Pacific Northwest Major Projects Leader - Rail & Transport

About the role

Joining Arup, a leader in shaping a better world, this role is for a Northwest Major Projects Lead to support the Rail team in Seattle. The role requires a senior Rail professional with multidisciplinary design leadership and strong client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-the-ground senior leadership to multidisciplinary teams of Arup engineers and subconsultants, establishing clear delivery frameworks that support consistent, high-quality outcomes.
• Champion quality assurance and governance standards, providing oversight and independent challenge to ensure technical, regulatory, and contractual risks are effectively managed.
• Shape and support business development strategies to grow and diversify Arup’s rail portfolio, while cultivating trusted, long-term relationships with key clients, partners, and industry organizations.
• Act as a senior representative of Arup within the regional rail and transit market, including relationship leadership with selected industry bodies.
• Build and sustain a culture of collaboration, excellence, and accountability across integrated project teams, supporting workforce planning, senior recruitment, and succession.
• Mentor and develop project and technical leaders through coaching, performance reviews, and promotion processes.
• Provide strategic oversight of program performance—across schedule, budget, risk, and delivery outcomes—intervening as needed to support resolution and successful execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering with 15+ years of experience providing senior leadership across complex infrastructure projects within multidisciplinary environments.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license.
• Demonstrated experience leading the successful delivery of complex infrastructure projects, with accountability for design and technical excellence, commercial performance, risk, and outcomes.
• Proven ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, including owners, contractors, and public agencies.
• Experience leading major projects delivered through design-build is required; experience with other alternative delivery models (CM/GC, Progressive Design-Build, etc.) is preferred.
• Experience across rail and major infrastructure programs; maintenance facility experience is desirable but not required.
• Ability to lead across multiple complex priorities, providing clarity, governance, and strategic focus in fast-paced, high-risk environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence, align, and advise senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

While not specified, qualifications typically include:

• Experience in rail and major infrastructure projects.
• Leadership experience in multidisciplinary teams.
• Client relationship management skills.
• Experience with various project delivery methods.
• Strategic thinking and risk management skills.
• Effective communication and influencing skills.

Skills

• Project management and leadership skills.
• Technical expertise in rail and infrastructure projects.
• Business development and client relationship building.
• Strategic planning and risk management.
• Collaborative and inclusive team-building abilities.
• Performance management and mentoring.

Benefits

At Arup, you will benefit from:

• A competitive, fair, and equitable pay structure.
• A comprehensive benefits package including health and welfare security, learning opportunities, and the potential for profit sharing.
• Flexible working options.

Pay

The Seattle hiring range for this role is $190,000 to $220,000 per year, commensurate with experience, educational background, and skill level. Benefits are not included in the base salary.

Schedule

Details regarding the schedule are not specified in the job posting.