Digital Principal

Location/s: Manchester, Newcastle, London; UK
Recruiter contact: Cassidy Browne

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. 

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual. 

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

Overview of the role

The Digital Principal is responsible for driving digital value across major projects, strategic pursuits and business portfolios. Acting as the senior digital representative, the role works directly with project leadership, technical discipline leads and business stakeholders to identify, shape and prioritise digital opportunities that improve project outcomes, enhance delivery performance and create measurable business value.

The Digital Principal provides strategic leadership throughout the Digital Value Planning process, ensuring that the right opportunities are pursued, that investments are aligned with business objectives, and that digital initiatives deliver tangible benefits to projects and clients.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

Strategic Digital Leadership

• Act as the senior digital advisor for assigned projects, frameworks and business units.
• Develop trusted relationships with Project Principals, Project Managers, Technical Leads and Unit Digital Leadership.
• Champion digital transformation and innovation opportunities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Drive alignment between project priorities, business objectives and Central Digital capabilities.
• Influence strategic decisions relating to digital investment, delivery, prioritisation and value realisation.

Digital Value Planning

• Lead Digital Value Planning engagement activities on priority frameworks, projects and opportunities.
• Facilitate opportunity discovery workshops and strategic discussions with project leadership.
• Identify, assess and prioritise digital opportunities that deliver measurable project and business outcomes.
• Ensure opportunities align with project objectives, delivery challenges and commercial priorities.
• Lead value discussions, business cases and digital investment decisions.
• Approve and prioritise opportunities progressing into delivery.

Stakeholder Engagement and Business Development

• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across projects, frameworks and business units.
• Support major pursuits, bids and strategic client engagements.
• Promote adoption of scalable digital solutions, best practice and enterprise capabilities.
• Provide thought leadership on digital delivery, AI, automation, information management and engineering technology.
• Act as an advocate for Central Digital services and capabilities.
• Ensures business project teams are accountable for delivering their responsibilities and takes proactive action when standards are not upheld

Leadership of Digital Opportunity Delivery

• Provide strategic guidance to Delivery Managers and Digital Opportunity Owners.
• Support prioritisation, resource mobilisation and stakeholder alignment.
• Remove barriers to successful delivery through executive engagement and decision making.
• Ensure opportunities remain aligned with intended business outcomes throughout delivery.
• Oversee progress of high-value digital opportunities and intervene where necessary to drive successful outcomes.

Value Realisation and Adoption

• Maintain accountability for digital value generated across assigned portfolios.
• Review and challenge value assumptions and benefit forecasts.
• Ensure adoption strategies are in place and supported by business stakeholders.
• Monitor realised benefits, lessons learned and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Share successful outcomes and promote replication of effective solutions across the business.

Governance and Portfolio Oversight

• Support digital portfolio planning and prioritisation activities.
• Ensure opportunities comply with Central Digital governance processes.
• Provide reporting and updates to senior leadership on opportunity performance, risks and value realisation.
• Contribute to the evolution of Digital Value Planning and Central Digital operating models.

Candidate specification

Essential:

• Strong understanding of project delivery within engineering, infrastructure or professional services environments.
• Experience supporting major projects, frameworks or strategic client programmes.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrable experience identifying and delivering business value through digital initiatives.

Desirable:

• Chartered professional or equivalent industry recognition.
• Experience in digital strategy, AI, automation, information management, data or engineering technology.
• Commercial and business case development experience.
• Experience leading digital transformation, innovation or business improvement activities.

Key Behaviours:

• Strategic and commercially focused.
• Outcome and value orientated.
• Collaborative and empowering.
• Curious, innovative and forward thinking.

Success Measures:

• Growth in digital value realised across assigned projects and portfolios.
• Successful identification and prioritisation of high-value digital opportunities.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and satisfaction.
• Increased adoption of digital solutions and services.
• Contribution to winning work and improving project performance.
• Effective alignment between Central Digital capabilities and business priorities.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces