Client Director - Manchester

Location/s: Manchester

Relocation supported: Not supported, but internal applications are welcome

Recruiter contact: Madeleine Knight

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the Role 
Are you passionate about Greater Manchester and do you want to help make a difference? Do you want to contribute to growth and improvement opportunities in your city, helping to drive positive societal change? If yes, then we have an exciting opportunity for you.  

We are looking for someone to bring together the best of Mott MacDonald and to drive our business forward in Manchester by fulfilling a dual role, covering Manchester City Lead and Client Director for Transport for Greater Manchester.  

Our City Leads are a vital part of our business, helping to drive economic success and bring together what Mott MacDonald has to offer in some of the UK’s largest cities. Our Client Directors are responsible for maintaining good relationships with some of our largest clients across Mott MacDonald, driving excellence in delivery and brilliant societal outcomes.  

The successful candidate will help represent and promote Mott MacDonald in Manchester and the Greater Manchester area, working across the company to help us connect with relevant industry, community, development and public sector organisations, nurturing relationships with key individuals, senior executives and engaging at CEO level.  

They will do this whilst working closely with one of our most valuable clients, Transport for Greater Manchester. 

In this role you will: 

Manchester City Lead: 
•    Be the Manchester City Lead, responsible and accountable for the success of our Cities initiative in the City of Manchester and the Greater Manchester area 
•    Proactively seek and pursue new business opportunities by developing a comprehensive understanding of our business and the offerings that we can take to market  
•    Leverage an established industry network to build and maintain relationships with new and existing clients 
•    Lead engagement with Manchester’s influential stakeholder organisations, to include the mayoral offices. 
•    Represent Mott MacDonald with authenticity and integrity at industry conferences, networking events, and client meetings to enhance our profile, including through speaking engagements and panel representation 
•    Develop and maintain an overarching Manchester City account plan in liaison with all relevant stakeholders 
•    Engage our wider Mott MacDonald team through effective communication, and foster multi-level client engagement management by developing staff at all levels of seniority 

Client Director: 
•    Be the client director for Transport for Greater Manchester, accountable for developing and maintaining strong and robust client relationships with key directors and stakeholders 
•    Be working effectively with the Transport Market Director, Practice Leaders and Resource Managers to bring the right resources to deliver the project to the client’s satisfaction and meeting Mott MacDonald’s sales  targets 
•    Possess a genuine drive to address client’s issues and fulfil their aspirations 
•    Capture planning and pre-positioning for upcoming opportunities and prospects with clients – identifying opportunities and turning them into prospects 
•    Ensure that business development and marketing coordinated across Mott MacDonald through connected thinking, collaboration and coordination 
•    Drive the bidding process to convert prospects into projects, be responsible for bid teams, producing high-quality proposals that are both technically and commercially sound 
•    Develop and maintain an overarching client engagement plan in liaison with all relevant stakeholders 

Project Delivery: 
•    Direct major transportation projects with your clients or others, when required to do so 
•    Perform the role of Project Director/Principal, ultimately accountable for successful outcomes, coaching and mentoring Project Managers and Technical Leaders 
•    Be accountable for the successful completion of all projects under your oversight. Success means sound governance, commercial, financial, technical, health, safety and welfare, and realisation of client benefits agreed in the proposal phase 
•    Direct projects to achieve quality deliverables on time and on budget to maintain customer satisfaction without compromising target profit 

Candidate Specification
The successful candidate will be proactive and dynamic, with a business development mind-set, with a proven ability of winning work with world class transport clients.  

You are not expected to have experience in this exact role, but you will need to demonstrate your genuine passion for making a difference to Manchester. You will ideally have a strong understanding of how Manchester and the surrounding regions work and have the desire to drive inclusive growth.  

To deliver this role you will be required to be based in our Manchester office.  

Essential: 
•    A proven track record of success in business development and winning work with major transport clients 
•    Excellent communication skills including client and stakeholder negotiation 
•    A degree in a relevant transport-related or engineering discipline. Candidates with other relevant qualifications may be considered. 
•    Chartership is not essential to apply for this role but is expected of a candidate who has qualifications aligned with a professional institution 
•    Fluency in English – knowledge of other languages will be valued as an advantage 
•    A strong and active network of organisations in Manchester 
•    Proficient in Microsoft software  

We are looking for candidates with the following characteristics: 
•    Proactive and self-motivated, with a collaborative mindset 
•    Excellent networking skills, able to build and maintain client relationships 
•    Strong business development skills, with experience in generating and winning work 
•    A team player who nurtures and uplifts colleagues, and is able to foster teamwork and collaboration 
•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, which allow you to confidently liaise with clients and multiple different types of organisations 

We are actively recruiting a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve. We recognise that differences in ability, skills and experience are a strength and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

Please note that the closing date for this role is midnight on 5th September.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.