Senior Consultant (Strategy, Funding, Appraisal)

SYSTRA UK & Ireland; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SYSTRA UK & Ireland is seeking a Senior Consultant to support the Strategy Funding and Appraisal and Rail Advisory teams. You will lead and contribute to high-profile rail projects, focusing on strategy, business case development, funding, appraisal and client engagement.

You will combine technical expertise with leadership, mentoring, and business development to deliver high-quality outcomes and support growth across the team.

Qualifications

• Experience leading strategy, funding and appraisal projects in rail.
• Strong client engagement and project leadership skills.
• Knowledge of HMT Green Book and DfT TAG guidelines.
• Proficiency with PDFH and MOIRA forecasting.
• Track record of developing business cases across transport modes.
• Degree in a relevant subject; Chartered status is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Proactively support successful delivery of projects for the Strategy Funding and Appraisal and Rail teams.
• Manage work packages and projects with strong client satisfaction and financial performance.
• Take ownership of small to medium proposals and contribute to larger ones.
• Ensure complex technical tasks are delivered to a high standard, on time and within budget.
• Mentor junior colleagues to support technical and professional development.
• Prepare business cases and option appraisals per HMT Green Book and DfT TAG.
• Lead rail appraisal work including PDFH and MOIRA when relevant.
• Define appraisal strategies and oversee demand, revenue and benefits modelling.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships across government bodies and developers.
• Maintain up-to-date skills records and professional development.

Skills

Team player

Presentation skills

Appraisal tools (TUBA COBALT AMAT)

Rail forecasting PDFH MOIRA

Rail business cases

Project management

Degree in transport/related

Chartered status advantageous

Education

Degree in a relevant subject

Tools

TUBA

COBALT

AMAT

Job description

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

The Senior Consultant will support the Strategy Funding and Appraisal (SFA) Team and Rail Advisory Team within SYSTRA's Consultancy Business. This role will play a key part in shaping our business by leading and contributing to high-profile projects across strategy, business case development, funding, appraisal and rail advisory. You will combine strong technical expertise with project leadership, client engagement and business development, helping to deliver high-quality outcomes for clients while supporting the growth of our people and our business. This role offers the opportunity to work on complex and meaningful transport projects, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, and make a visible contribution to innovative and sustainable transport solutions.

Missions / Main Duties

• Proactively support the successful delivery of projects of varying scale, primarily for the Strategy Funding and Appraisal and Rail teams, while also contributing to work for other SYSTRA teams and clients where needed.
• Manage a range of work packages and projects, ensuring strong client satisfaction, effective financial performance and achievement of project targets.
• Take ownership of the delivery of small to medium value proposals, ensuring clear scope, acceptance criteria and invoicing milestones; also contribute to and, where appropriate, oversee large proposals.
• Ensure complex technical tasks are delivered to a high standard, on time and within budget.
• Guide and mentor junior colleagues, supporting both their technical and professional development.
• Take responsibility for substantial elements of SYSTRA reports and present technical and project information clearly to clients and colleagues to support project delivery, learning and business growth.
• Contribute directly to the preparation of business cases and option appraisals for transport projects and programmes, taking ownership of the end-to-end development of strategic, economic, commercial, financial and management dimensions, ensuring compliance with HMT Green Book, DfT TAG and local requirements.
• Undertake rail appraisal work and rail demand and revenue forecasting using PDFH methodologies; experience with MOIRA is desirable.
• Help define appraisal strategies, select appropriate tools and models, and establish assurance approaches; oversee demand, revenue and benefits modelling, cost estimation, risk and optimism bias, distributional and environmental appraisal, and value-for-money assessments, as well as supporting assurance reviews and peer reviews.
• Lead or contribute to Pre-SOC studies, including corridor and town centre strategies, optioneering and longlisting exercises, working closely with internal multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality feasibility studies.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships across government departments, combined authorities, local councils, operators and developers; identify and initiate sales opportunities within the Strategy Funding and Appraisal and rail market areas, share market insight and contribute to SYSTRA’s profile through thought leadership activities such as articles, conference presentations and policy insight.
• Maintain an up-to-date record of your skills and experience in the SYSTRA CV system, continue professional development and maintain membership of relevant professional institutions.
• Demonstrate behaviours aligned with SYSTRA’s behavioural framework by fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, respect, and empowerment.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with clients and relevant third-party contractors and stakeholders to ensure smooth and successful project delivery; keep line managers, project managers and project directors appropriately informed.
• Collaborate proactively with the wider project team, project director, and client to drive progress, manage issues and deliver successful outcomes.
• Take ownership of financial responsibilities across projects and assignments, ensuring sound commercial management and a strong focus on performance, supporting the delivery of gross revenue, net revenue and gross margin targets.
• Contribute to achieving high levels of client satisfaction by delivering quality outputs and maintaining a responsive, professional and solutions-focused approach.

Profile / Skills

• Strong team player, confident communicator and capable of building credibility with clients and colleagues.
• Excellent presentation, written and numerical skills; ability to manage time effectively and support others.
• Strong understanding of appraisal tools such as TUBA, COBALT and AMAT.
• Knowledge of rail demand forecasting methodologies including PDFH and MOIRA.
• Strong track record in developing business cases across transport modes, especially rail.
• Project management experience in a client-facing environment and a degree in a relevant subject.
• Chartered Transport Planning professional status would be advantageous.