Joining Arup
Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 75 years, guiding how we shape a better world.
Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world’s most prominent projects in the built and natural environment. Working in more than 140 countries, the firm’s designers, engineers, architects, planners, consultants, and technical specialists work with our clients on innovative projects of the highest quality and impact. As a wholly independent organisation, we are owned in trust for the benefit of our employees and their dependants: with no shareholders or external investors we determine our own business priorities and direction.
About Arup University
Established in 2009, Arup University (AU) sits at the heart of how Arup learns, innovates, evolves, and delivers its best work. We enable our firm to see further, design better, and create lasting impact. Our mission is to help our members, leadership, and clients navigate change, deliver excellence, and thrive in a fast-changing world.
The core focal areas of Arup’s Strategy – enabling Total Design, being immersed in our markets, being agile and borderless, and providing an industry leading member experience – are all enabled by the capabilities, programmes, and services provided by AU. This includes our strategic foresight, research and innovation capability, our learning function, capabilities in knowledge- and information management, as well as our global skills networks and work in heritage.
The Opportunity
In this role, you will manage Arup’s internally funded research portfolio across the UK, Europe, India, Middle East, and Africa (EIMEA) region, ensuring the delivery of high-quality research aligned with regional and global Arup priorities. Staying well-informed of internal and external research landscape, Arup client projects, emerging industry trends, and foresight work in your region, you will collaborate with regional leaders to set regional research priorities and support Arup researchers turn their ideas into valuable and impactful research that responds to local client and societal needs.
Working closely with a small cohort of research managers and under the guidance of the Research Engagement & Partnership Lead, you will design research ideation and research sharing activities, connect researchers across disciplines and business units, and link them with relevant skill leaders, client relationship managers, and marketing and communication teams to maximise value and impact of Arup research. You will also help establish strategic research partnerships with universities and Arup clients, all in support of the region’s research ambitions and Arup’s broader strategic objectives.
At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective – in which we encourage individuality to thrive. Our strength comes from how we respect, share and connect our diverse experiences, perspectives and ideas.
You will have the opportunity do socially useful work that has meaning – to Arup, to your career, to our members and to the clients and communities we serve.
Key responsibilities:
The successful candidate will have strong programme management skills, excellent communication capabilities, and the ability to work with a broad spectrum of senior stakeholders to set strategic research priorities and shape research projects to align. Proven experience managing research and/or innovation programmes is a significant advantage.
1. Coordinate and manage Arup’s internal research portfolio in EIMEA region, ensuring delivery of high-quality research with tangible ROI for Arup.
2. Monitor and synthesise external research, Arup client projects, and foresight insights relevant to the region, to inform research opportunities and priorities.
3. Work closely with regional leaders and client relationship management teams to set and refine regional research priorities and ensure portfolio alignment.
4. Drive internal engagement in research programme, develop a strong research and innovation culture, and support Arup researchers transform ideas into impactful research projects.
5. Maintain and enhance research delivery frameworks, templates, and digital tools that enable efficient research processes, transparent decision-making, and knowledge sharing within and beyond Arup.
6. Support Global Research Engagement & Partnerships Lead in establishing external partnerships with clients and universities to maximise research value and impact.
7. Support the assessment and communication of research outcomes, ensuring learnings and values are captured and reused across bids, client conversations, and services.
8. Serve as the go-to person for all internal and external queries regarding Arup’s research programme and portfolio in the EIMEA region, playing a pivotal role in connecting stakeholders, sharing insights, and driving engagement with our innovative research initiatives.
Is this role right for you?
9. Strong experience in programme management within a research or innovation environment, and preferable applying a mission-led approach.
10. Experience in research or innovation fund management, including budgeting, governance and performance tracking.
11. Skills in data driven workflows, automated processes, and the use of digital tools for investment or research management are advantageous.
12. Experience facilitating and driving research ideation and supporting high quality research projects from idea through to completion and ideally into commercialisation.
13. Excellent planning, organisational and analytical skills with the ability to work systematically and manage multiple concurrent workstreams and priorities.
14. Exceptional interpersonal skills to establish productive working relationships and networks with stakeholders at all levels of seniority across large global organisations.
15. Ability to capture and translate complex data and insights into clear, actionable research value stories through excellent written and verbal communication skills.
16. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (or equivalent experience); postgraduate qualification desirable.
What we offer you
At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.
Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.
We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling members to share in the results of our collective efforts.
Benefits that work for you:
17. Professional Growth & Development: Benefit from continuous learning opportunities, training programmes and mentoring to improve your skills and develop your career, such as ‘Invest in Arup’, where employees can receive internal funding to develop innovative technologies and services, or ‘Arup University’, where we provide thousands of training courses to our employees. We also offer English lessons paid by Arup Poland.
18. Global Opportunities: Collaborate with colleagues worldwide and explore potential short-term or long-term assignments at other Arup offices and project locations.
19. Financial Well-being & Ownership: Receive a competitive salary and benefits package and share in Arup's success through our global profit-sharing programme.