Technical Director, Major Transport Projects

Egm Recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Mott MacDonald Australia is seeking a Technical Director for Major Transport Projects in Sydney. You will own key client relationships, lead major bids, and direct multi-disciplinary delivery across planning, design and delivery phases to ensure quality, schedule and profitability.

The role demands credible client strategy, strong leadership, and the ability to shape opportunities while leveraging global capability and maintaining a culture of excellence.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in the Australian transport sector.
• Proven track record in leading bids and proposals.
• Demonstrated project leadership at senior/director level.
• Strong communication and executive presence across client and internal teams.

Responsibilities

• Build deep, lasting client relationships and act as a trusted advisor.
• Lead pursuit, bid leadership and contract award for major transport projects.
• Direct delivery across planning, design and delivery phases with quality and profitability focus.
• Promote innovation and technical excellence through global capabilities.
• Grow and mentor a resilient, future-ready team.

Skills

Transport sector experience

Bid leadership

Executive presence

Client relationship

Project leadership

Education

Engineering degree

CPEng advantageous

Job description

Technical Director, Major Transport Projects EGM Recruitment•Sydney, NSW, AU

Job Description

About Mott Macdonald

Mott MacDonald is one of the world's largest employee-owned engineering, management and development consultancies, operating across more than 150 countries. In Australia, Mott MacDonald delivers complex, high-impact programmes across water, environment, transport and social infrastructure, combining technical depth with the reach of a globally connected network.

The transport sector is a strategic growth priority for Mott MacDonald in Australia. With an active portfolio of major transport projects and a clear ambition to deepen and expand its market position, the business is investing in senior leadership to drive that agenda.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a genuinely dual-natured senior role, equal parts trusted advisor and hands-on project leader and it's one of the most important appointments in Mott MacDonald's Australian transport market right now.

As Technical Director, you will own the full client relationship cycle: building and sustaining deep partnerships with major transport sector clients, leading the pursuit and conversion of significant opportunities, and directing delivery on major projects and programmes. Where many client-facing roles lean heavily one way or the other, this one demands genuine excellence across both, you need to be as credible in a client strategy conversation as you are leading a complex project.

You will work in close partnership with the Australian and state-based Transport Market Leads, shaping client engagement strategy, leveraging Mott MacDonald's global capability, and contributing directly to the commercial success and reputation of the practice. This is a role for someone who leads from the front, earning respect through technical credibility and authentic relationships, not just title.

What You'll Be Doing

Build Deep Client Relationships

• Foster meaningful, long-term connections across all levels of your client organisations and industry partners, becoming a trusted advisor who genuinely understands their business priorities, operational pressures and strategic direction
• Maintain a visible and consistent presence with clients, the kind of relationship where your call is returned and your counsel is sought before decisions are made

Win Work with Integrity

• Lead the pursuit and conversion of major projects and programmes aligned with Mott MacDonald's values and growth targets, from opportunity identification through to bid leadership and contract award
• Develop compelling proposals that respond to client needs with clarity, commercial intelligence and technical credibility
• Maintain CRM discipline and use market insights to prioritise where Mott MacDonald invests its business development effort

• Collaborate with the Australian and state-based Transport Market Leads to shape client engagement strategies that are aligned with client priorities and responsive to emerging opportunities
• Develop tactical approaches that adapt to changes in the client's procurement environment, programme priorities and competitive landscape

Lead Project Delivery

• Take a Project Director role on key projects providing hands-on leadership across planning, design and delivery phases and ensuring quality, programme and financial performance are achieved
• Monitor commercial performance trends across the client portfolio and implement improvement strategies to meet or exceed target project profitability
• Champion quality, risk management, safety in design and technical excellence across all project work

Promote Excellence & Innovation

• Leverage Mott MacDonald's global capabilities in engineering, project management and development consultancy to introduce innovative, high-quality solutions that meet client needs and reinforce the firm's reputation for excellence
• Stay current with professional standards, emerging technologies and best practice in the transport market

Grow Talent

• Support the recruitment of, and provide coaching and mentorship to, professionals with strong client engagement skills, building a resilient, future-ready team around you
• Utilise your individual development budget to drive your own continuous professional growth in partnership with your People Manager

ABOUT YOU

You are a commercially astute and technically credible transport sector professional with a genuine track record of winning work, leading delivery and building lasting client relationships. You understand how major customers think, plan and procure and you know how to position a consultancy to win and sustain meaningful work in that environment.

You’ll Bring

• Significant experience in the Australian transport sector, with an established network across major transport authorities and government agencies
• A demonstrated track record of leading successful bids and proposals, converting relationships into contracted work and delivering against ambitious revenue and pipeline targets
• Proven project leadership experience at a Director level delivering commercially sharp, technically credible, and consistently focused on client outcomes and quality
• The communication skills and executive presence to build genuine trust with senior client stakeholders, industry partners and internal teams across a global organisation
• Commercial agility and the ability to identify, assess and mitigate risk while keeping client relationships strong and delivery on track
• A collaborative mindset and the confidence to lead through uncertainty, motivate teams and create new value for clients
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in engineering or a related discipline; chartership (CPEng or equivalent) highly regarded

WHY MOTT MACDONALD

Mott MacDonald is 100% employee-owned, which means every person in the business has a genuine stake in its success. The culture reflects that: collaborative, values-driven and deeply committed to technical excellence and meaningful outcomes.

This role comes with a dedicated individual development budget, direct access to Mott MacDonald's global transport sector network, and real latitude to shape the direction of some of the firm's most important client relationships in Australia. If you want a role where your commercial instincts, technical credibility and relationship skills all matter equally; this is it.