Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Director

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

We are more than 36, 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 worlds most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

At Arcadis our commitment to putting People First remains paramount. Our People First approach is integral to fostering an engaged workforce that effectively executes our business strategy.

By prioritizing People & Culture initiatives we invest in capacity and capability building for employees and people managers, enabling us to make a significant difference and improve the quality of life of all Arcadians and the clients we support.

The Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Director role is a key position within the Arcadis People Leadership Team (PLT).

The Global DEIB Director reports into the Chief People Officer (CPO) who is a member of the Arcadis Board Executive Leadership Team (ELT).

The Global DEIB Director will partner with the People team leaders and Global Business Area leaders to continue to grow and evolve Arcadis into a high-performing inclusive organization.

Role description :

To create a more diverse and inclusive workforce and work environment that accelerates a Planet Positive Future by formulating, activating, implementing, and embedding end-to-end integrated global DEIB strategies, enabling meaningful and sustainable DEIB progress into all parts of Arcadis and its ecosystem, underpinning the Arcadis Business Strategy and People & Culture Strategy.

Partnering with the business to make bold and deliberate choices for our people, clients, and the communities we work and design for.

Empowering our people by creating opportunities to develop future-focused skills and rewarding careers in an environment where we recognize diverse talents, provide equal access to career opportunities, and collaborate as One Arcadis to deliver solutions that drive meaningful impact.

This role is not location-specific, global scope / location, candidates do need to be located in an Arcadis entity country.

In addition, Europe or US East Coast locations are preferred due to the high level of often time-sensitive stakeholder engagement and interaction in this role.

The Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Director will report to the Chief People Officer (CPO). Direct reports are geographically dispersed core DEIB team and lead the Global Affinity Group chairs and deputy chairs' network

Role accountabilities :

The Global DEIB Director is accountable for the ownership and delivery of the Arcadis DEIB strategies aligned to business outcomes, specifically :

• Designer of, and active hands-on worker in, leading experience focused People programs and solutions that are linked to business outcomes and impact the realization of the business strategy.
• Develop and implement DEIB strategies, including setting a clear vision, defining goals, and creating a roadmap to foster an inclusive workplace culture.
• Align DEIB initiatives with the overall business and people & culture strategy and ensure that they support the organization's mission and values.
• Orchestrate forming multi-disciplinary teams across the business and people function to address business imperatives and drive the co-creation of end-to-end solutions.
• Knowledge and impact with external clients, vendors, and services to be able to be directly involved in strategies around growth, sales, go-to-market, vendor, and supplier selection, etc.

ensuring value added to our global business and better position DEIB as not just internal but also as an external business enabler.

Across the Employee Lifecycle and Employee Experience :

• Facilitate partnership across the People Function, together with the business, to integrate management, quality control and work on end-to-end continuous improvement of DEIB principles into all aspects of employee experience.
• Oversees the creation and enforcement of policies that promote DEIB, including reviewing existing policies, identifying gaps, and implementing new practices.

Lead with data-driven insights to inform priorities and amplify progress :

• Predictive insight provider that senses insights and trends and delivers cross-business recommendations by scanning internally and externally for leading practices and thought leadership.
• Establish metrics to track the progress and impact of DEIB initiatives, using data analysis to inform insights for action
• Develop and maintain a consistent global reporting approach for diversity and inclusion, including the production of regular reports for key stakeholder groups including the Supervisory Board (SB), Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Senior Leadership Group (SLG), and ensuring the accuracy of data that can also be utilized for external reporting that supports our non-financial and ESG reporting, be used in annual reports and other public statements.

Engagement and Advocacy for DEIB internally and externally.

