Areawide Growth Leader – Transportation Planning

About the role

AECOM is seeking an Areawide Growth Leader – Transportation Planning to drive the strategic growth of our Transportation Planning practice across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. This position plays a critical leadership role in shaping and executing growth initiatives, strengthening client relationships, supporting major pursuits, and expanding AECOM’s planning market presence.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a growth strategy for transportation planning in the DMV that aligns with AECOM’s regional and business line objectives.
• Develop market and account plans focused on priority agencies and programs (e.g., public-sector transportation agencies, MPOs, local municipalities and counties).
• Lead pipeline development, market intelligence, and strategic positioning for priority clients and programs.
• Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with executive and technical stakeholders to position AECOM as the partner of choice.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients, connecting their needs with AECOM’s planning and multidisciplinary capabilities.
• Lead or support capture planning on key pursuits, including teaming strategy, value proposition development, and positioning.
• Partner with operations, delivery, and technical leaders to align growth priorities with staffing, capabilities, and delivery capacity.
• Collaborate with Strategy & Growth teams, Client Account Managers, and other market sectors to maximize cross-business opportunities.
• Partner with Transportation Planning operations leadership to align growth priorities with staff capabilities and long-term business plans.
• Oversee pipeline, account plans, and key pursuits; ensure high-quality proposals that address client needs and reflect AECOM’s technical excellence.
• Ensure disciplined use of CRM and pursuit management processes.

Qualifications

• Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Transportation Planning, Urban/Regional Planning, Civil Engineering, Environmental Planning, or related field. 10+ years of progressive experience in transportation planning, consulting, or professional services with a strong emphasis on business development, growth strategy, or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education, including 2 years of leadership.
• Proven track record of winning work, supporting major pursuits, and growing public-sector planning programs.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas to executive and technical audiences.
• Experienced and knowledgeable within the industry network and established client and partner relationships in the DMV market.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in Planning, Engineering, or Business Administration.
• AICP and/or Professional Engineer (PE) credential (PE in MD/DC/VA a plus).
• Comprehensive knowledge of DMV transportation agencies, planning organizations, funding programs, and procurement processes.
• Existing relationships with DOTs, transit agencies, MPOs, and local jurisdictions in the region.
• Familiarity with federal and state procurement and funding programs (e.g., IIJA, FTA, FHWA) and local procurement systems and processes.
• Experience spanning multimodal corridor planning, transit and rail, active transportation, freight planning, performance-based planning, and NEPA/transportation-environmental interfaces.

Additional Information

• Relocation is an option for this position.
• We are interested in every qualified candidate eligible to work in the United States. Sponsorship may be available for current visa holders in the United States.
• The offered rate of compensation will be based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. The range for this position is $180000 to $230000 per year.