Principal Consultant - Future of Mobility

About the Future of Mobility Team

The Future of Mobility team sits within our wider Transport Planning business, and includes a wide range of specialists. We are researchers, town planners, engineers, economists, accountants, behavioural scientists, data specialists and transport planners. We work on complex, often ambiguous challenges that sit at the intersection of technology, policy, geography, behaviour and investment decision-making.

We offer a variety of expertise, approaches and skills to support our public and private sector clients with their futures challenges, in the mobility sector and beyond. For example, we have applied our human centred design and analytical approaches to projects looking at suicide prevention, improving air quality, expanding the uptake of electric vehicles, making transport more accessible and inclusive, and exploring emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and e-scooters.

You will work with, and be supported by, senior members of the Future of Mobility team, including industry experts.  

The team is virtual, and we welcome applicants who would be based out of any of our offices in England, Scotland or Wales. We have a strong presence in Birmingham, London, Manchester, Liverpool and across Edinburgh and Glasgow, and support regular meetings between team members to harness strong working relationships. The role will also involve occasional travel for client meetings to help develop meaningful relationships.  

A little more about your role…

Due to our expanding public and private sector workload, we are looking for a Principal Consultant with experience and knowledge of emerging modes, services, systems and business models within the transport sector. This could include one or more of: connected and automated mobility, micromobility, demand responsive transport, and ticketing, payment and information systems.

This is a consultancy and advisory role. You will work with public and private sector clients to help them make better decisions about the future of mobility – shaping strategy, policy, investment cases and programmes of work.

While you will need to understand emerging modes, technologies and business models, you will not be expected to design or engineer systems. Instead, your value will come from your ability to frame problems, analyse evidence, balance competing considerations, and provide clear, credible advice that balances customer, technology and commercial considerations.  

Working as part of a consultancy team, you will be on several projects and client accounts at any given time. Although the role has a focus on emerging modes, technologies and business models, your work may cover a variety of areas of expertise. Where you have a passion and strength in a particular area, we can support you in becoming a subject matter expert.  

You will report to a senior member of our team with expected day-to-day tasks that include the following:

• Delivering a range of consultancy projects (reporting to a Project Director), which at any one time could include a selection of the following:
  • Developing business cases and investment narratives for new mobility services
  • Leading feasibility studies to assess the viability of emerging transport interventions
  • Undertaking market and policy research to assess how new technologies could be applied in real‑world contexts
  • Designing and delivering research to understand user needs, public attitudes and behavioural responses
  • Supporting clients with funding applications, policy development and strategic decision‑making
• Managing projects (reporting to a Project Director), ensuring projects are delivered on time and to budget.
• Applying strong analytical skills to critically evaluate and analyse data to provide robust recommendations. This will include numerical data, geographical data and qualitative data.  
• Working with colleagues and leaders in the team on business development activities, including proactive client engagement and supporting with, or leading, the preparation of bids and fee proposals.
• Working at both strategic and detailed levels with strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to communicate confidently with clients, stakeholders and team members.  
• Building and maintaining effective client relationships, delivering a high standard of client care.  
• Being present in the office (hybrid working) alongside colleagues and working with colleagues across the UK and overseas.  

We would love to hear from you if you bring many (not necessarily all) of the following:

• Experience working on emerging mobility modes or technologies, ideally in a consultancy, advisory or policy focused environment
• Confidence managing projects and client relationships, balancing quality, time and budget
• A good understanding of the UK transport landscape and how future of mobility themes are shaping it
• Curiosity about how policy, economics, place, human behaviour and technology interact to shape outcomes
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills, and enjoyment in developing tailored approaches rather than applying standard solutions
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise and persuasive reports, alongside presenting skills
• A proactive mindset – comfortable asking questions, challenging assumptions and contributing ideas

You may already have a professional network of clients and industry contacts, although this is not essential. As part of the role, you will be supported and encouraged to develop your network over time, contributing to thought leadership and business development activities.

This role will particularly suit individuals who enjoy working at the interface between ideas, evidence and decision‑making, rather than those seeking a primarily technical design or systems engineering role.

What others say…….  

“Being part of the Future of Mobility team means having the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of transport across a diverse range of impactful projects. Our team is equally diverse, and I get to work with recognised subject matter experts shaping the future of transport through our strategy and policy work. As a Principal Consultant, you will have the opportunity to contribute directly to the team's thought leadership, and also generate new knowledge and insights through trials of innovative technologies and business models that are disrupting and challenging current paradigms. This role is perfect for anyone who enjoys thinking deeply about the future, adopting a positive but pragmatic approach to reimagining transport systems to better serve people, places, and the environment.”