Associate Director - Transport Development Planning

Job Description

The Associate Director – Planning and Development role is a leadership position focused on delivering innovative and sustainable transport solutions for our Clients in both the public and private sectors. We’re looking to build our presence in the Northwest region and this an exciting opportunity for a new team leader to join us and be at the centre of this growth. Responsibilities include leadership, client engagement, project delivery, business development, and team development. Candidates should have extensive experience in transport development planning, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to collaboration and excellence.

Our Northwest offices have an established track record of successfully delivering Transport Planning projects and work collaboratively with other disciplines from Streets and Technology, Highways, Aviation, Ports, Rail. Energy, Defence and Environmental sectors. The team workload ranges from feasibility studies, preliminary design and assessment through to coordination with wider teams to ensure successful delivery on-site.

When joining AECOM you’ll get involved in some of the most formative transport planning projects across the UK+I. We’re actively engaged in a wide variety of exciting projects including Old Trafford Regeneration proposals, New Towns development and major mixed-use residential led developments, Development Consent Orders and Planning Policy development for a range of Clients in the UK and beyond.

Our exceptional success on key Frameworks provides access to opportunity across the UK on a huge variety of projects, and through our expertise in other sectors such as Energy, Defence and Environment, there is truly a broad range of opportunities and projects to lead and grow with you.

We are currently looking for an Associate Director to support and lead on the delivery of our Development Planning services with opportunities to grow our presence in the Northwest as well as supporting existing teams across the UK+I. 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:

• Masterplanning feasibility studies and due diligence
• Transport Assessment, Statements and Travel Plans
• Construction Traffic Management Plans, Delivery Management Strategies, Car Parking Strategies, Access & Movement Strategies
• Transportation studies covering all modes including active travel and passenger priority schemes
• Collaborative working across multi-disciplinary major projects

Key Responsibilities:

1. 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.

2. Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients, including public sector agencies and private sector stakeholders.
• 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.

3. Project Delivery

• Manage the delivery of transport planning inputs into development projects, ensuring high levels of Client and stakeholder engagement.
• Provide technical oversight and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
• Manage project risks, develop mitigation strategies, and ensure successful outcomes.

4. 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.

5. 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.

Qualifications

• 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).
• 12+ years of experience in transport planning, with a proven track record in winning work and leading teams.
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Good client network with established industry relationships.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to manage complex transport planning projects and deliver results.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Comprehensive knowledge of transport planning principles, policies, and regulations in the UK&I region.
• Expertise in Development Planning with sector specific insights.
• Ability to interface with design teams in scheme development.
• Understanding of the technical requirements of major private and public clients, future growth opportunities and pathways to successful planning outcomes.
• Proficiency in commonly used transport planning tools and software.

Additional Information

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.