Senior/Principal Transport Consultant

Location: Remote first, flexible working arrangements, with all UK based locations considered. Our flexible office collaboration spaces, for those wishing to use them, are in London, Exeter, Birmingham and Bristol.

Term: Permanent, Full Time (4 day weeks considered)

Grade: Senior and Principal

Closing: 10am Monday 4 August 2025

Unfortunately, we cannot accept applicants that (now or in the future) require sponsorship for an employment visa. Any application requiring a visa (without clear clarification) will be rejected.

ABSTRACT

Due to a healthy pipeline of projects and opportunities, we have ambitious plans to grow our transport planning team. We are seeking experienced Senior or Principal transport consultants with a passion for sustainable transport and transport carbon reduction. Experience in transport policy and strategy, active travel, urban transport, transport decarbonisation, behavioural change and sustainable development are a plus.

ABOUT US: CITY SCIENCE

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking Senior and Principal Transport Consultants to join our growing Transport Planning team, reporting to the Director for Transport Planning & Policy. As a company we are committed to helping our clients to reduce transport carbon emissions and deliver more sustainable travel opportunities, and are looking for like-minded candidates. The successful candidate(s) will be responsible for scoping, managing and delivering transport planning projects, working closely with colleagues to deploy innovative and evidence-led techniques which meet our clients’ ambitions. We are seeking creative individuals with a strong track record in one or more disciplines including transport policy and strategy (including LTPs), active travel (including LCWIPs) urban transport and placemaking, transport decarbonisation, behavioural change programmes and sustainable development (in particular Local Plan evidence bases). We are seeking candidates who will naturally take an active leadership role in projects in terms of technical delivery, client management and financial oversight.

The ability to identify and secure opportunities with existing and new clients to support the continued growth of our business will be an important part of the role(s). Candidates should have demonstrable experience in building client relationships, securing additional work through projects and successful competitive bidding.

We are a people-centric business and are passionate about helping our staff to develop and be able to contribute to their potential. The successful candidate(s) will be an experienced member of the team with responsibility for supporting and developing colleagues, particularly those in the earlier stages of their career. Experience as a team leader is therefore desirable, and the ability to share knowledge during project delivery is essential. Opportunities for line management roles will be discussed with individual candidates.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
As a Senior or Principal Consultant within our City Science team you will be responsible for:

• Ensuring excellent quality of delivery as a Project Director or Project Manager.

• Supporting business growth and promoting City Science externally.

• Leading business development in agreed disciplines.

• Mentoring, development and training of colleagues.

This will include:

Project Delivery & Management

• Leading oversight, project management, technical support and strategic direction for technical projects.

• Successfully overseeing the quality delivery of projects to client expectations and technical best-practice, with clear allocation of tasks and monitoring of resources, securing positive client testimonials, including supporting junior staff.

Technical

• Preparing technical and client reports, presentations, tender documents and publications.

• Working with our data science and software development teams to utilise existing tools and techniques and provide constructive feedback to ensure continuous improvement.

• Managing and providing technical oversight, advisory and analysis on a range of transport and net zero projects (including and in addition to transport modelling and active travel plans).

• Developing and delivering expert sustainable transport advice, analysis and thought leadership, including using your experience to enhance our techniques and outputs.

Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Responsible for leading, conducting, overseeing and delivering high-quality reports and other project deliverables.

• Facilitating stakeholder engagement during projects including oversight of preparation of material.

• Meeting and presenting our capability to key stakeholders including senior officers and portfolio holders within local authorities.

• Presenting to clients clearly, professionally and with integrity.

Business Development

• Taking responsibility for securing revenue in agreed discipline(s) and/or client organisations.

• Tracking opportunities and positioning the company accordingly.

• Creating opportunities by building strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.

• Taking the role of Bid Manager or Bid Director on competitive tenders.

• Working with our Directors and Business Development staff to grow the company’s profile of our key capabilities.

• Providing clients with a deep understanding of our solutions, services and emerging innovations.

