Team Leader - Urban Planner

Job Description

UK Prosperity Fund: Future Cities Programme Southeast Asia

Job Title: Team Leader – Urban Planner

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Duration: May 2019 – September 2022 (2.5 years)

Reporting to: Regional Programme Manager

ABOUT AECOM

AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital.

ABOUT THE FUTURE CITIES PROGRAMME

The Global Future Cities Programme has one dedicated package of interventions in Southeast Asia (SEA). The Future Cities Programme SEA will address key barriers to prosperity in selected cities spanning 6 countries (Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam), through a total of 15 interventions, building upon three integrated pillars: 1) Urban planning, 2) Transportation, and 3) Resilience. All interventions incorporate a significant focus on interlinked social, economic, and environmental impacts and feature the cross-cutting themes of smart data and infrastructure finance.

ABOUT THE BANGKOK INTERVENTIONS

Within Thailand, three interventions are planned in Bangkok, of which two largely focus on sustainable development through data-driven and evidence-based improvements for urban planning and resilience strategies.

ABOUT THE ROLE

AECOM is seeking an Urban Planner to lead the two planning and resilience interventions in Bangkok, with a majority of time spent within the city. Reporting to the Regional Programme Manager and exchanging knowledge and expertise with AECOM’s Intervention Leads of the other programme cities, the Bangkok Planning and Resilience Intervention Lead will be the driving force of their team and will be responsible for ensuring smooth, effective project guidance and execution. The Intervention Lead will be responsible for all technical and operational matters within the two Surabaya interventions and will play a critical role in achieving the overall project objectives, including: formation of operational, business and financial models, overseeing monitoring and evaluation strategies, as well as ensuring quality control and timeliness of all deliverables as required. The successful candidate will be hired on a fixed-length contract.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the team of technical experts and support staff through intervention planning and implementation.
• Provide direction and support in the operational management of all intervention components, including planning and monitoring, human resources, and financial management.
• Assist the regional programme management unit (PMU; consisting of a programme director in London, a regional programme manager in SEA and coordinating technical and support staff working across the various interventions).
• Be the key point of contact in Bangkok in dealing with the intervention clients, stakeholders, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office/British Embassy, AECOM, and AECOM’s partners.
• Raise awareness of the programme and ensure it is closely coordinated with related initiatives by Thai governments, donor agencies, and other relevant parties.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the relevant government agencies, organisations and programmes, development partners, the private sector and civil society.
• Apply innovative approaches to project delivery and an understanding of the economic and social challenges faced in Indonesia, with a specific focus on gender and climate change.
• Flex and adapt the Bangkok interventions to external changes as well as lessons learned from within the Future Cities Programme SEA.

REQUIREMENTS

The following section outlines the expected skills and experience for the role:

• University Bachelor’s degree (required), and Master’s degree (desirable), in a relevant field (ideally urban resilience, urban planning, data analytics, or similar).
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in project/team leader roles for donor-funded contracts (required), and experience with complex UKAid (e.g. DFID, FCO, BEIS) programmes (desirable).
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in managing multi-year, multi-component projects and multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Proven ability to effectively manage teams (required), with experience in mentoring and coaching (desirable).
• Successful track record in working at the intersection of the public, private, and civil society sectors in developing countries, facilitating projects and transactions in key economic sectors.
• Significant experience in working at the highest level of developing country governments and managing stakeholder relationships.
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: data-driven urban planning, urban resilience, project preparation, water infrastructure.
• Experience of working on technical assistance and capacity building of governments at local, regional and national level in the above sectors.
• Understanding of different approaches to attracting different forms of financing for infrastructure service delivery in developing countries (essential) and SEA (preferred).
• Credible, diplomatic communicator with excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Fluency in English (required) and local language(s) (desirable).
• Experience of working in Thailand (highly preferred) and SEA (essential).

About the Organization

Why choose AECOM?

Imagine working for a truly global company whose 90,000 employees share a singular passion: to make the world a better place. We enjoy what we do at AECOM. We bring projects to life in the cities and communities in which we work, and we’re driven by a set of values and a common purpose — to create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments. Innovation is built into every project we manage and every community we serve. We’ll provide you support in an environment that allows you to grow and succeed. Come share your passion with us.

We can offer you an environment where you can put your innovative thinking and business skills into high gear and work alongside other highly intelligent and motivated people. It's a place where you can apply your skills to some of the world's most challenging, interesting, and meaningful projects worldwide. It's a place that values the diversity of our areas of practice and our people.

AECOM is an equal opportunity employer and Minorities, Females, Veterans, and Disabled persons are encouraged to apply. For further information, please click here to view the EEO Is the Law poster.