Sweco
Principal Consultant - Transport Planning (Strategy & Appraisal)
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Do You Have What It Takes to Transform Society?
Do you enjoy being part of a dynamic and inclusive team where respect for people is a priority? Then Sweco is the place to be. We are currently looking for a Principal Consultant to help grow and shape our Transport Planning team in Manchester.
About The Team And Your Role
You will be stepping into a busy, established department with a strong pipeline of secured work with public sector clients. Joining our Transport Planning England team, you will be part of a group that possesses a rich blend of skills, experience, projects, and clients.
One of the great things about Sweco is that our culture empowers people at every grade to make a difference. You will have the flexibility to shape your day-to-day role, contribute fresh ideas to our team's direction, and help us continuously improve how we deliver for our clients.
Our Transport Planning team is made up of highly skilled professionals delivering a wide range of transport planning services across both the public and private sectors. We are looking for an experienced professional with a solid technical foundation in strategy and appraisal, as well as business case development, with a public sector focus. Bringing technical expertise, you will help us evolve by driving smarter, more efficient ways of working and delivering innovation.
You will act as a technical lead for strategy and appraisal, dedicating your time to project delivery, technical excellence, mentoring colleagues, and acting as a trusted transport planning practitioner.
What Does The Role Involve?
You will be taking on an active portfolio of work. Day-to-day responsibilities will see you taking the lead on:
- Technical Leadership in Strategy & Appraisal: Acting as technical lead and subject matter expert on strategy and appraisal, business case development, and value for money assessments. This requires a broad perspective beyond pure transport appraisal, including commercial and financial considerations, land-use and regeneration appraisal, and wider economics. Crucially, focusing on creating compelling economic narratives to support investment.
- Project Work: Developing robust Business Cases and Funding Bids (https://www.sweco.co.uk/services/transportation-infrastructure/advisory-planning/business-case/) for public sector schemes, following HM Treasury Green Book and DfT TAG guidance.
- Shaping Real-World Outcomes: You will have the opportunity to work on highly impactful schemes similar to our recent work in Bradford City Centre (https://www.sweco.co.uk/projects/bradford-regeneration/), Stoke-on-Trent (https://www.sweco.co.uk/blog/very-light-rail-in-stoke-on-trent/), and Manchester City Centre (https://www.manchester.gov.uk/consultations-and-surveys/oldham-road-a62-improvements-survey2). You will also be working with larger public sector bodies like National Highways on projects like the A47 (https://www.sweco.co.uk/blog/a47/).
- Mentorship: Providing technical guidance and support, elevating the team's technical capabilities, and driving best practices and innovation within our strategy and appraisal offering.
- Project Delivery: Ensuring technical accuracy of all work completed within agreed timelines and budgets, maintaining communication to ensure project delivery aligns with client objectives.
- Client Relationships: Developing and maintaining relationships with clients through active engagement, expert technical knowledge, and an understanding of local government pressures, funding, and policy priorities.
- Business Growth: Working with department leadership to expand Sweco’s offer in strategy and appraisal to enter new and grow existing markets capitalising on trends such as devolution of funding and decision making.
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To Be Successful In This Role You Will Possess
- A background in transport planning, contributing to high-profile projects, with extensive knowledge in business case development, strategy and appraisal, and scheme feasibility.
- Demonstrable experience in value for money assessments, which could include commercial and financial modelling, land-use and regeneration appraisal, and wider economics.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to adapt your style to suit different audiences, including producing clear, high-quality technical reports.
- A transport planning/engineering professional chartership (CTPP or equivalent).
- A degree in a relevant discipline.
- Desirable: Project management skills, with a track record of steering transport planning projects from inception to completion, effectively managing budgets, resources, and timelines.
Why Sweco?
At Sweco, we empower our people. We combine discipline-specific expertise with a collaboratively multi-disciplinary approach. By joining us, you aren't just taking a job; you are joining a network of experts dedicated to creating sustainable urban development and transforming society.
Let's transform society together at Sweco!
Employee Benefits
We know that a competitive and transparent package is important. Sweco offers a competitive salary band alongside a market-leading benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial security:
- Flexible and hybrid working (Flexworks Policy)
- Competitive pension contribution
- Life Assurance
- Private Medical Insurance
- Company car or car allowance
- Discretionary Annual Bonus Scheme
- Payment of two relevant professional subscriptions
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days per year)
- Cycle2Work Scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme (wellbeing, mental health, financial and work advice)
- Employee discounts via Sweco Benefit Select (Faircare)
- Salary Sacrifice Electric Vehicle Scheme
- We plant a tree for all new starters!
About Us
Transforming society together, we're planning and designing sustainable communities and cities of the future.
Solving the great societal challenges of our time is more relevant, demanding and inspiring than ever before. At Sweco, we bring together experts with different perspectives and skills to develop solutions that address the challenges of urbanisation, harness the positive power of digitalisation and make societies more sustainable.
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We offer our clients a combination of global expertise and local presence, adapted to their business and reality. Our ambition is to be our clients’ most relevant partner, working together to help them solve their challenges, today and into the future.
Sweco is committed to enabling all its colleagues to achieve a great balance between work and their other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, leisure activities, further learning or other interests. We offer flexible start and finish times, part time and hybrid working options so that you can flex your hours around your day to day needs.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
It’s important to us that that all our colleagues thrive at work - we strive to have a friendly and inclusive culture which respects the contribution individuals can bring to Sweco. We aim to promote equality, inclusivity and diversity for everyone.
Here at Sweco we positively encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy or maternity/paternity.
We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. To find out more The Armed Forces Covenant - Our Commitments | Sweco UK.
We are an accredited Real Living Wage Employer which reflects our commitment to fair pay and support for all colleagues.
We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, and will interview applicants covered by the Equality Act 2010 that opt into the guaranteed interview scheme on the application form and meet the minimum criteria for the role.
If I have a disability, can I get help (e.g. “reasonable adjustments”) with the application process?
If you’re an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, please contact GB_Function-HR-Resourcing@sweco.co.uk for assistance.
In order to address your request the following information is needed:
- Name
- The best method for contacting you (Phone or email)
- The position title
- Requisition/vacancy number
Upon receipt of this information, we’ll respond to you promptly to obtain more information about your request.
Please note: we reserve the right to close vacancies before the advertised closing date.
Sweco UK&I have an internal resourcing team who are responsible for all recruiting activity. We have a Preferred Supplier List of trusted agencies who we work with on those “hard to fill” roles.
We have defined processes for recruitment applications and it is company policy not to accept speculative CVs. Any speculative CVs received into the business (whether to a manager or member of the resourcing team) will become the property of Sweco and the agency will not be eligible for an introductory fee.
Our Preferred Supplier List was reviewed in November 2025 and
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
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