Principal Consultant - Transport Planning or Modelling

Around the world, SYSTRA’s specialists plan, design, integrate, test, commission, project manage and deliver mass transit and mobility solutions that are relied on by more than 50 million people every day.

For more than 60 years, the Group has been committed to helping cities and regions contribute to their development by creating, improving and modernising their transport infrastructure with sustainability, accessibility and innovation at the heart of our designs. With over 10,300 colleagues globally and around 1000 in the UK & Ireland we are growing significantly and seeking out the very best talent to join the SYSTRA signature team and be part of leading the way in infrastructure design.

Context

Due to continued growth in our project pipeline in Ireland we have a new opportunity for an experienced Principal Consultant – Transport Modelling/Planning to join our growing Transport Advisory, Planning and Modelling team, based in our Dublin office or Cork with the flexibility of hybrid working. The successful candidate will join a high performing Transport Advisory team providing strong technical guidance to both existing and new clients across Ireland. The Principal Consultant will focus on developing strategic highway, public transport and/or multi-modal models. With the support of the Modelling and Appraisal, Public Transport and Transport Planning teams in across the UK and Ireland, you will play a key role in delivering/managing projects.

Missions/Main Duties

• Leads the technical delivery of projects and major commissions in Transport Advisory, Planning and Modelling in Ireland. Acts as an experienced practitioner in either transport planning and/or transport modelling, depending on role focus, providing technical leadership, sound professional judgement and clear client-facing advice across a broad range of commissions.
• For roles with a transport modelling focus, acting as a lead practitioner in the application of the National Transport Authority Regional Transport Modelling System, the TII NTpM and other relevant modelling tools, providing technical leadership in the set-up and running of modelling scenarios and in the extraction, processing, interpretation and presentation of modelling results. For roles with a transport planning focus, leading the development of transport planning advice and ensuring that analytical and modelling evidence is applied appropriately to support decision-making.
• Acting as technical lead on small to medium-sized projects, and on major workstreams within larger commissions, taking responsibility for defining analytical approaches, identifying data and information requirements, specifying these directly to clients, and ensuring that outputs are robust, clearly presented and suitable for decision-making.
• Leading the integration of transport planning, modelling, analytical and appraisal outputs into wider advisory work, including traffic impact assessments, transport assessments, active travel and sustainable transport studies, Appraisal-Based Transport Assessments (ABTAs), scheme appraisal, business case development, and inputs to environmental assessment processes. Supporting clients in understanding how technical evidence informs planning applications, infrastructure investment decisions, scheme development and strategic transport studies in the Irish market.
• Providing informed technical input within the context of Irish planning, transport and appraisal policy, and helping to ensure that project outputs align with relevant national, regional and local guidance. Supporting commissions that contribute to sustainable mobility, decarbonisation, and integrated land use and transport outcomes.
• Taking ownership of key project deliverables and significant sections of reports, supporting project planning and commercial management, and contributing to delivery in line with client expectations, business objectives and contractual requirements. Providing technical oversight and review of junior colleagues’ work, helping to maintain high standards of analysis and reporting across the team, and building strong stakeholder, client and cross-functional relationships.

Profile/Skills

• Demonstrable relevant professional experience within Transport Advisory, Transport Planning or Transport Modelling, with a mix of technical, client-facing, project delivery and leadership experience.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative research skills, with significant experience of working with complex datasets and applying technical analysis to transport planning, transport modelling and appraisal challenges.
• Substantial experience in transport planning, transport modelling, traffic analysis or a related field.
• For transport modelling roles, strong experience using one or more of Cube, SATURN, Aimsun, Paramics, VISUM, VISSIM, or EMME is desirable. Experience with the NTA RMS and/or TII NTpM is desirable, and the ability to apply modelling outputs confidently to planning, appraisal and business case work is important. Knowledge of strategic model development would be beneficial, but is not essential.
• For transport planning roles, substantial experience in traffic impact assessments, transport assessments, active travel and sustainable transport planning, appraisal, development planning, or related advisory work is desirable. Knowledge of transport modelling and how it can support planning, appraisal and strategy development would be beneficial, but is not essential.
• Good knowledge of the Irish planning and policy environment, including relevant aspects of the National Planning Framework, National Development Plan, NTA guidance, TII guidance, DMURS, the National Cycle Manual, and local authority planning and development frameworks. Experience of applying these in the context of development planning, scheme appraisal and infrastructure projects would be advantageous.
• Strong computer skills, including some of the following: GIS, spreadsheets, databases, programming/coding, and statistical analysis. Excellent analytical, report-writing and communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to clients, stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams.
• A collaborative and proactive approach, with the ability to review and guide junior staff, contribute across disciplines, and support successful delivery of projects in sectors including Transport Planning, Modelling, Rail Consultancy, Development Planning and related areas.