• Deep subject matter visionary and proactive advisor to the people function and the business on the full range of DEIB topics and employee experience across the lifecycle
• Champion DEIB as an SME within and outside the organization, engaging with employees at all levels, building partnerships with external organizations, and representing the company in public forums.
• Coach and support Arcadis leadership team to own their voice for DIEB within their organizations, and industry as a whole
• Provide guidance on compliance with local, legal, and regulatory labor standards.
• Play a key role in the People Leadership Team (PLT) and take an active role in group-wide People projects as agreed with the CPO.
• Role model the Arcadis Way for relevant Communities of Expertise (COE) area.
• Act as a visible steward of health and safety, diversity & inclusion, and ensuring familiarity and compliance with Health and Safety regulations and guidelines.
• Undertake external promotion and presence for both the Arcadis and personal brand in the marketplace through leadership and speaking engagements.
• Travel : This role may require some travel internationally to meet with key stakeholders and attend executive meetings and workshops.

Key Shared Accountabilities :

• Co-own with the People Leadership Team (PLT) the One Arcadis People & Culture Strategy and DEIB strategies
• Establish trusted and influential relationships with the senior business leaders on strategic priorities
• Strategic thought leadership partner to People Function, Arcadis Leadership, and our Clients
• Leads Global Affinity Groups, aligned to global DEIB strategic priorities, together with business leadership
• Driving operational excellence in everything we do

Qualifications & Experience :

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate extensive experience and passion working across a DEIB & Human Resources function under a large matrix global organization, with strong business acumen and understanding of legal and compliance matters.

You will need to show experience being a strategic thinker, self-starter, and inspirational leader of global teams, thinking big picture and aligning to business goals.

You will need to demonstrate being able to engage at senior & executive level, influence and bring energy in a fast-paced environment, and show how you can impact positive change and employee experience.

Required experience and skills for this role :

Strategic Leadership : The ability to develop and communicate a compelling vision for diversity and inclusion that aligns with the organization's goals and values, and to inspire and mobilize stakeholders at all levels to support DEIB efforts.

With a proven ability to execute in a global matrix organization.

People Leadership : Creating high-performing teams, communicating vision and purpose, engaging others, and ensuring aligned objectives.

Caring for employee wellbeing and recognizing and celebrating success.

• Mobilizing Talent : Embracing new workforce profiles and planning approaches, attracting and developing talent, leveraging talent in different markets, catalyzing a movement
• Commercial and Business Acumen : Demonstrated ability to strategically align the work for DEIB to an organization's business strategy, including market trends, financial data, and competitive landscapes to inform business decisions and drive revenue growth.
• Cultural Competence & Empathy : A deep understanding of cultural nuances and sensitivities across different regions and demographics, and the ability to navigate diverse cultural landscapes to build inclusive environments.

The ability to demonstrate empathy, while still making tough business decisions and articulating the why and why not.

• Change Management : Proficiency in change management principles and practices to drive organizational culture shifts and overcome resistance to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Data Analysis & Insights : Strong analytical skills to assess diversity metrics, track progress, and identify areas for improvement, and to use data-driven insights to inform decision-making and measure the impact of DEIB initiatives.
• Collaboration and Influence : The ability to build strong relationships, collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, and influence stakeholders to champion diversity and inclusion throughout the organization.
• Communication : Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate the business case for diversity and inclusion, engage and educate employees, leaders, and external partners, and foster open dialogue around DEI topics.
• Conflict Resolution : Proficiency in conflict resolution and mediation techniques to address diversity-related tensions and issues in a constructive and equitable manner.
• Global Legal and Social Perspective : A broad understanding of global trends, best practices, and regulations related to diversity and inclusion, and the ability to adapt DEIB strategies to diverse cultural, legal, and socioeconomic contexts.
• Innovative Thinking : Creativity and innovation to develop new approaches and solutions for promoting diversity and inclusion, and to continuously evolve DEIB strategies in response to changing needs and challenges.
• Resilience and Persistence : The ability to navigate complexity, overcome setbacks, and maintain momentum in the face of resistance or obstacles to DEIB progress.
• Living our Purpose : Mentoring and sponsoring people coming through the business and from outside. Proactively, supporting communities and social initiatives, and showing attention to the planet and sustainability

Aligned to the Arcadis Leadership model we seek leaders with a strong fit to our leadership success profile, to build and drive our culture of inclusion, accountability, human-centricity, and sustainability.

Successful leaders at Arcadis will possess strong learning agility, combined with a balanced mix of being curious, driving success, and igniting passion.