Principal Transport Planner/ Associate Director

Job Description

Start here. Grow here.

AECOM offers a dynamic and collaborative environment where you can lead impactful projects and work alongside industry experts. We are seeking a Principal Transport Planner to join our Newcastle team in this senior technical role responsible for leading the development and delivery of transport planning projects. The role combines technical expertise, project management, and client engagement to deliver innovative and sustainable transport solutions. It also involves mentoring junior team members and contributing to the strategic growth of the transport planning practice.

Our clients trust us to bring together the best people, ideas, technical expertise, and digital solutions to our work in transportation, buildings, water, the environment and new energy. We’re one global team – 50,000 strong – driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world.

About You

This is a senior role for someone with extensive experience, bringing expertise in the quantitative assessment of transport schemes, economic appraisal, and preparation of business cases. The role combines advanced analytical capability with project leadership, client engagement and business development.

The Newcastle office has an established track record of successfully delivering transport planning projects and works closely with other disciplines from Highways, Infrastructure, Buildings & Places and Environment Sectors.

We are currently looking for a Principal Transport Planner to play a leading role in the delivery of a variety of transport projects and play a key role in identifying and winning new projects. The role will suit a self-motivated individual who is aspiring to take a lead role in project delivery and manage dynamic teams delivering high quality projects which focus on

• Appraisal and evaluation of transportation schemes
• Traffic and transport data analysis
• Development of business cases
• Strategy and policy development
• Monitoring and evaluation

Here’s what you’ll do:

Project and Technical Leadership

• Support the lead the development and application of detailed transport scheme analysis to inform scheme design and investment decisions.
• Direct the preparation of economic appraisals and business cases in line with Department for Transport and HM Treasury guidance.
• Provide guidance on assessing different transport schemes, including forecasting and testing future scenarios.
• Ensure the quality and robustness of all analytical outputs.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a trusted adviser to regional and national clients, helping shape strategy and technical direction.
• Represent the business at senior-level meetings, consultations and workshops.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships across the North East and beyond.

Business Development

• Support work-winning activity in the region, identifying opportunities and leading bids.
• Collaborate with other AECOM teams to secure and deliver multi-disciplinary commissions.
• Contribute to innovation and thought leadership, helping to grow AECOM’s presence in the regional transport market.

Team Development

• Mentor and support colleagues at all levels, fostering technical excellence and knowledge sharing.
• Contribute to staff development, resourcing and succession planning within the Newcastle office and wider business.

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:

• Previous experience in transport planning
• Degree in Transport Planning, Geography, Civil Engineering, Economics, or a related subject
• Chartered status or membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. CIHT, TPS, ICE
• Experience in economic appraisal and business case development for major transport schemes.
• Strong track record of working within a multi-disciplinary projects and delivering to DfT and Treasury guidance.
• Experience in applying advanced analytical techniques and industry-standard tools to assess network performance and test scenarios.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present confidently at senior level.
• Evidence  client relationship management.

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 [email protected]

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

Interested in the role or curious about life at AECOM? Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to explore our AECOM voices, employee stories, latest projects, and much more!

#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 [email protected]  if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

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