planners and consultants. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the team. Promote diversity and inclusion, ensuring a supportive and equitable workplace.

Come grow with us.

We develop projects from concept through to operation providing engineering and construction services for multiyear, multimillion-dollar projects for major rail and transit agencies. Our specialists provide analytical and strategic expertise for every stage of a project

And let's not forget about the perks at AECOM. You'll enjoy a range of core and personalised benefits designed to support your future and well-being, customized to fit your lifestyle. Take advantage of career development opportunities, our flexible hybrid working model to ensure a work-life balance that suits your lifestyle, technical practice networks, AECOM University, and volunteering days.

Qualifications

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Degree in Transport Planning, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, or a related field.
• Membership in professional bodies such as the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) or Transport Planning Society (TPS).
• Extensive experience in transport planning, with a proven track record in winning work and leading teams
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects and deliver results.
• Comprehensive knowledge of transport planning principles, policies, and regulations in the UK&I region.
• Expertise in transport modelling (strategic and local) and transport economics
• Ability to interface with design teams on the role of modelling in scheme development
• Understanding of the technical requirements of major public clients in the region with respect to transport modelling and appraisal
• Proficiency in commonly used transport planning tools and software.

We celebrate diversity, including neurodiversity, and believe it enriches our team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and abilities. If you are an applicant with a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us at  View email address on jobs.smartrecruiters.com

At AECOM, we value everyone's unique contributions and perspectives.

If you meet some of the requirements above or have transferable skills you believe would benefit us, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Additional Information

#stap #transportplanning

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address  View email address on jobs.smartrecruiters.com if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.