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Your impact
You are an experienced transport economist with a strong track record of delivering high‑quality economic appraisal and business cases within the Irish and/or Northern Ireland transport context. You enjoy working at the intersection of policy, strategy and delivery, and are comfortable taking ownership of complex economic workstreams on high‑profile projects.
You bring a practical understanding of transport appraisal guidance and enjoy collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, clients and stakeholders. You’re also motivated by developing others — sharing knowledge, mentoring junior colleagues, and contributing to the ongoing growth of a high‑performing transport planning team.
About The Opportunity
Transport Planning & Mobility Solutions at Jacobs is one of the most successful teams of its kind across Ireland and the UK. We work with a diverse client base, benefit from a strong local pipeline of work, and support project delivery both locally and internationally.
We are seeking a Principal Transport Economist to join our Ireland team. This is an excellent opportunity for a senior‑level economist to play a leading technical role across a wide range of transport projects, while helping to shape the continued growth of our transport economics capability.
We welcome applications from candidates with experience working with organisations such as the Department of Transport (DoT), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the National Transport Authority (NTA), Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) and the Department for Infrastructure Northern Ireland.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Leading and delivering defined transport economics workstreams, including economic appraisal and business case development
- Applying relevant appraisal frameworks, including Infrastructure Guidelines (IG), Transport Appraisal Framework (TAF) and Project Appraisal Guidelines (PAG) in Ireland, alongside knowledge of the Green Book, Better Business Cases (BBC) and Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) in Northern Ireland
- Working closely with project managers and technical specialists across transport planning, modelling, engineering and advisory disciplines
- Providing senior technical input to feasibility studies, strategic transport studies, transport assessments and modelling‑led appraisals
- Supporting and mentoring junior team members through technical guidance, reviews and on‑the‑job development
- Acting as a trusted technical contact for clients and contributing to bids, proposals and the development of new market opportunities
- Supporting project and commercial management activities, including quality assurance, programme delivery, resourcing and risk management
Our Work Our Ireland team is involved in a wide range of high‑profile, innovative and complex transport projects, covering
- Transport economics and appraisal
- Traffic and demand modelling
- Active travel and public transport planning
- Transport strategy and policy development
- Business case development and ex‑post evaluation
Across the wider UK and Ireland business, Jacobs also has a strong track record in post‑implementation monitoring and evaluation of transport and wider infrastructure investments.
Here's what you'll need
- Degree in Economics or a closely related discipline
- Strong, demonstrable experience applying economic analysis within the transport sector
- Well‑developed understanding of transport economics across
- Business case development
- Economic appraisal
- Scheme feasibility and strategic studies
- Transport assessments and modelling support
- Experience in other infrastructure or economic sectors is advantageous but not essential
- Experience in ex‑post evaluation of transport schemes, programmes or policies is desirable but not essential
- Strong technical capability with the confidence to own economic workstreams and lead day‑to‑day technical delivery
- Experience supporting client relationships and contributing to tenders, proposals and service development
- Proven ability to support project and commercial management, including budgets, resourcing, QA and risk
- A flexible, collaborative team player with a proactive approach to innovation and continuous improvement
Location & Working Pattern
This role can be based in Dublin, Cork or Belfast, with hybrid working available. Some local and regional travel may be required to support project and client needs.
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.
