Associate Director Transport Planner (Dublin / Cork / Belfast)

Jacobs; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary and bonus

Hybrid and agile working

Pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Professional development support

Global career opportunities

Client secondments

Inclusive culture

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking an Associate Director of Transport Planning to lead high‑profile projects across Ireland, the UK and internationally. You will steer transport modelling, economic appraisals, and active travel initiatives while mentoring teams and engaging clients.

The role blends hands‑on technical delivery with leadership, client engagement, and people development, with flexible location (Dublin, Cork or Belfast) and hybrid working arrangements.

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified in transport planning or a related field with extensive project delivery experience.
• Chartered status or working towards Chartered with CPD commitment (e.g. CIHT, TPP, Engineers Ireland).
• Strategic, solution-focused mindset for shaping client options and investments.
• Strong technical credibility with mentoring and leadership to guide teams.
• Broad experience across transport planning specialisms: feasibility, assessments, modelling and business cases.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and strategic leadership on major transport planning commissions.
• Lead multidisciplinary project teams to deliver high-quality client outcomes.
• Act as trusted adviser to shape strategy, options and investments.
• Provide technical governance, review and mentoring across the transport planning discipline.
• Manage project delivery, budgets, resources, quality and risk.
• Contribute to business development, tenders and growth of client accounts.
• Support strategic direction and development of Jacobs’ transport planning and mobility business.

Skills

Transport planning leadership

Strategic mindset

Client relationship management

Team leadership

Project & commercial management

Problem solving

Education

Degree in relevant discipline

Chartered professional (or working towards)

Tools

Transport modelling software

Economic appraisal tools

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission‑critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting‑edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

You are a recognised leader in transport planning, trusted by clients and teams alike to shape, guide and deliver complex programmes that make a real difference to how people move. You bring strategic insight, technical authority and commercial awareness, and you’re as comfortable setting direction and inspiring teams as you are rolling up your sleeves on challenging projects.

You enjoy working collaboratively with clients, stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams, seeing the bigger picture while navigating the technical detail. Motivated by impact, you thrive in roles where you can influence policy, mentor future leaders, and help define the future of sustainable transport and mobility.

About The Opportunity

Jacobs’ Transport Planning & Mobility Solutions team is one of the most successful in Ireland and the UK, with a strong pipeline of work, a diverse public‑and‑private‑sector client base, and close collaboration with colleagues across the wider Jacobs global network. We are seeking a Associate Director of Transport Planning delivering a wide range of high‑profile and innovative projects across all aspects of transport planning, including

• Transport modelling and analytics
• Economic appraisal and business cases
• Active travel and sustainable transport
• Public transport planning
• Traffic engineering
• Policy and strategy development

Key commissions include our ongoing role on the BusConnects programme for the National Transport Authority (NTA), alongside active travel and sustainable transport schemes for Dublin City Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and other local authorities.

You have the opportunity to take a leading position on complex projects that are shaping the future of transport and mobility in Ireland, while also collaborating closely with colleagues across Ireland, the UK and internationally.

The role is flexible in location—Dublin, Cork or Belfast—and combines hands‑on technical delivery with project leadership, client engagement and people development. There is also the opportunity for client secondments, reflecting Jacobs’ long‑standing partnerships with key organisations.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

• Providing technical and strategic leadership on major transport planning commissions
• Leading multidisciplinary project teams to deliver high‑quality outcomes for clients
• Acting as a trusted adviser to clients, shaping strategy, options and investment decisions
• Providing technical governance, review and mentoring across the transport planning discipline
• Managing project delivery, budgets, resources, quality and risk
• Contributing to business development, tenders and the growth of client accounts
• Supporting the strategic direction and future development of Jacobs’ transport planning and mobility business

Here’s what you’ll need

• Degree qualified in a relevant discipline (or equivalent), with extensive experience in transport planning and a proven track record of successful project delivery
• Chartered professional (or equivalent), or working towards Chartered status, with a strong commitment to CPD (e.g. Engineers Ireland, CIHT, TPP, CEng)
• A strategic, solution‑focused mindset, with the ability to take a broad view of transport challenges and collaboratively shape options with clients and stakeholders
• Strong technical credibility combined with the ability to lead teams, set direction and provide mentoring and technical assurance
• Broad experience across transport planning specialisms, such as scheme feasibility, transport assessments, modelling, business case development, public transport and active travel
• Proven experience in project and commercial management, including programme delivery, budget control, resourcing, quality assurance and risk management
• A strong client focus, with experience developing relationships, contributing to tenders and supporting market and account growth
• A flexible and adaptable approach, with enthusiasm for innovation, new technologies and shaping the future of transport and mobility

Benefits and Compensation

• Competitive salary and bonus aligned with senior leadership responsibilities
• Flexible working arrangements, supporting hybrid and agile ways of working
• Pension scheme with employer contributions
• Generous annual leave allowance, with opportunities to purchase additional leave
• Paid professional membership fees and strong support for continuing professional development and chartership
• Clear pathways for career progression, with opportunities to progress within Ireland, the UK and across Jacobs’ global network
• Access to significant, high‑profile projects that shape the future of transport and mobility
• Opportunities for client secondments, reflecting our trusted partnerships with key organisations
• Inclusive, values‑led culture where diversity, collaboration and innovation are actively encouraged

At Jacobs, you’ll join a connected global community of experts working on some of the most important infrastructure and mobility challenges of our time—where your leadership will be valued, your ideas heard, and your career supported for the long term.

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well‑being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit https://www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in‑person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.