Internal Mobility Strategy: Creating Career Pathways for Future Leaders at Mott MacDonald

What internal mobility programmes or initiatives has Mott MacDonald put in place to help employees grow into leadership roles?

At Mott MacDonald, we believe that career development isn’t just about moving up - t’s about moving forward. Internal mobility is a cornerstone of our talent strategy, giving employees the opportunity to explore new roles, expand their skills, and grow into leadership positions. By creating clear pathways and removing barriers, we empower our people to take charge of their careers while strengthening our leadership pipeline.

Investing in internal mobility isn’t just good for individuals—it’s essential for building an inclusive, agile organisation where talent thrives and future leaders emerge from within. In this blog, we’ll showcase the initiatives driving this vision and share how they’re helping our colleagues unlock their full potential.

• Enabling Managers Programme

Enabling Managers is our flagship development programme for new people managers. Delivered entirely virtually, we have developed an innovative and highly pragmatic learning solution which is focussed on your individual needs as a busy people manager.

The programme focusses on the three core strengths any people manager needs: listening skilfully, agreeing clear expectations and providing meaningful feedback. Unlike other, more traditional programmes, it does not teach any theoretical management models, which are often difficult to apply successfully on the job straight away. Instead, it immerses you in highly engaging scenarios, which build on each other and mirror the real life of a people manager at Mott MacDonald.

• The Coach Approach to People Management

The Coach Approach to People Management programme, follows on from Enabling Managers, and is for experienced people managers who are already applying the core strengths of listening skilfully, agreeing clear expectations and providing meaningful feedback.

It is designed to help people managers learn how to use an empowering coaching approach in many day-to-day conversations, to improve performance, productivity, motivation, wellbeing, and engagement; empowering direct reports to achieve more with less directive input.

• Women in Leadership Programme

Women in Leadership is a development programme designed with a focus on individuals who are seeking to further their careers and realise their potential, overcoming obstacles both perceived and practical. 

Throughout the programme, participants will develop their own unique personal brand along with a clear understanding of their strengths and the reputation they are seeking. As well as focusing on networking with purpose to ensure skills and talents are showcased, and personal brand promoted, to help participants be well positioned to grasp career development opportunities. 

The programme combines one-to-one and team coaching, peer learning, skills development, 360-feedback and in-depth psychometric insights which will challenge thinking, enable reflection and facilitate individual and collective learning and development. 

Rachel Ellison, Regional Operations Director, recently hosted an alumni event for the programme, commented on how she was ‘humbled by the energy, honesty and openness of our alumni and inspired by their insights storis and journeys.’ She noted in her address to the group how improvements at senior levels align with the programme’s achievements, including:

• Increased representation of female colleagues at our most senior levels
• Promotion rates for women continue to rise
• Greater retention for female colleagues
• Steady reduction of the gender pay gap and increased parity of pay within grade boundaries.

• Emerging Leaders programme

Emerging Leaders is an in depth 2 year programme, aiming to identify and develop leadership talent in the business, who demonstrate the potential, readiness, and aspiration to reach a senior leadership position. The programme includes 1:1 coaching, development workshops and learning groups, as well as self-directed learning modules. 

• Aspire Programme

Launching January 2026, Aspire is a 12-month pilot designed to accelerate the progression of ethnically diverse colleagues at grades D–E across EUNA who aspire to leadership roles. The programme addresses barriers such as reduced visibility, limited sponsorship, and under-representation at senior levels by providing:

• Structured development through workshops and coaching
• Access to senior leaders and decision-makers
• Confidence and leadership presence building
• Clear pathways to future leadership roles

Participants will engage in a blended experience including virtual/in-person workshops, 1:1 coaching, networking, and practical career development activities.

Our goals:

• Empower ethnically diverse talent to progress into leadership
• Increase representation at senior levels
• Strengthen inclusion and equity in our talent pipeline
• Build sustainable confidence, visibility, and sponsorship

Aspire is part of our commitment to creating an equitable, inclusive organisation where all talent can thrive.