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Arcadis · 6 hours ago

Employee Relations Director, Americas

630 Plaza Drive, Suite 200, Highlands Ranch, CO, 80129, US

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

$136K/yr - $299K/yr

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. The Employee Relations Director will lead the employee relations team for approximately 12,000 employees across diverse markets, focusing on creating a fair and legally compliant work environment that empowers employees and supports business growth.

Civil EngineeringConsultingWater

Culture & Values

Responsibilities

Lead the employee relations function for Americas, 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

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 realities—ensuring fairness, transparency, and long-term trust

Anticipate challenges before they arise

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

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

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

Play a pivotal role in managing the people side of transformation—in 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

Build and nurture strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders—internally and externally

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

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

Lead the employee relations team for Americas

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

Leverage employee relations and employment law updates, insights, analytics, employee voice data and AI to inform decisions, identify patterns, and improve our approach

Act as a guardian of the company’s 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

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 thought leadership and speaking engagements

Travel: This role 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

Qualification

Employee Relations StrategyEmployment Law KnowledgePeople LeadershipStakeholder ManagementChange ManagementData AnalysisCultural SensitivityAgilityEmotional IntelligenceRelationship Building

Required

Proven track record of leading employee relations strategy and employment law in large, complex, and highly matrixed organizations across multiple geographies

Proven experience managing employee relations and employment law issues across different geographies, labor law frameworks, and cultural contexts

Must be a qualified employment lawyer with a deep understanding of global labor and employment laws

Inspirational people leader with experience managing and developing globally dispersed teams

Adept at building trusted relationships across senior business leaders, HR, Legal, Compliance, and external labor bodies

Experience supporting M&A, restructuring, or workforce transformation initiatives with a people-first approach and strategic employee relations planning

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

Deep appreciation for cultural nuance and diversity

Purpose-driven, values-led, and courageous in standing up for fairness and integrity

Solutions-oriented and agile—able 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