Global Employee Relations Director

TN United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Global Employee Relations Director to enhance employee experience and ensure compliance with labor laws across multiple regions. This role involves creating a global framework for managing employee relations, collaborating with stakeholders, and providing support to local HR teams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in HR, excellent problem-solving skills, and the ability to handle complex ER issues. Join a forward-thinking company dedicated to improving quality of life and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing employee relations issues globally.
• Strong understanding of labor laws across multiple regions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a global framework for employee relations.
• Manage and investigate employee relations cases efficiently.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to improve ER processes.

Skills

Employee Relations Management

Conflict Resolution

Communication Skills

Problem-Solving

Compliance Knowledge

Education

Degree in Human Resources

Progressive HR Experience

Job description

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Global Employee Relations Director, London

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Client:

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

848ec72a02fc

Job Views:

3

Posted:

05.05.2025

Expiry Date:

19.06.2025

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Job Description:

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 36,000 people, in over 70 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world's most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

As a globally connected People function, Arcadians will experience an improved Quality of Life by being human-centered and inclusive in everything we do. We will work in true partnership with the business to drive a high-performance culture. The People function will support Arcadians in developing relevant (digital) capabilities that will enable Arcadis to deliver in the best possible way. Together we will build a sustainable future for Arcadis.

The Global Employee Relations Director will be responsible for developing, implementing, and managing the strategic framework, policies, procedures, and programs that promote a positive and inclusive employee experience and ensure compliance with labour laws across the countries Arcadis operates in. This role can be based in Europe or the UK & I.

The role reports primarily to the Chief People Officer and secondarily to the Global People Operations Director. There are no direct reports. The role will collaborate with country and global People teams and employee relations professionals to manage and investigate cases, aiming for efficiency and effectiveness guided by our global ER framework.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Create a global framework to manage employee relations and ways of working, to ensure consistent and equitable resolution.
2. Managing inflow of Employee Relations (ER) cases:

• Triage ER cases from our global integrity line for investigation by country teams.
• Develop efficient processes for handling and prioritizing ER issues globally.
• Implement a system for tracking and documenting ER cases for timely resolution, reporting, and organizational insight.
• Engage with organizational SMEs (P&R, DEIB, Talent Management, etc.) as needed for issue resolution or advice.

Collaborating with Stakeholders:

• Engage with key stakeholders such as People team COEs, Human Rights, legal, compliance, and business leaders.
• Build strong relationships with internal departments and external partners to improve ER processes.
• Analyze employee relations data and develop interventions with global stakeholders to mitigate issues or improve culture.
• Review Employee Engagement Surveys to assess lived experience and organizational risks.

Engagement of External Counsel:

• Identify and engage external legal counsel for complex ER matters.
• Collaborate with legal experts to ensure legal compliance.

Providing Employee Relations Support:

• Support local HR and ER teams, managers, and employees on ER issues ensuring legal compliance.
• Act as an escalation point for challenging ER situations or grievances.
• Serve as a resource for employees on ER concerns.
• Conduct thorough investigations ensuring fairness, objectivity, and compliance.
• Engage with DIB teams to consider diversity and equity in resolutions.

Conducting Training:

• Develop and deliver training on ER best practices, conflict resolution, and compliance.
• Guide on managing ER situations effectively.

Additional responsibilities include acting as a steward of health and safety, ensuring compliance with regulations, and representing Arcadis externally when needed. Travel may be required, and work outside normal hours might be necessary.

Qualifications & Experience:

The candidate should have an academic degree (e.g., human resources), progressive HR experience, and relevant experience in a complex international matrix environment. They should have broad experience handling employee relations issues globally.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Proven track record in managing global ER issues and working with external counsel.
• Extensive experience in ER investigations and support.
• Solid understanding of labour laws across UK, Europe, Asia, North & Latin America.
• Understanding of DIB issues affecting employees’ experiences.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Discretion with confidential information.
• Conflict resolution and negotiation skills; training in investigations is a plus.

Leadership qualities valued include creating high-performing teams, attracting and developing talent, and supporting social and sustainability initiatives. The role requires a leader with learning agility, curiosity, success-driven, and passionate about inclusion and sustainability.