Graduate Urban Development and Mobility Consultant

at  Arup

Our team focusses on large-scale, complex built-environment projects, which involve housing and commercial development, transport investment and economic growth. We use our knowledge and expertise to offer our clients a broad spectrum of consulting services including, but not limited to, the following:

• How to make complicated, multi-faceted projects happen in a world with lots of ever-changing challenges (for example – King’s Cross didn’t always look like it does now. Lots of people spent many years making incremental progress which has led to transformation of the place);
• Building the rationale for investment for major projects (for example, new train stations – such as the new Northern Line Extension and how it’s connected to the development at Nine Elms and Battersea)
• Economic analysis, appraisal, and modelling (for example, working out how much economic growth would a scheme to deliver 10,000 new homes and 2.5m sq ft office space generate?)
• Local economic growth and governance (for example, how could public and private sector work together to support a town centre with lots of vacant shops generate increased footfall, activity, and a sense of community?)
• Project strategy and management support (for example, helping clients who are leading complex, long-term development projects drive progress on a day-to-day basis often in highly political environments

At Arup we’re dedicated to sustainable development and to do socially useful work that has meaning. Our purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 75 years, guiding how we shape a better world.
We solve the world’s most complex problems and deliver what seems impossible. We explore challenges with curiosity and creativity - using technology, imagination and rigour to deliver remarkable outcomes.
Arup offers a comprehensive consultancy service to clients across the built environment, infrastructure, and transport sectors. We support people who shape cities, including companies, investors, and government agencies, and we advise on a wide range of issues, including strategy, economic and commercial advice. We work with our clients at moments of change, whether it’s the development of policy, assessing the impact of major investments or informing strategic choices.
We ask ourselves what makes a good place, and then we try to work out how to get that built. Enabling major urban development projects requires a deep understanding of intangible elements such as policy objectives and the mechanics of decision-making, as well as the tangible aspects of the built environment, such as architecture, urban design, and construction logistics.
The Opportunity
From your first day, you’ll join a community of people passionate about the world around us. This is an organisation where everyone is supported in their career path and provided with great training opportunities. You’ll help us to deliver effective and professional services for a range of varied and high-profile clients. While you’ll have a great deal of responsibility from day one, we’ll give you the chance to take on more as you progress and broaden your skills.
Working as part of a team, your role will be to advise city and built-environment focused clients. Across the public and private sectors, you will help manage client relationships with public sector agencies, property developers, infrastructure operators and other organisations. This will involve feasibility studies, policy design, cost and funding studies, cost-benefit analysis, delivery, and corporate strategy advice.
The role will involve working on projects within the UK, and internationally, and require a range of quantitative and qualitative skills as well as the ability to effectively support client relationships and work as part of integrated project teams.

Our team focusses on large-scale, complex built-environment projects, which involve housing and commercial development, transport investment and economic growth. We use our knowledge and expertise to offer our clients a broad spectrum of consulting services including, but not limited to, the following:

• How to make complicated, multi-faceted projects happen in a world with lots of ever-changing challenges (for example – King’s Cross didn’t always look like it does now. Lots of people spent many years making incremental progress which has led to transformation of the place);
• Building the rationale for investment for major projects (for example, new train stations – such as the new Northern Line Extension and how it’s connected to the development at Nine Elms and Battersea)
• Economic analysis, appraisal, and modelling (for example, working out how much economic growth would a scheme to deliver 10,000 new homes and 2.5m sq ft office space generate?)
• Local economic growth and governance (for example, how could public and private sector work together to support a town centre with lots of vacant shops generate increased footfall, activity, and a sense of community?)
• Project strategy and management support (for example, helping clients who are leading complex, long-term development projects drive progress on a day-to-day basis often in highly political environments)

Available location: London
Is this role right for you?
Candidates are not expected to have experience or technical knowledge of all items listed above. We are an inclusive team who have a range of different backgrounds and professional experience. We encourage individuals to apply if they have a keen interest in cities, the way they function and developing sustainable solutions to shape a better world.
We are a multi-disciplinary team of strategic economists, urban planners, surveyors, architects, business case practitioners and social value specialists.

What connects us is our ‘integrator’ mindset: we like solving complex problems by bringing together different perspectives and seeing the bigger picture. This means we welcome people with different backgrounds and expertise. Key competences that we are looking for include:

• Built environment: you will have a clear interest in working on projects or policy related to the built environment, including urban regeneration, housing, transport, economic policy, or green infrastructure.
• Strategic advisory: you will have an interest in policy, economics, strategy and/or market analysis demonstrated through experience at school, university, any work done to date, and extra-curricular activities.
• Storytelling & communications: you are able to pull together high-quality visual and written documents, presentation, outputs that tell a compelling story; engage and influence audiences; ability to think and relay information in a concise and logically structured manner.
• Integrated thinking: you understand the importance of delivering integrated solutions (across things like: delivering social change, making attractive places, meeting stakeholders’ expectations, providing financial returns etc). You are able to make well-rounded arguments and recognise how and when to bring various types of technical expertise to the table.
• Team working: you are a good team player and are able to bring people together around a shared idea.
• Political nous: you have an interest and awareness of the political landscape, and how this impacts policy and investment decisions.

We’re looking for people who are curious and ready to evolve how you think and work. Our strength comes from how we respect, share, and connect our diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas. At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective – in which we encourage individuality to thrive. If you can share your knowledge and ideas and encourage others to do the same; whilst having a desire to deliver excellent services for clients – we’d like to hear from you.
You should be able to start this opportunity in September 2024.