Capability Lead – Rail - Aviation Rail & Technology Group

Developing the Capability

• Own and deliver the Capability Plan, aligned to the wider Transportation growth strategy and market priorities.
• Develop and maintain an understanding of capability skills, capacity, utilisation, diversity, succession, and future demand.
• Identify current and emerging capability gaps based on Market and Portfolio stated needs and take proactive action through recruitment, development, upskilling, and strategic resourcing.
• Drive a future-ready business through Augmented Delivery and use of tools and process improvements to align with strategy.
• Build a strong succession pipeline for critical roles within your capability and maintain clear career pathways within your discipline, supporting learning, accreditation, and progression.

Work Winning & Market Collaboration

• Ensure capability-specific input into bids and pursuits, shaping competitive, innovative, and deliverable capability solutions.
• Support the development of compelling value propositions by leveraging specialist expertise, digital tools, and new ways of working.
• Support the Capability Director and Client Delivery Director in strengthening Jacobs’ market reputation by acting as a credible representative with clients and partners.
• Collaborate with other Capability Leads to deliver integrated, multi-disciplinary solutions for clients and teams.

Deployment, Performance & Client Delivery

• Work closely with Operations and Resource Management to ensure your capability is deployed effectively and efficiently across projects.
• Champion internal mobility, enabling talent to move across projects, geographies, and sectors while maintaining continuity and delivery excellence.
• Foster a strong delivery mindset, ensuring capability inputs are provided on time, to scope, and to the required quality.
• Drive continuous improvement through the adoption of digital enablement, standardisation, innovation, and best practice.
• Support consistent ways of working and scalable delivery models across UK, Europe, and the Global Delivery Centres.
• Develop and maintain an understanding of capability demand by working with the Client Delivery Directors, Portfolio Leads, Growth & Sales, and Engagement Managers.

Business & Operational Support

• Accountable for business metrics for a specific capability in line with Transportation Financial Business Plan.
• Support the Capability Director with capability-level performance insight, forecasting, risks, and opportunities.
• Contribute to gross margin and utilisation performance by ensuring smart deployment of skills and effective use of resources.
• Support implementation of agreed new ways of working and operational improvements across the business.
• Collaborate with other disciplines to remove silos and maximise value for clients and Jacobs.

Here's what you'll need

• Experience of successfully leading a team, technical discipline, or capability within a complex, matrixed, or multi-disciplinary environment.
• Recognised technical and professional credibility.
• Proven ability to lead through influence rather than hierarchy, inspiring high performance, and collaboration.
• Demonstrable people leadership skills, with a track record of developing talent and building inclusive teams and culture.
• Commercial awareness, with experience of contributing to bids or project delivery, and performance management.

Please ensure that you attach a one-page covering letter outlining your vision and how you see yourself in the role.

Joining Jacobs

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. Find out more about life at Jacobs.

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. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here.

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility, please visit https://www.vercida.com/uk/employers/jacobs to view and access our roles.

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.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.