Project Director Jobs in Chicago, IL

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

AECOM Advisory is seeking a dynamic Director to expand our growing global Advisory business line. We are seeking talented management consultants to join AECOM Advisory who are mission-driven for the role of our clients in supporting economic, environmental and social vibrancy. We are recruiting for this role in the following locations: Dallas, Texas; Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA.

Building off AECOM’s considerable expertise in infrastructure design and implementation, AECOM Advisory is a trusted adviser to senior level clients and executive teams on their most pressing enterprise and strategic needs. Projects range from supporting the City of LA adopt their Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) Ordinance, developing SCAG’s Regional Resilience Toolkit, and conducting an Integrated Human Resources Plan for LADWP’s Power System.

We serve the full value chain of clients active in infrastructure, the built environment, and community vibrancy, including: national governments, regulatory entities, city agencies, utilities, transit agencies, infrastructure operators and investors. Our team of 400 staff globally comprises business and policy analysts, economists, commercial strategists, technology architects, as well as human capital and change management practitioners. We help our clients develop their strategy, improve their operational performance, and integrate digital systems to generate value for their stakeholders and impact for their communities.

We are a new category of consulting firm; one that builds off true operational and technical expertise of our broader platform to bring industry depth and capability-driven insight to the clients we serve.

You will join as a leader in a fast-paced and supportive team of diverse consulting professionals. We pride ourselves on our strong culture of mentorship and collaborative problem-solving, our mission of addressing our client’s most complex and impactful problems, paired with career pathways that nurture professional development and personal growth.

Role:

As a Director in AECOM Advisory’s US West Region, your day-to-day role will include driving business development, overseeing engagement delivery and supporting practice development. These tasks will include, but not be limited to:

• Being present in industry conversations and professional networks to identify and originate business development opportunities.
• Leveraging industry expertise and commercial acumen to proactively target, define and shape business development campaigns.
• Managing all aspects of proposal responses as Capture Manager, including: narrative development, coordinate across multiple teams to develop technical solutions, pricing, team definition, subcontractor engagement, internal risk review, and compliance procedures.
• Drive (outline, supervise, and provide quality control over) multiple delivery teams comprised of 5-8 Consultants and Senior Consultants across multiple and inter-dependent workstreams:
• Lead client interactions on delivery progress and insight validation and plan interactions including with C-suite clients and senior management stakeholders.
• Upwardly and laterally manage the inputs from regional leadership, Directors, Client Account Managers and technical experts to flag key delivery choices, considerations and risks as they relate to technical scope, client satisfaction, and commercial constraints.
• Design analytical workstreams and share guidance to engagement teams.
• Provide timely quality assurance and control over scope, assumptions, analyses and insights.
• Lead in narrative formulation and highly-polished deliverable production to meet client expectations and firm standards.
• Responsibility for project financial performance and supporting overall practice area operational performance improvement, thought leadership and IP generation.
• Proactively coach and mentor junior staff on developing core consulting skills.

Required competencies include:

• Strong interpersonal skills, client-service mindset and ability to act as a trusted adviser to clients.
• Work in a high-tempo, high-context client-facing environment, with the ability to maintain poise, maturity and work well under pressure.
• Able to be self-directed, anticipatory and comfortable working across a highly-matrixed consulting organization.
• Solid verbal communication and narrative development skills, with the ability to summarize and convey key insights to C-suite and senior management audiences.
• Strong commercial acumen and willingness to have an informed point-of-view, grounded in an interest in enterprise challenges (people, process, technology) and advanced understanding of client industries and their context.
• Collegial team-player who can work within a small, motivated team of diverse consulting professionals.
• Domain expertise in at least two of the following areas:
• Corporate or enterprise strategy, market analysis and target operating model design.
• Organizational assessment, business transformation and performance improvement.
• Capital projects advisory, including project finance and/or infrastructure investment appraisal, capital improvement planning, asset management, portfolio strategy.
• Decarbonization, climate action implementation, resilience strategies and frameworks incl. non-financial valuation methodologies.
• Economic development, industrial policy, broadband & digital equity, and market transformation.
• Technology-led business transformation.
• Corporate finance, valuations, M&A, divestitures, divestments and privatizations.

Required:

• A Bachelors degree (preferably in a STEM discipline) and at least 10 years of management consulting and/or related industry experience.

Preferred:

• MBA, or other Master’s degree in Operational Research, Management, Management Science, Finance, Economics, Systems Engineering and/or related fields.
• Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel
• Strong technical skills, including experience with one or more of the following software packages:
• ArcGIS and other spatial analysis tools
• Quantitative/statistical programs such as R or Python
• Evaluation of financial cashflows, particularly public finance, via Excel.

• This position will not offer sponsorship now or in the future.

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

About AECOM

AECOM is proud to offer comprehensive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees. Depending on your employment status, AECOM benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absences, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well-being resources, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan.

AECOM is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients’ complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. Learn more at aecom.com.

What makes AECOM a great place to work

You will be part of a global team that champions your growth and career ambitions. Work on groundbreaking projects - both in your local community and on a global scale - that are transforming our industry and shaping the future. With cutting-edge technology and a network of experts, you’ll have the resources to make a real impact. Our award-winning training and development programs are designed to expand your technical expertise and leadership skills, helping you build the career you’ve always envisioned. Here, you’ll find a welcoming workplace built on respect, collaboration and community—where you have the freedom to grow in a world of opportunity.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in your potential and are here to help you achieve it. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.