Belfast Cities Planning Design team lead

Joining Arup

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach have set us apart for over 75 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

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The Opportunity

The role focuses on developing the local Cities Planning & Design (CPD) market offer (consisting of transport planning, town planning and economic disciplines) in Northern Ireland, building trusted adviser relationships with key development and delivery partners, giving clear and visible leadership to the CPD group in the external and internal market and provide a platform for greater engagement across the office leadership team, as well as developing and growing the existing CPD team.

You will focus on an area the North is seeking to expand our influence around - unlocking and facilitating development opportunities. Growing our local capability in this space enables us to target larger, longer-term opportunities and frameworks, increasing both income and security of income across financial years and enabling team growth .

You will be working with other leaders as required will identify new client opportunities, lead winning bids and successfully deliver CPD services to our existing clients. A key role outcome will be to develop the transport and town planning development planning skills offer locally, through both training and recruitment, while linking closely with other Portfolios and across offices / Geographies as necessary.

The Role:

-    To evolve and grow our Cities Planning & Design (CPD) offer, consolidating and leading our development work across Northern Ireland, and providing technical planning expertise (transport or town) to projects across both North, UKIMEA and Europe, and linking closely with the Europe region and Ireland team on project delivery, resourcing and bidding.

-    A day-to-day team leadership role for the Belfast CPD team, engaging with internal multi-disciplinary teams, engaging with clients and the market, contributing to multi-disciplinary pursuits and generating a CPD specific pipeline.

-    Fronting CPD within local NI market and a champion for Total Design implementation locally.

-    Working alongside wider Ireland Teams to link in wider market and clients, as well as linking in and working with wider teams in the North Region across Scotland and England and wider UK network.

Requirements:

-       Experience of planning (transport / town planning) project leadership, a Total Design mindset and building / growing client relationships / project pipelines are core requirements alongside work winning, project delivery, team leadership and mentoring early careers staff.

-       Degree in town or transport planning (or relevant qualification)

-       Proven experience, preferably in consultancy

Not ready to apply just yet or have some questions? Contact Drina Zupanovic at Drina.Zupanovicgerard@arup.com - Please note, to ensure we remain GDPR compliant do not send your CV directly to us via this email. 

 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 recognises 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.

We also provide Private medical insurance, Life assurance, Accident insurance and Income protection cover. In addition, you’ll have access to flexible benefits to help you look after all aspects of your wellbeing and give you the freedom and flexibility to find the best solutions for you, your family, and your individual needs.

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 www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please contact Drina.Zupanovicgerard@arup.com to let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.

Our Application Process

To understand what to expect next, please visit https://www.arup.com/careers/recruitment-process/

Stay safe online – Arup will never ask for your bank details as part of our recruitment process.

Recruitment Agencies – We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted partners to assist us when required and do not acknowledge any speculative CVs or unsolicited candidate introductions from agencies not on the list.

Closing Date: 10.03.2026

We may close the role earlier than the advertised date should we receive a large number of applications, so please ensure you apply early.