Technical Director (Gateway Infrastructure Planner) in Croydon

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.

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.

We are seeking a Technical Director who is a specialist in Landside Airport Planning (Development Planning). The successful candidate will be recognised in the industry as a technical expert in their specialist field.

• Lead development planning workstreams on major airport development, port and coastal development programmes, for owners and operators.
• Support scheme development and consenting approvals for port (air and water) related schemes.
• 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 port (air and water) landside facilities including those for surface transport, airport cities, cargo and logistics, ancillary and support facilities, and port adjacent land uses.
• Optimise landside planning at ports (Air and water) for land‑use and operational efficiency.
• Understand surface access numerical capacity analysis and simulation modelling to be able to work closely with transport planners and modellers specialising in this work.

• 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 position for upcoming opportunities and prospects, converting them into projects, producing high‑quality proposals that are both technically and commercially sound.

• 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 Technical Director/Principal, accountable for achieving successful project outcomes, coaching and mentoring Project Managers.
• As Technical Director/Principal be accountable for the successful completion of all projects under your oversight.

• Extensive experience in port landside planning, including work on large‑scale development programmes (development planning of major infrastructure).
• Experience to include landside transport facilities, port operations, land‑use planning, cargo and logistics, airport cities, and port support facilities.

• Proactive and self‑motivated, with a learning mindset.
• A person who is naturally curious, willing to adopt new techniques and software and to strive for continuous improvement.
• 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, fostering teamwork and collaboration.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, allowing confident liaison with clients and cross‑functional teams.

• Financial wellbeing: We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 × your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 × 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.
• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• 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.
• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.