Employee Relations Director, Europe

Arcadis is the global leading design consultancy delivering sustainable design engineering and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 36000 people in over 70 countries dedicated toimproving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds together we can solve the worlds most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role description:

As Employee Relations Director Europe you will shape the future of how our organization connects with its peopleleading the Employee Relations team for approx. 7000 employees across diverse markets and cultures. You will be the driving force behind creating a fair respectful and legally compliant work environment that empowers our people protects our business and supports our growth. By balancing business needs with empathy and integrity youll champion a culture of trust inclusion and accountabilityensuring our values come to life in every employee experience every day around the world.

Role accountabilities:

Strategic Leadership

Lead the employee relations function for Europe supporting the vision for the Global Employee Relations Centre of Expertise and assisting with the execution of a globally consistent employee relations strategy that aligns with our values empowers our people and supports sustainable business success. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders helping them navigate the evolving employee relations and employment law landscape with clarity and confidence.

Policy Innovation & Global Governance

Design and oversee employee relations frameworks that strike the right balance between global consistency and local relevance. Champion forward-thinking inclusive policies that reflect our cultural aspirations and local labor realitiesensuring fairness transparency and long-term trust.

Proactive Risk & Compliance Stewardship

Anticipate challenges before they arise. Youll lead with a proactive lens to identify emerging risks ensure global compliance with labor laws and employment practices and guide decisions that protect both people and the business.

Labor & Union Relations Strategy

Shape and influence our approach to union engagement and collective bargaining building collaborative relationships with labor partners and works councils (as applicable). Ensure local HR teams are empowered with the right guidance resources and tools to lead with confidence.

Complex Case Leadership & Resolution

Be the escalation point for the most sensitive and high-impact employee relations and employment law cases and investigations globally. Model principled fair decision-making that reflects our values and protects the integrity of our culture. Equip and coach HR leaders to build strong employee relations and employment law acumen at all levels.

Change Leadership & Organizational Transformation

Play a pivotal role in managing the people side of transformationin particular major transitions such as restructuring M&A and cultural shifts by providing strategic employee relations and employment law support ensuring smooth execution and minimal risk. Ensure our people feel seen heard and respected during change.

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

Build and nurture strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholdersinternally and externally.

Internally partner closely with People Services People Business Partners and Advisors Compliance Data Privacy and senior leadership teams to embed best-in-class employee relations and employment law practices into day-to-day operations and strategic planning.

Externally act as the face of the organization in engagement with works councils regulators and industry bodies. Represent the company with credibility diplomacy and a commitment to collaboration.

Team Development & Global Collaboration

Lead the employee relations team for Europe. Cultivate a learning culture build deep expertise and ensure the team is equipped to navigate complexity with agility. Partner seamlessly with the Global Employee Relations Director the Employee Relations Directors for UK Ireland Asia & Middle East and Europe (and their teams) the Global Employee Relations Operations Manager the wider People team Compliance and Data Privacy teams as well as senior leaders to co-create solutions.

Data-Driven Strategy & Continuous Improvement

Leverage employee relations and employment law updates insights analytics employee voice data and AI to inform decisions identify patterns and improve our approach. Your ability to turn data into action will help us foster a workplace thats not just compliantbut exceptional.

Culture & Inclusion Advocacy

Act as a guardian of the companys values and culture through employee relations and employment law strategies that promote respect inclusion and fairness.

Ensure that every employee relations and employment law touchpoint contributes to a workplace where all employees feel valued included and heard. Ensure that employee relations approaches contribute positively to employee experience and employer brand.

General

• Act as a visible steward of health and safety and ensuring familiarity and compliance with Health and Safety regulations and guidelines including wellbeing and resilience.
• Where required undertake external promotion and presence for both the Arcadis and personal brand in the marketplace through though leadership and speaking engagements.
• Travel: This role will may require travel from time to time to meet with key stakeholders and attend meetings and workshops.
• Depending on location it may require work outside normal business hours

Qualifications & Experience:

Were looking for a dynamic globally minded leader who combines strategic vision with deep expertise in employee relations and employment law. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in complex multicultural environments and brings a balance of legal knowledge people leadership and business acumen.

• Extensive Employee Relations and Employment law Experience
  Proven track record of leading employee relations strategy and employment law in large complex and highly matrixed organizations across multiple geographies.
• Leadership in Complex Environments
  Proven experience managing employee relations and employment law issues across different geographies labor law frameworks and cultural contexts. You understand how to lead globally while adapting to local realities.
• Strong Employment law knowledge
  Must be a qualified employment lawyer with a deep understanding of global labor and employment laws. Ability to interpret and apply legal principles pragmatically in a business setting is essential.
• People Leadership
  Inspirational people leader with experience managing and developing globally dispersed teams. Experience leading through change transformation or crisis. Youve supported business transitions such as mergers restructuring or global expansions while ensuring people are treated with dignity and fairness.
• Strategic Influence & Stakeholder Management
  Adept at building trusted relationships across senior business leaders HR Legal Compliance and external labor bodies. You have the presence communication skills and credibility to influence at the highest levels.
• Change & Transformation Expertise
  Experience supporting M&A restructuring or workforce transformation initiatives with a people-first approach and strategic employee relations planning.
• Data & Insight Driven
  Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret employee relations and employment law trends use data and AI to drive strategy and turn insights into action.
• Culturally Fluent & Globally Minded
  Deep appreciation for cultural nuance and diversity. Able to navigate complexity with sensitivity diplomacy and an inclusive mindset.

Personal Attributes:

• Purpose-driven values-led and courageous in standing up for fairness and integrity.
• Solutions-oriented and agileable to pivot between strategy and execution.
• Emotionally intelligent calm under pressure and a natural relationship-builder.
• Comfortable with uncertainty and competing priorities.
• Passionate about creating workplaces where people feel safe respected and heard

Why Arcadis

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyones contribution matters. Its why we are pioneering a skills-based approach where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

Youll do meaningful work and no matter what role youll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark on your career your colleagues your clients your life and the world around you.

Together we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality Diversity Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women minorities people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race creed color religion national origin sex age disability marital status sexual orientation gender identity citizenship status disability veteran status or any other basis prohibited by law.