Lead Simulation Engineer (m/f/d)

Simulation Leadership and Strategy

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Simulation Engineers and Crowd Modelling Experts, with a clear focus on building a capable, autonomous, and resilient team rather than reliance on individual contributors.
• Develop a deep understanding of each team member’s strengths, development areas, and capacity, and use this insight to allocate work effectively and support professional growth.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations within the simulation team, ensuring work is structured, ownership is clear, and delivery is predictable and robust.
• Provide regular technical guidance, structured reviews, and constructive feedback, ensuring that simulation outputs meet defined standards while progressively raising the technical maturity of the team.
• Actively develop future senior simulation leads by coaching team members in technical judgment, communication of results, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, and performance development, ensuring that new hires strengthen both the technical capability and cultural cohesion of the simulation discipline.
• Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement, where team members understand not only _how_ to run simulations, but _why_ decisions are made and _how_ their work contributes to project and organizational outcomes.
• Define, maintain, and continuously improve simulation standards, methodologies, and best practices.
• Ensure consistency, quality, and technical excellence in all simulation models and outputs.
• Support the Head of Engineering in developing the long-term strategy for the simulation discipline.

Simulation Model Development

• Lead the development and implementation of advanced simulation models for crowd dynamics, pedestrian behavior, and movement patterns.
• Oversee the use of simulation software (e.g. PEDFlow) to ensure realistic, reliable, and validated scenarios.
• Review and approve simulation assumptions, inputs, and methodologies used by the simulation team.
• Provide hands-on technical support for complex or high-risk simulation tasks.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Supervise data collection, preprocessing, and analysis activities related to crowd movement and spatial behavior.
• Ensure appropriate validation of simulation models against real-world data.
• Interpret simulation results at a strategic level and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations for projects and clients.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and support Simulation Engineers and Crowd Modelling Experts, fostering technical growth and professional development.
• Allocate resources and assign simulation tasks based on project needs, complexity, and team capacity.
• Conduct technical reviews and provide structured feedback on simulation work.
• Contribute to recruitment, onboarding, and performance development of simulation team members.

Collaboration and Coordination

• Act as the main point of contact for simulation-related topics towards project management, planning teams, and other engineering disciplines.
• Collaborate closely with architects, engineers, and stakeholders to ensure simulations align with project goals and design specifications.
• Participate in internal and external meetings, workshops, and presentations as the simulation subject-matter expert.

Scenario Testing and Optimization

• Oversee the simulation of multiple crowd management scenarios, including normal operations, emergency situations, and evacuations.
• Review analyses identifying bottlenecks, safety risks, and inefficiencies, and guide the development of optimized solutions.
• Ensure sensitivity analyses are conducted where required to assess the impact of design changes or external factors.

Software Integration and Innovation

• Guide the customization and extension of simulation tools, including scripting and coding where required.
• Ensure effective integration of simulation models with BIM, GIS, and other digital platforms.
• Monitor advancements in simulation technologies and crowd dynamics research and assess their applicability to ongoing and future projects.

Work Breakdown and Task Coordination

• Coordinate with project managers and planning teams to define simulation scopes and work packages.
• Break down complex simulation requirements into structured tasks and oversee their execution.
• Monitor progress, risks, and dependencies related to simulation activities across projects.

Reporting and Documentation

• Review and approve simulation reports, visualizations, and presentations for internal and external use.
• Ensure thorough documentation of simulation processes, assumptions, and methodologies.
• Guarantee compliance of simulation deliverables with relevant standards, regulations, and project requirements.

Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement of simulation workflows, tools, and internal processes.
• Contribute to the development of internal guidelines, templates, and standard operating procedures.
• Promote a culture of innovation, knowledge sharing, and technical excellence within the simulation team.

Technical / Professional Requirements

• Proven expertise in crowd simulation, pedestrian behavior, and movement modeling.
• Experience with simulation software (e.g., PEDFlow) and data analysis/validation.
• Ability to simulate complex scenarios (normal operations, emergencies, evacuations) and provide actionable insights.
• Knowledge of scripting/coding and integration with BIM, GIS, or other digital platforms.
• Experience defining and maintaining simulation standards and quality assurance.

Leadership & Team Management

• Experience leading and mentoring a team of Simulation Engineers.
• Ability to allocate tasks effectively, build a high-performing team, and foster professional development.
• Involvement in recruitment, onboarding, and performance management.

Project & Collaboration Skills

• Strong coordination with project teams, planners, and stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex simulations into strategic insights for projects.
• Responsible for reporting, documentation, and adherence to standards.

Personal / Soft Skills

• Analytical and strategic thinking, problem-solving skills.
• Clear communication and ability to present complex results.