Team Leadership

• Inputting into and delivering elements of the company Business Plan.

• Opportunities for line management including staff resourcing, staff development, mentoring and coordinating social activities.

• Mentoring, sharing knowledge and experience to develop staff and quality of outputs.

ABOUT YOU

You’re ambitious, proactive and customer-focused with exceptional attention to detail and the needs of our clients. You’re a champion in your field with a rigorous, disciplined approach and a deep technical knowledge of transport planning, modelling and sustainability. You have extensive experience working within transport systems and are comfortable working with and leading technical elements of projects. You’re a great collaborator, committed to success of the team with the flexibility to intelligently adapt your style to the task in hand. Most importantly, you’ve got the drive, ambition, hunger and work ethic to succeed in this fast-moving role.

City Science is a growth-focused organisation with an expanding team and so an entrepreneurial, resilient and tenacious mindset are critical.

ESSENTIAL

Project Management & Delivery

• Proven track record in managing successful delivery of complex projects and programmes as Project Manager or Project Director, in accordance with management systems and governance.

• Strong report writing skills with the ability to produce clear, precise and coherent deliverables for a range of technical and non-technical audiences.

• Strong writing, presenting and analytical skills.

• Comprehensive understanding of the UK transport sector trends and issues.

• Ability to work independently when required and effectively delegate to remote team.

• Good appreciation of project risk issues and application of these to day-to-day tasks.

• Experience in delivering projects in one or more of the following disciplines: transport policy and strategy, active travel, urban transport and placemaking, transport decarbonisation, behavioural change programmes and sustainable development.

• A desire to develop colleagues through mentoring and on-the-job training.

Technical Knowledge

• Demonstrable experience of strong performance in a similar role.

• Appropriate industry, research and/or other professional specialist experience in a similar role.

• Degree qualified or equivalent.

• Good understanding of broad UK policy environment and in one or more specialist areas.

• Demonstrable experience solving complex customer qualitative and/or quantitative problems using a range of techniques.

• High level of technical competency across one or more of the disciplines named above.

• Working knowledge of relevant guidance, best practice and/or software packages.

• Partnership & Business Development

• Commercial awareness and proven experience in leading preparation of successful competitive tenders.

• Experience developing strategic partnerships with clients to identify opportunities and win work.

• Existing trusted personal customer relationships in the transport sector.

• Experience presenting to, and working with, elected members and stakeholders.

Management Skills

• Self-motivated team player, with responsibility of own work, whilst supporting / overseeing others.

• Experience managing teams, providing highly effective support and mentoring to junior colleagues.

DESIRABLE

• Post-graduate qualification (e.g. MSc, Diploma) or equivalent in a STEM or related discipline.

• Active member of a relevant professional institution.

• Membership of a chartered professional institution (e.g. CIHT, TPS), and working towards (or have completed) your Chartership 

• Completed project management qualifications (e.g. PRINCE2, APM).

• An interest in being at the cutting edge of developments in sustainable transport and reducing carbon emissions.

• Experience delivering more than one of the disciplines named above.

• Experience working in a high-growth, technology start-up environment.

• Comfortable presenting to large audiences.
  

FURTHER INFORMATION
We are building a team who are motivated by collaboration with the desire to solve problems for our customers. We want people to own their field of responsibility, take decisions, be proactive and have pride in everything they do. Our team of experts includes prize-winning consultants, experienced technologists and distinguished academics.

Rewards & Benefits

• Opportunity to work on a diverse range of projects across the consultancy business

• Opportunity for career progression

• Ongoing mentoring, training and support from senior professionals within the business (including towards professional chartership)

• Paid membership of a maximum of two institutions

• Flexible working arrangements

• 25 days annual leave entitlement

• Membership of our group pension scheme

• Eye care vouchers

• Cycle to work scheme

• Employee assistance program

We are only accepting direct applications - no recruiters please.

Unfortunately City Science does not hold a license to sponsor visas. Therefore, we are unfortunately not able to process any applications that require sponsorship.