Aviation Principal Project Manager
At Mott MacDonald, we trust our brilliant people to do brilliant things in engineering, management, and development services, supporting multisector project work in over 150 countries. As one of the largest employee-owned companies in the world, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver exceptional outcomes through our network of 20,000+ talented consultants. With sustainability and innovation at the heart of all our sectors in North America, including, Buildings, Energy, Transportation, and Water.
We believe in empowering our people to excel, learn, and grow, offering diverse opportunities to contribute to career-defining work. Join us and be part of a collaborative environment where your ambitions are united with ours, and you can truly shape your story.
If you share that vision, even if you don’t meet every requirement listed, we’d still love to hear from you. We value potential and diverse perspectives as much as experience. Let’s explore how we can support your growth and help you take the next step in your career, while contributing to an exciting new chapter for Mott MacDonald in North America.
A Principal Project Manager is a senior-level role responsible for leading and managing complex projects and programs from pre-positioning, through delivery to completion and closeout. This role combines client-facing leadership, technical oversight and program execution, with a strong emphasis on strategic growth, trusted advisory services and excellence in delivery.
This includes enhancing aviation-related capabilities across the region and collaborating with colleagues at Mott MacDonald globally, as well as with other consultancies, to ensure project objectives are met and client expectations are exceeded.
Key responsibilities:
- Leadership and Strategy: Develop and implement strategic plans for projects and programs, ensuring they align with organizational goals and objectives.
- Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, including clients, team members, and senior management. Strong communication skills and ability to independently prepare presentations and reports for diverse audiences are a requirement.
- Project Management: Oversee the resource planning, development, approvals execution, and delivery of projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and in accordance with client scope and expectations.
- Risk Management: Identify and proactively mitigate risks associated with projects and programs to ensure successful outcomes.
- Team Management: Lead and mentor project teams, providing guidance and support to ensure high performance and professional development.
- Performance Monitoring: Track and report on project and program performance, using metrics and KPIs to measure success and identify areas for improvement.
Key qualifications:
- Extensive experience delivering aviation projects and programs for US and global airports on behalf of airport authorities and developers.
- Proven experience with aviation planning, including the development of master plans, layout plans, and feasibility studies.
- Strong understanding of regulatory guidelines, airport operations and aviation capital development programs.
- Experience performing aviation demand analysis and translating forecasts into facility and infrastructure requirements.
- Demonstrated ability in developing strong client relationships within the airport sector, with a solid understanding of aviation market trends and industry drivers.
- Strong leadership, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to independently prepare and deliver materials to senior stakeholders.
- Demonstrated proficiency in project and program management tools, methodologies and governance frameworks.
Preferred qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, or urban planning or related field
- 12+ years of relevant experience in the aviation industry and progressive leadership roles
Benefits & Reward
At Mott MacDonald, our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, providing them with a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. We provide a comprehensive benefit package that includes 401k, medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term/long-term disability, paid holidays, PTO, parental leave, and company paid life insurance.
Individual pay is determined based on several factors such as work location, education, experience, and unique skills.
The expected salary for this position is $190,000 - $232,000.
Collaboration at Our Core
At Mott MacDonald, we believe great ideas happen when we’re together. Our hybrid approach centers on an in-office culture, with most of your time spent collaborating face-to-face and a minimum of three days per week in the office. We balance flexibility with connection, so you and your manager can choose how to meet client, team, and personal commitments.
Equal opportunity is the law.
We seek 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 have the opportunity to contribute.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or disability status.