Pacific Northwest Major Projects Leader - Rail & Transport

Arup; Seattle, Northern (WA, KY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing

401(k) match

Flexible working

Health benefits

Job summary

Arup in Seattle seeks a Northwest Major Projects Leader to guide rail and transit programs across the U.S. and Canada. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, ensure design excellence, governance, and risk management, and help grow Arup’s rail portfolio.

The role requires 15+ years in engineering leadership, a PE license, and a track record delivering complex projects with strong client relationships. Arup offers profit sharing, 401(k) matching, flexible working, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• Proven experience leading the delivery of complex infrastructure projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-the-ground senior leadership to multidisciplinary teams.
• Champion quality assurance and governance standards.
• Shape and support business development strategies for rail portfolio growth.
• Act as a senior representative within the regional rail and transit market.
• Build and sustain a culture of collaboration, excellence, and accountability.
• Mentor and develop project and technical leaders.

Skills

Senior leadership

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering

Professional Engineering (PE) license

Job description

Pacific Northwest Major Projects Leader - Rail & Transport

Arup’s purpose, shared values, and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

Given our growing business, Arup is looking for a Northwest Major Projects Lead to join our Rail team in Seattle, supporting a portfolio of major rail and transit infrastructure programs across the United States and Canada. This role is suited to a senior Rail professional who combines multidisciplinary design leadership with strong client relationships and a passion for shaping a better future for our community through transportation.

In this senior leadership role, you will work closely with multidisciplinary teams, project managers, contractors and public agencies to deliver complex projects in alignment with client objectives, Arup’s commercial goals, and our commitment to quality, safety and sustainability. The Major Projects Lead provides strategic oversight of design development and implementation, supports integrated teams delivering major programs -including those where Arup serves as Prime Consultant- and guides teams and clients through critical phases of decision‑making, risk management, and execution across the program lifecycle.

The Opportunity

• Provide on-the-ground senior leadership to multidisciplinary teams of Arup engineers and subconsultants, establishing clear delivery frameworks that support consistent, high‑quality outcomes.
• Champion quality assurance and governance standards, providing oversight and independent challenge to ensure technical, regulatory, and contractual risks are effectively managed.
• Shape and support business development strategies to grow and diversify Arup’s rail portfolio, while cultivating trusted, long‑term relationships with key clients, partners, and industry organizations.
• Act as a senior representative of Arup within the regional rail and transit market, including relationship leadership with selected industry bodies.
• Build and sustain a culture of collaboration, excellence, and accountability across integrated project teams, supporting workforce planning, senior recruitment, and succession.
• Mentor and develop project and technical leaders through coaching, performance reviews, and promotion processes.
• Provide strategic oversight of program performance -across schedule, budget, risk, and delivery outcomes -intervening as needed to support resolution and successful execution.

At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective – in which we encourage individuality to thrive. Our strength comes from how we respect, share and connect our diverse experiences, perspectives and ideas.

You will have the opportunity to do socially useful work that has meaning – to Arup, to your career, to our members and to the clients and communities we serve.

Is this role right for you?

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering with 15+ years of experience providing senior leadership across complex infrastructure projects within multidisciplinary environments.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• Demonstrated experience leading the successful delivery of complex infrastructure projects, with accountability for design and technical excellence, commercial performance, risk, and outcomes.
• Proven ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, including owners, contractors, and public agencies.
• Experience leading major projects delivered through design-build is required; experience with other alternative delivery models (CM/GC, Progressive Design-build, etc.) is preferred.
• Experience across rail and major infrastructure programs; maintenance facility experience is desirable but not required.
• Ability to lead across multiple complex priorities, providing clarity, governance, and strategic focus in fast‑paced, high-risk environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, align, and advise senior stakeholders.

What we offer you

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognizes the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

Benefits at Work - At Arup, we have a comprehensive and valuable benefits program that works for our employees and their families while keeping costs low. These benefits provide health and welfare security for you as well as paid time off for rest and renewal. As a member of Arup, everyone shares in our success through a global profit share scheme (payments are dependent on the firm’s financial performance). Our Global Profit Share Plan (paid bi-annually) provides an opportunity for you to share in the success of the Firm. As a valued employee of Arup, you can also choose to participate in our 401(k) plan with up to 10% company match to help you save for your future

Flexible Working - We believe that flexible arrangements create a more inclusive way of working that supports our diversity and the wellbeing of our people. Options for alternative schedules and the ability to work outside of the office for a portion of your workweek are available

Seattle Hiring Range - The good faith base salary hiring range for this job if performed in Seattle is $200,000 to $240,000 per year. This range is commensurate with experience, educational background, and skill level. Benefits are not included in the base salary. Please note hiring ranges for candidates performing work outside of Seattle will differ.

Different People, Shared Values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion – we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

Our Application Process

We will be reviewing our candidates for this position on a rolling basis. Once you have applied you will be evaluated and potentially moved on to the next round, at which point a member of the talent resourcing team will reach out to you directly.

Arup is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, spouse of a protected veteran, or disability.