Senior Research Consultant - Transportation Planning

Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World. At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

Start here. Grow here. We are seeking a Senior Research Consultant to join the Manchester team to support the delivery of high-quality social and market research across Manchester and the wider UK. The role involves leading and contributing to robust research projects for central and local government clients, generating evidence-based insights that inform policy decisions, shape services, and drive positive change for communities and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Delivery
  • Lead the design and development of robust, methodologically sound research frameworks aligned to client objectives.
  • Oversee and coordinate data collection activities, including survey deployment and fieldwork execution.
  • Design and facilitate qualitative research, including moderating focus groups and conducting in-depth interviews.
  • Apply advanced qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques to generate actionable insights.
  • Ensure data integrity, accuracy, and compliance with MRS and data protection regulations.
  • Produce clear, concise, and insight-driven reports tailored to client and stakeholder needs.
  • Develop and deliver high-quality presentations that communicate findings effectively and support decision-making.
• Project Management
  • Manage the delivery of small and medium-sized projects, ensuring outputs meet quality standards, programme deadlines and budget requirements.
  • Collaborate with internal teams to integrate research outputs into wider project delivery.
  • Maintain strong risk identification and mitigation, raising issues early and managing them appropriately.
  • Support effective project coordination, including task planning, resourcing, and progress reporting.
• Client & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Provide client contact and liaison without supervision, acting as a trusted point of contact.
  • Present technical findings clearly to a range of audiences, including non-technical stakeholders.
  • Support workshops, meetings, and consultations by providing clear technical advice and insight.
• Team Leadership & Development
  • Provide supervision, guidance and mentoring to junior colleagues, supporting their technical development and helping build methodological design and analysis skills.
  • Contribute to small team management and line management responsibilities where required.
  • Encourage consistent technical standards, knowledge sharing and collaborative working.
• Business Development
  • Support the preparation of competitive technical and financial proposals.
  • Contribute to bid writing, work planning, and defining appropriate research approaches and deliverables for new opportunities.

Qualifications

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Degree or above in relevant field such as Social Science, Market Research, Geography (Human), and/or relevant MRS qualifications.
• Prior experience in the technical delivery of Social and Market Research projects, including leading all stages of the research lifecycle, including research design, project delivery, and client management.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and work to deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Attention to detail and a desire for high quality outputs.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to troubleshoot logistical or operational issues in real time.
• Comfortable using MS Excel.
• Knowledge of other software will be beneficial and should have a desire/aptitude to learn new software such as survey programming (SNAP and Askia) and managing data (SPSS).

At AECOM, we value everyone's unique contributions and perspectives. If you meet some of the requirements above or have transferable skills you believe would benefit us, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Additional Information

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities.

AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation, benefits and well-being programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours. We are a Disability Confident Employer and will offer an interview to applicants who have a disability or long-term condition, who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. Please let us know using this email address ReasonableAccommodationsUKI@aecom.com if you would like to apply through the Disability Confident Interview Scheme. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.