Technical Director (Landside Airport Planner)

Location: Croydon, UK
Recruiter contact: Ainsley Anstess

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit
We help conceive, drive, and implement transport solutions for cities, regions, and asset owners/operators around the globe. From preparing the business case and advising on related issues - such as revenue, procurement, and environmental legislation - to delivering the completed infrastructure and helping maintain it. Our planning, engineering, environmental and management skills cover the whole project cycle. We play a major role in developing and delivering the Global Transport Sector Strategy.

Overview of the role
Our specialist aviation team is based in London, UK, and delivers major airport planning and development projects globally, working collaboratively with our regional offices. We are seeking a Technical Director who is a specialist in Landside Airport Planning. The successful candidate will be recognised in the industry as a technical expert in their specialist field. The candidate will be part of a globally respected and diverse team of airport planners, airfield engineers and forecast, capacity and business analysts.

Key duties and responsibilities will include:

Technical Excellence:

• Lead landside planning workstreams on major airport development programmes, for airport owners and operators
• Be recognised by our clients and within the aviation industry as a technical specialist with world-class landside planning expertise
• Train others in this specialist field, nurturing junior members of the team and helping support them to develop their landside planning capabilities
• Develop our planning expertise across all airport landside facilities include those for surface transport, airport cities, cargo and logistics, ancillary and support facilities, and airport adjacent land uses
• Optimise landside planning at airports for land-use and operational efficiency
• Understand surface access numerical capacity analysis and simulation modelling to be able to work closely and collaboratively with transport planners and modellers who specialise in this work

Business Development:

• Seek and pursue new business opportunities to grow our airport landside planning services
• Build and maintain robust relationships with new and existing airport operator clients, influencing key directors to become their preferred consultant
• Plan and positioning for upcoming opportunities and prospects, converting them into projects, producing high-quality proposals that are both technically and commercially sound
• With clients that commission our landside planning services, also take on the role of an Account Leader / Client Manager when required to do so

Project Delivery:

• Technical leadership of landside planning workstreams of major airport masterplan and development projects
• Communicate effectively with client organisations and key stakeholders, to give them confidence in the landside planning principles of their development programmes
• Perform the role of Project Director/Principal, accountable for achieving successful project outcomes, coaching and mentoring Project Managers
• As Project Director/Principal be accountable for the successful completion of all projects under your oversight
• Success means sound governance, commercial, financial, technical, health, safety and welfare, and realisation of client benefits agreed in the proposal phase
• Direct airport landside planning projects to achieve quality deliverables on budget and on time to maintain customer satisfaction without compromising target profit

Candidate specification
We are looking for a flexible and motivated professional with experience and a genuine passion for the aviation industry.

Essential:

• Extensive experience in airport landside planning, including work on large scale airport development programmes
• Experience to include landside transport facilities, airport operations, land-use planning, cargo and logistics, airport cities, and airport support facilities
• Fluent in spatial planning, able to understand complex geometry and able to direct and train junior staff in how to optimise configurations using appropriate software
• An understanding of spatial planning tools and techniques including Autodesk products, GIS, BIM, etc, and the ability to coach and mentor junior resources in their use to optimise airport facilities and operations
• Excellent communication skills, able to communicate effectively at all client and stakeholder levels from board level directors to graduates as well as planning directors
• A degree in air transport management, airport planning, architecture, urban planning, transport planning or civil engineering. Candidates with other relevant qualifications may be considered
• Fluency in English – knowledge of other languages will be valued as an advantage
• To deliver this role you will be required to travel regularly to visit domestic and international clients
• Being willing to work overseas on major aviation programmes would be valued as an advantage
• Proficient in Microsoft software

We are looking for candidates with the following characteristics: 

• Proactive and self-motivated, with a learning mindset
• A person who is naturally curious, who is willing to adopt new techniques and software and strive for continuous improvement in our ways of working
• An ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients, winning new work and becoming their preferred consultant
• Strong project leadership skills with an ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment
• A team player who nurtures and uplifts colleagues, and is able to foster teamwork and collaboration
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, which allow you to confidently liaise with clients and cross-functional teams

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Agile working  

We are happy to talk openly about flexible working and how we can support your responsibilities beyond the workplace. 

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.