Strategic Workforce Planning Manager - 12 Month Fixed Term

ARUP-5; London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking organization that is committed to shaping a better world through innovative workforce planning. This role offers the chance to be part of a transformative team, ensuring the right people are in place to meet strategic goals. You will work collaboratively to develop data-driven insights and implement effective workforce strategies that enhance organizational capabilities. With a focus on diversity and inclusion, this position provides the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects while enjoying a comprehensive rewards package that supports your growth and well-being.

Benefits

Profit Sharing

Private Medical Insurance

Life Assurance

Flexible Benefits

Learning Opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Strategic Workforce Planning methodology development.
• Excellent communication skills for senior-level reporting and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Deliver impactful results through Strategic Workforce Planning.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to design workforce planning roadmaps.

Skills

Strategic Thinking

SWP Methodology Development

Communication & Storytelling

Data Diagnostics

Stakeholder Management

Programme Delivery

Partnership

Job description

Joining Arup

Arup's purpose, shared values, and collaborative approach have set us apart for over 75 years, guiding us to shape a better world.

Arup is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants, and technical specialists offering a broad range of professional services. Through our work, we make a positive difference in the world.

Watch this short clip to discover how Arup is shaping a better world and how you could be part of it!

The Opportunity

The Arup People Function is undergoing an exciting period of transformation. As we move towards a new operating model, we are streamlining our processes and aligning our global delivery to ensure an excellent member experience that reflects our values and promotes the Arup strategy.

Our Future Skills Team is an integral part of the Talent Acquisition & Mobility (TA&M) Centre of Expertise (CoE). Our globally integrated team operates within a matrix organization spanning five regions, other global functions, and over 30 countries to deliver integrated talent acquisition and mobility initiatives that empower and inspire our members.

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) team within our Future Skills team. The purpose is to deliver impactful results through SWP by partnering across four regions to ensure we have the right people with the right skills in the right place at the right time to support our strategy. This developing area is key to advancing the new Arup strategy by creating an agile, engaged, future-proof workforce to enable growth, focus, and change.

You will be responsible for promoting and developing aspects of the Strategic Workforce Planning capability and contributing to setting a 5-year rolling workforce plan, supported by data-driven insights into specific business areas, critical roles, and skills.

You will work with your aligned region to implement a cadence and methodology for SWP, enabling tangible interventions and driving decision-making to build and retain future skills. A key part of this role is to collaborate with People Partners and business leaders to design and implement workforce planning roadmaps aimed at building a sustainable, effective workforce for the short, medium, and long term. This involves developing data-focused SWP models to identify future skill requirements and translate them into practical solutions.

Working closely with stakeholders, you will drive the implementation of these plans to support change projects that facilitate the acquisition and development of critical skills. Building strong relationships with business stakeholders and partners across the Group is essential to understand current and future role and skill needs and to convert insights into impactful workforce interventions. Additionally, you will develop and deliver tools to enhance strategic workforce planning capabilities within the People team and the broader organization. Proactive external horizon scanning is vital to monitor emerging trends, market shifts, and technological advancements that could impact workforce strategies, in partnership with the Talent Acquisition Delivery team to understand external skill availability.

At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective where individuality is encouraged to thrive. Our strength lies in respecting, sharing, and uniting diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas.

You will have the opportunity to do socially meaningful work that benefits Arup, your career, our members, and the communities we serve.

Is This Role Right for You?

We are interested in speaking to candidates with the following qualities:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to problem solve, generate hypotheses, structure problems, and develop robust conclusions and strategic objectives. Comfortable working with ambiguity and taking on non-fully defined opportunities with resilience.
• Subject Matter Expertise: Proven experience in SWP methodology development and implementation.
• Communication & Storytelling: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially in producing senior-level reports and presentations.
• Data Diagnostics: Ability to explore, source, validate data, and make recommendations based on analysis.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong relationship-building skills, with a commercial understanding and the ability to maintain positive relationships across various business areas.
• Programme Delivery: Ownership of workstreams, project planning, and delivering results efficiently.
• Partnership: Ability to build collaborative relationships, create a strong network, and foster a positive working environment at all levels.

For questions or if you're not ready to apply, please contact Ken Wilkins. To remain GDPR compliant, do not send your CV directly via email.

What We Offer You

At Arup, we care about your success and growth. We offer an attractive total rewards package, including competitive pay, benefits supporting health and wellbeing, learning opportunities, and impactful work.

As a member-owned organization, we have the freedom to set our own direction and focus on meaningful projects that contribute to our legacy. Profit sharing is part of our rewards, along with private medical insurance, life assurance, accident insurance, income protection, and flexible benefits to support your wellbeing.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that promotes a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to creating an accessible recruitment process and workplace. Please contact Ken Wilkins for any assistance or accommodations needed during your application or interview process.

Our Application Process

For more information, please visit our website. Remember, Arup will never ask for your bank details during recruitment. We work with a trusted list of recruitment agencies and do not acknowledge unsolicited CVs from agencies not on our list.

Closing date: 18 May 2025