Senior / Principal Transport Planning

Job Description

Location/s: Birmingham, UK
Recruiter contact: Madeleine Knight

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit
We help conceive, drive, and implement transport solutions for cities, regions, and asset owners/operators around the globe. From preparing the business case and advising on related issues - such as revenue, procurement, and environmental legislation - to delivering the completed infrastructure and helping maintain it. Our planning, engineering, environmental and management skills cover the whole project cycle. We play a major role in developing and delivering the Global Transport Sector Strategy.

Overview of the role
We are currently looking to expand our transport planning team in Birmingham and are looking to appoint a transport business case specialist to play a key role in growing the team and our wider advisory capacity. This individual must be equally conversant in transport economics, appraisal and modelling and possess advanced critical thinking to resolve not only What? and How? questions but also Why?

You will play a key role in guiding and coordinating our front end advisory projects, driving them forward and contributing to the growth of this significant area within Mott MacDonald. The role offers the successful applicant the opportunity to balance leadership in the delivery of complex projects ensuring technical excellence and innovation, with the requirement to engage with Local Transport Authorities and emerging Combined Authorities to expand our client base.

You will be engaged on projects for high profile clients such as Transport for West Midlands, Midlands Connect, Birmingham City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Transport for Wales, Department for Transport, National Highways, East West Rail Co and Heathrow Airport Ltd.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Providing technical advice in development and planning of major transport schemes
• Leading technical coordination and client-facing technical leadership
• Leading the pursuit and bidding of public transport projects
• Understanding the needs of our clients and their major projects
• Supporting project teams to deliver detailed scheme development and implementation
• Coordinating across disciplines and reviewing deliverables
• Mentoring junior team members and ensuring the commercial success of projects

Candidate specification
Essential:

• Proven track record in leading the development of all stages of transport business cases
• Extensive knowledge of UK government appraisal guidance (HM Treasury Green Book) and transport analysis guidance in England (TAG), Wales (WelTAG) and Scotland (STAG)
• Significant experience in technical leadership and client relationships
• Commercial acumen and a business-focused mindset, including work-winning
• Senior skills in planning for major transport projects, including transport business cases, demand modelling/forecasting, wider transport economics, transport policy & strategy, network planning, bus franchising, electrification, and decarbonisation
• Knowledge of major transportation modelling packages commonly used in the UK and Ireland

Desirable:

• A degree in transport planning or transport economics
• Membership in a relevant professional organisation (such as IHT, ILT, TPS, or ICE)
• Extensive knowledge of transport appraisal guidance in Ireland Understanding of the wider transport planning/engineering industry
• Professionally qualified (CEng or CTPP) through the CIHT, ICE or IET

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.