Americas Senior Transport Planning Advisor

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

The Transport Planning Advisor role is a parttime position to help lead the Transport Planning practice, providing technical leadership and strategic direction for transport planning projects in the rail transit and bus sectors. The role requires a senior practitioner with demonstrated experience for delivering technical transport planning analyses and supporting clients to build a defensible business case to help secure funding. The selected individual should have existing relationships and experience working with transit agencies, project stakeholders, as well as governmental and regulatory bodies.

The role is based in the New York, NY office.

The Opportunity

• Lead the delivery of bus and rail infrastructure and service planning projects. Example projects include bus and passenger rail corridor studies, planning for new service and extensions, planning and conceptual design of stations, stops, terminals, and other supporting facilities.
• Lead studies on transit oriented development and complete streets initiatives to help increase multimodal connectivity through creative land use planning and development that will increase pedestrian and bicycle usage and safety.
• Deliver planning studies that will help transit agencies increase ridership and provide more cost-effective services that enhance the customer experience.
• Provide guidance to clients on transport funding policy.
• Help transit agencies to reduce emissions and meet other sustainability goals.
• Responsible for delivering projects on time, within budget, and to client satisfaction. Monitor project progress, milestones, and deliverables to identify and address potential issues or risks.
• Identify and help execute business development strategies to win new projects and diversify services provided.
• Lead and support the preparation of proposals and bid submissions. Provide input to contract negotiation including contract terms and conditions.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with existing and prospective clients.
• Identify and mitigate project risks related to technical, regulatory, and contractual requirements and implement quality control measures to monitor and improve project outcomes and client satisfaction.
• Provide technical reviews of planning project deliverables.
• Support stakeholder and public engagement meetings for transport planning projects.
• Provide senior leadership and support of engineers and planners in planning and design project delivery. Provide support and development opportunities through the assignment of work and stretch tasks.
• Support the development of technical and soft skills development of transport planning staff.
• Play an active role in professional organizations to provide thought leadership in the transport planning and land use policy industry.

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 degree in urban planning, civil engineering, architecture, or a related field.
• Minimum of 20 years of experience in public transit service and/or infrastructure planning.
• Experience as a project manager and/or project director is required.
• Experience working in both consulting and public sector is highly desirable.
• Strong technical judgment and ability to resolve complex design, interface, constructability, and standards-compliance issues.
• Demonstrated knowledge of transportation related disciplines including land use and transit oriented development planning; transit access planning including micromobility and pedestrian safety strategies; transit market assessments and alternatives development; and transportation funding policy.
• Experience leading technical teams, mentoring staff, coordinating subconsultants, and supporting quality assurance processes.
• Strong client relationship, communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to support business development, pursuits, proposals, and interviews for major rail programs.
• Significant experience working with clients and strong relationships in the Northeastern United States. A candidate with an established profile in the Northeast as well as connections to the larger national industry and with the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Railroad Administration is highly desired.
• Professional Certifications: PE, AICP, PTP, or similar, is preferred.

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

New York Hiring Range

– Hiring Range - The good faith base salary hiring range for this job if performed as a full‑time role in New York is $200,000 to $210,000 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 New York 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

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.