Senior Operational Readiness, Activation & Transition (ORAT) Specialist - Contingent Opportunity

Jacobs; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 144,000 - 226,000; Full time

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking an Operational Readiness, Activation & Transition (ORAT) Specialist to plan and deliver ORAT programs for aviation and infrastructure projects. Location will be tailored to portfolio needs, with frequent travel to project sites.

You will lead workstreams, develop schedules, and coordinate with clients, operators, airlines, and partners, ensuring readiness across design, construction, testing and turnover stages. Hybrid work model available.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aviation management, Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, Planning, Business, or related discipline.
• Experience contributing to ORAT, activation, airport operations, construction, commissioning, training, trials, or complex capital-program delivery.
• Ability to independently lead defined workstreams such as operational trials, organizational readiness, or Familiarization, Induction and Training activities as needed.
• Experience coordinating stakeholders, facilitating or supporting meetings, and producing client-ready documentation.
• Working knowledge of facility or airport operations and the relationships among design, construction, testing and commissioning, turnover, and operational readiness.
• Availability to travel to project sites frequently.

Responsibilities

• Plan, mobilize, and execute ORAT programs across the project lifecycle.
• Develop work plans, schedules, trackers, deliverable inputs, and coordination materials for assigned ORAT activities.
• Support stakeholder engagement and operational interface planning; build relationships with clients, operators, airlines, tenants, designers, contractors, vendors, regulators, and partners.
• Gather, validate, and document operational requirements; contribute to concepts of operations, procedures, and transition plans.
• Coordinate familiarization, induction, and training activities, including needs assessments, content development, logistics, delivery, and tracking.
• Lead tabletop exercises, operational trials, simulations, and readiness evaluations, including scripts, logistics, observations, findings, and follow-up actions.

Skills

Communication skills

Organization

Collaboration

Travel readiness

MS 365 & SharePoint

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

Equivalent professional experience

Tools

SharePoint

Scheduling software

Project management platforms

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

We are seeking an Operational Readiness, Activation & Transition (ORAT) Specialist to contribute to the planning and delivery of operational readiness programs for complex aviation and infrastructure projects. This role may lead a defined workstream - such as operational trials or organizational readiness, including familiarization, induction and training activities while working collaboratively with senior ORAT professionals and project teams. Location will be tailored to portfolio needs.

In this role, you will

• Contribute to the planning, mobilization, and execution of ORAT programs across the project lifecycle, supporting or leading assigned workstreams as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain work plans, schedules, trackers, deliverable inputs, and coordination materials for assigned ORAT activities.
• Support stakeholder engagement and operational interface planning and build effective working relationships with clients, operators, airlines and tenants, designers, contractors, vendors, regulators, and other project partners.
• Gather, validate, and document operational requirements and contribute to Concepts of Operations, procedures, transition plans, responsibility matrices, and opening strategies.
• Support or coordinate Familiarization, Induction and Training activities, including needs assessments, content development, logistics, delivery, and completion tracking.
• Support or lead, as appropriate to grade and assignment, tabletop exercises, operational trials, simulations, and readiness evaluations, including scripts, logistics, observations, findings, and follow-up actions.
• Track ORAT dependencies and interfaces with design, construction, testing and commissioning, systems integration, turnover, permitting, and operational milestones.
• Maintain readiness controls and collaboration tools, including risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, actions, decisions, dashboards, evidence, and SharePoint content.
• Prepare clear status reports, dashboards, presentations, meeting materials, and recommendations for project teams and client review.
• Facilitate or support working sessions and project meetings; document decisions, owners, due dates, constraints, and required escalations.
• Manage assigned tasks and workflows to agreed scope, schedule, quality, and documentation standards and promptly communicate risks or blockers.
• Contribute to quality reviews, lessons learned, project closeout, and transition-to-service activities.
• Provide coordination, mentoring, or guidance to junior staff and project team members when assigned.

Here's what you'll need

• Bachelor’s degree in aviation management, Engineering, Construction Management, Operations Management, Planning, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience consistent with the applicable job grade.
• Experience contributing to ORAT, activation, airport or facility operations, construction, commissioning, training, trials, stakeholder engagement, project controls, or other complex capital-program delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate assigned ORAT activities and contribute to workstream delivery, with the capability to independently lead defined workstreams such as operational trials, organizational readiness, or Familiarization, Induction and Training activities as experience and assignment require.
• Experience coordinating stakeholders, facilitating or supporting meetings, and producing accurate, client-ready documentation.
• Working knowledge of facility or airport operations and the relationships among design, construction, testing and commissioning, turnover, and operational readiness.
• Ability to read project schedules, identify operational dependencies, monitor milestones, and elevate emerging conflicts.
• Experience contributing to operational plans, procedures, Concepts of Operations, training materials, trial documentation, or transition plans.
• Ability to support or coordinate training, tabletop exercises, operational trials, simulations, and follow-up action closure.
• Familiarity with risk, issue, action, decision, change, and quality-management practices.
• Availability to travel to project sites frequently.

Core skills

• Clear written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication appropriate to project-team and client environments.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Collaborative approach and ability to work effectively with clients, operators, designers, contractors, vendors, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and SharePoint; experience with scheduling, dashboard, risk, or project-management platforms is preferred.
• Ability to travel frequently and work on-site or variable hours when required for trials, transitions, or facility openings.

Ideally, you'll also have

• Exposure to aviation operations or a major facility opening, and progress toward a relevant aviation, project management, or ORAT credential.

Benefits

Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $144,400.00 to $225,550.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Job posted on September 22, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

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.