Futures Insights Programme Lead

About Arup

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

Arup University (AU) is Arup's engine for exploration, innovation, and adaptation integrating three critical capabilities: 

• Discovery - exploring future markets and creating new capabilities through foresight, research and innovation 
• Expertise - building technical excellence and world-leading expertise 
• Knowledge - driving collective intelligence and a world-class knowledge culture

What Makes AU Different?

Most professional services firms have training programmes or research teams. What makes AU unique is:​

• Integration across the firm - We connect people, knowledge and capabilities globally, breaking down silos.​
• Time horizons - We operate simultaneously on today's needs (technical excellence, project support) and tomorrow's opportunities (foresight, emerging capabilities).​
• Combined capability - Our disciplines work together as an integrated whole. The combination of Discovery, Expertise and Knowledge in a single function means we can move from foresight to capability development to knowledge activation in ways no fragmented structure could achieve.

https://www.arup.com/about-us/arup-university/

About the role

Futures Insights Programme Lead is an Associate role within Arup University’s global Foresight capability, offering an opportunity to shape how Arup captures, analyses and shares futures-facing insight.

You will help develop and lead a new strategic approach to horizon scanning and insight management that inspires fresh thinking, challenges assumptions and informs decision-making, while contributing to Arup University’s broader information architecture and knowledge ecosystem.

In this role, you will connect Foresight’s scanning work with the wider Discovery, Expertise and Knowledge agendas across Arup University (AU). You will work closely with colleagues across AU and build strong relationships with expert communities and information sources inside and outside Arup, ensuring emerging insight is translated into meaningful value for clients and the firm.

Reporting directly to the Global Foresight Leader, you will sit on the Global Leadership Team for the Foresight capability and play a visible leadership role in shaping its direction. Based in APAC, you will also act as a senior Foresight touchpoint for colleagues and clients across the region, bringing a global perspective to regional opportunities and challenges.

You will lead and support people as well as ideas, with ongoing line-management responsibilities and oversight of cross-regional teams delivering a diverse portfolio of insight projects internally and with clients.

This is a role for someone excited by possibility. It offers the chance to explore future challenges and opportunities with experts across the built environment and beyond, apply foresight methods to emerging issues, tell compelling stories with data, and help take a longer view of change to shape strategy, guide decisions and set direction.

Desired outcomes

• Arup University and Arup’s wider ecosystem of strategic insight benefit from clear identification and analysis of longer-term trends, disruptive shifts and signals of change
• Arup University’s Discovery function is recognised as connected to the leading edge of change across industry, society, ecology and policy, and as a pioneer in the use of innovative information management tools and platforms
• Scanning informs early positioning for Arup across global and regional pursuits, areas of research interest and the firm’s innovation agenda
• The global Foresight team, and the wider Discovery capability within Arup University, benefit from an effective and globally consistent approach to horizon scanning, supported by an architecture that enables flexible and efficient use across client projects, internal engagements, workshops and thought leadership
• Mid- and long-range data, weak signals of change and perspectives on industry futures are connected to current business and market priorities, helping Arup respond to today’s needs while building deeper understanding of the forces shaping tomorrow
• The APAC region benefits from strong Foresight leadership and expertise that supports the firm’s strategy, work winning and thought leadership programme

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with Foresight and AU leaders, relevant business and services leaders, and Strategy & Insights colleagues to shape and deliver a cohesive approach to scanning, analysing and sharing futures intelligence
• Lead on integrating leading-edge tools and technologies for scanning and analysis, strengthening the practice of horizon scanning across the global Foresight team
• Represent Foresight across the wider firm and to clients in the APAC region, acting as a connector between senior regional leadership and Arup University
• Line management of Foresight colleagues (specifically in the Asia Pacific region)
• Connect long-range data, weak signals of change and perspectives on industry futures to current business and market priorities, helping Arup respond to today’s needs while building deeper understanding of the forces shaping tomorrow
• Contribute to work winning and project management and delivery of one or more Foresight projects at any given time, both within the business and for clients

Skills and experience

• Open to candidates based in Singapore or Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane)
• Background in applied Foresight, ability to guide teams and non-specialists through Foresight methods, frameworks and processes
• The ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, tell compelling stories with data, and use visualisation effectively
• Experience commissioning, designing and/or maintaining digital spaces for sharing information and insight, such as interactive dashboards, portals, platforms and leading-edge analysis tools
• A background in the built environment planning or design, economics or policy would be valued, but is not essential
• Experience leading a distributed and diverse team across locations, disciplines and backgrounds
• Strong stakeholder management and project delivery skills, with the ability to build trust and work effectively across a complex organisation
• Proficiency in more than one language spoken across the APAC region would be considered a plus, but is not essential

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 eligible members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

Different people, shared values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Arup provides an environment where you will make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.

Our Application Process

Please apply directly through our applicant tracking system. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Talent Acquisition to discuss next steps. Stay safe online – Arup will never ask for your bank details as part of our recruitment process.

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