Associate Director, OT & Cybersecurity

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: As our OT & Cybersecurity practice continues to grow, we're looking for an experienced Associate Director to help shape its next chapter. This is a pivotal leadership role within our Digital & Data business, supporting critical infrastructure clients across a broad range of sectors, including energy, water, aviation and rail. You'll join a growing team at an exciting stage of its evolution, combining deep technical expertise with leadership, client engagement and business growth. Working alongside senior leaders, you'll help organisations strengthen the security and resilience of business‑critical operational environments while contributing to the continued expansion of our OT cybersecurity capability. This role offers the opportunity to influence major programmes, develop high‑performing teams and play a key part in the future growth of the practice.

What you'll do: You’ll lead the delivery of complex OT and cybersecurity engagements for critical national infrastructure and regulated industry clients, acting as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders. Working across a diverse range of projects, you’ll help clients solve challenging operational technology security and engineering problems while ensuring high‑quality delivery outcomes. Alongside client work, you’ll contribute to the growth of the practice through team leadership, mentoring and capability development. You’ll build strong relationships across our business and client organisations, identify opportunities for growth and support the development of new business opportunities. This is a role for someone who enjoys balancing technical leadership, people development and client engagement within a collaborative and growing environment.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Strong experience within Operational Technology (OT), ideally gained within critical national infrastructure sectors such as energy, power, water or rail.
• Experience leading teams, developing people and creating high‑performing, collaborative environments.
• A track record of delivering complex OT, cybersecurity or engineering programmes and engaging confidently with senior client stakeholders.
• A strong understanding of OT security principles and the ability to provide technical leadership and direction across multidisciplinary teams.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to identify opportunities for growth while building trusted client relationships.
• Experience from within consulting, utilities or engineering services, or complex regulated environments would be advantageous.

At Jacobs, you'll have the opportunity to work on some of the most important infrastructure challenges facing society today. You'll be supported by a collaborative team, trusted to make an impact and given the opportunity to help shape a growing practice with ambitious plans for the future. If you're looking for a role where you can combine technical leadership, client influence and team development while helping secure critical infrastructure, we'd love to hear from you.

Other important info: This is a full time, permanent role. Hybrid (3 days/week at office or onsite), flexible on location in the UK. The position will involve business travel across the UK & Europe. Full time employment at Jacobs is based on a 40 hour working week. We place a strong emphasis on work life balance and flexibility, and flexi‑time is available. We offer wide range of employee benefits including: comprehensive Health Cover, Life Assurance, Income Protection, holiday buy/sell scheme, a variety of wellbeing, family, parental and fertility support offerings, an excellent enhanced contribution pension scheme.

All Jacobs employees will require a BPSS check as part of the hiring and onboarding process. This role will be subject to UK Security Vetting at SC (security check) level. Applicants must be eligible and willing to undergo the appropriate security clearance process, if not already cleared. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of the relevant clearance process.

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees. With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential.

You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well‑being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company.

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role. 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.