Capability Lead - Rail - Aviation Rail & Technology Group

Industry

Transportation

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Capability Leads (CL) have a pivotal leadership role at the heart of our Transportation business, connecting our people, delivery excellence, and growth ambitions. As a Capability Lead, you help us shape the future our business by developing talent, aligning our capability to s, and ensuring we are equipped to deliver outstanding, technically excellent outcomes for our clients today and tomorrow.

About the Opportunity

Capability Leads are accountable for the leadership, performance, and development of a defined capability within Transportation. Reporting to the Capability Director, you will be accountable for translating the overall capability strategy into actionable plans, ensuring the right skills, capacity and ways of working are in place to deliver outstanding outcomes for clients today and to build a future-ready capability for tomorrow.

You will be a trusted technical and people leader, recognised for your ability to lead through influence, collaboration and credibility. You will create an inclusive, high performing community, championing digital enablement, innovation, and continuous improvement, whilst supporting work winning and ensuring high quality delivery across projects.

This opportunity can be based out of ay of our UK/Ireland Hubs

Key Accountabilities

• We are seeking a Capability Lead to guide our Rail Capability of approximately 80 people across the UK and Ireland. The successful candidate will create a high performing culture, develop and grow our multidisciplinary rail talent, and help shape the future of the capability in response to evolving conditions. This includes developing our capability to support a growing volume of multidisciplinary work generated through adjacent s, strengthening our position in major client organisations, and helping to establish a sustainable and scalable presence in Ireland to support anticipated growth opportunities.
• You will work with the Aviation Rail & Technology Capability Director, Rail Client Delivery Director and Rail Technical and People Leaders to help ensure our people, skills and organisational structure are aligned to future client needs.
• Candidates should have an interest in evolving our rail business and be operating at Grade 14 Associate Director level or above, with the potential and ambition to progress further within the business.
• We are open to candidates applying from outside of Transportation but previous exposure to rail clients and projects is desirable. This is a UK & Ireland role so location is flexible.

Objectives, Accountabilities & Responsibilities

Leadership & People

• Provide visible and inspiring leadership for your capability, creating a culture of trust, inclusion, accountability, and high engagement.
• Lead and develop technical specialists and emerging talent, acting as a coach and mentor to build leadership capability and depth.
• Promote Jacobs’ culture, values, Beyond Zero Health & Safety, Inclusion & Belonging, and uncompromising business ethics within your discipline.
• Play an active role in identifying, recruiting, nurturing, and retaining key talent, engaging with people initiatives (career conversations, promotion process etc.) to mitigate attrition risk in critical roles.

Developing the Capability

• Own and deliver the Capability Plan, aligned to the wider Transportation growth strategy and priorities.
• Develop and maintain an understanding of capability skills, capacity, utilisation, diversity, succession, and future demand.
• Identify current and emerging capability gaps based on and Portfolio stated needs and take proactive action through recruitment, development, upskilling, and strategic resourcing.
• Drive a future-ready business through Augmented Delivery and use of tools and process improvements to align with strategy.
• Build a strong succession pipeline for critical roles within your capability and maintain clear career pathways within your discipline, supporting learning, accreditation, and progression.

Work Winning & Collaboration

• Ensure capability specific input into bids and pursuits, shaping competitive, innovative, and deliverable capability solutions.
• Support the development of compelling value propositions by leveraging specialist expertise, digital tools, and new ways of working.
• Support the Capability Director and Client Delivery Director in strengthening Jacobs’ reputation by acting as a credible representative with clients and partners.
• Collaborate with other Capability Leads to deliver integrated, multi-disciplinary solutions for clients and teams.

Deployment, Performance & Client Delivery

• Work closely with Operations and Resource Management to ensure your capability is deployed effectively and efficiently across projects.
• Champion internal mobility, enabling talent to move across projects, geographies and sectors while maintaining continuity and delivery excellence.
• Foster a strong delivery mindset, ensuring capability inputs are provided on time, to scope and to the required quality.
• Drive continuous improvement through the adoption of digital enablement, standardisation, innovation, and best practice.
• Support consistent ways of working and scalable delivery models across UK, Europe, and the Global Delivery Centres.
• Develop and maintain an understanding of capability demand by working with the Client Delivery Directors, Portfolio Leads, Growth & Sales and Engagement Managers.

Business & Operational Support

• Accountable for business metrics for specific capability in line with Transportation Financial Business Plan.
• Support the Capability Director with capability level performance insight, forecasting, risks, and opportunities.
• Contribute to gross margin and utilisation performance by ensuring smart deployment of skills and effective use of resources.
• Support implementation of agreed new ways of working and operational improvements across the business.
• Collaborate with other disciplines to remove silos and maximise value for clients and Jacobs.

Here's what you'll need

• Experience of successfully leading a team, technical discipline or capability within a complex, matrixed, or multi-disciplinary environment.
• Recognised technical and professional credibility.
• Proven ability to lead through influence rather than hierarchy, inspiring high performance, and collaboration.
• Demonstratable people leadership skills, with a track record of developing talent and building inclusive teams and culture.
• Commercial awareness, with experience of contributing to bids or project delivery, and performance management

Please ensure that you attach a one page covering letter outlining your vision and how you see yourself in the role

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals – all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs .

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we’re more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our  Jacobs Employee Networks here .

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As a disability confident employer, we will interview disabled candidates who best meet the criteria. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

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Locations

City State Country
London	Greater London	United Kingdom
Manchester	Greater Manchester	United Kingdom
Birmingham	West Midlands	United Kingdom
Leeds	West Yorkshire	United Kingdom
Glasgow	Lanarkshire	United Kingdom
Dublin	Dublin	Ireland
York	North Yorkshire	United Kingdom
Bristol	Bristol City	United Kingdom