SVP, Head of People and Organisation

Are you a result-oriented and strategic senior People & Organisation leader motivated to drive the strategic P&O agenda as part of the Executive Leadership Team? Do you want to drive COWI's transformation within P&O and across COWI further? Do you find it meaningful to collaborate closely with all functions in COWI, using your strong people toolbox and knowledge of innovative digital solutions?

We are enhancing our Executive Leadership Team in COWI and are looking for an SVP People & Organisation. You will guide the COWI People & Organisation function through the ongoing transformation and as part of the Executing Leadership Team, you will contribute to the overall transformation.

Enable transformation and deliver strategic people agenda.

You will play a crucial role in the transformation phase within and beyond P&O, anchoring the Group’s people agenda in COWI. You will report to the Group CEO and be part of the Executive Leadership Team. You will have a dotted line reporting to the Group CFO and be part of the Business Partner Leadership Team that streamlines initiatives across all functions.

Promote continuous learning and operational excellence

As SVP P&O, you will be responsible for enhancing capacity and effectiveness through innovation, technology, new digital solutions, and data analytics. You will build a culture of operational excellence and continuous learning, directing a team of 80 P&O professionals organized in Centres of Excellence and P&O Business Partnering teams. The P&O organization is based in all of COWI's main geographies.

Your key responsibilities in the first 12-18 months will be to:

• Collaborate across COWI to support organizational design for growth and efficiency.
• Develop a prioritized improvement plan for HR practices, focusing on cost-effective solutions
• Work closely with the Business Partners leadership team on organizational processes and potential new IT solutions.
• Improve and digitize transactional HR processes to increase efficiency.
• Create strategies for talent development focusing on both professionals and leaders.
• Implement structures and processes for performance management with relevant metrics.

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The first step to growth in this role is that you have extensive collaboration and communication skills and that you operate with insight. You enjoy professional relationships and think and act beyond the P&O function, with a clear business mindset. You are open and navigate change easily.

On top of that you:

• Over 15 years of HR leadership experience in an international setting ideally from a best practice HR academy or engineering-heavy organization.
• Have comprehensive HR expertise across all disciplines, with experience in organizational design focused on customer satisfaction and efficiency.
• Have experience with IT implementation projects related to HR transformations.
• Experience in developing multi-country teams.
• Academic degree in management, business, HR management, or STEM fields
• Experience with HR digital solutions and data analytics in an international context.
• Proficiency in English is essential

The role is ideally based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Alternatively, it can be located in one of the major business hubs like Norway, Sweden, or the UK, with significant travel to Copenhagen expected.

A place to work and so much more

At COWI, we work together with our customers to shape a sustainable and liveable world. We do it by applying our knowledge and curiosity – and sometimes even our courage – to create the solutions the world needs today to enable a better tomorrow. That is why we say no to fossil-based projects and aspire to have 100 percent of our revenue come from activities that move our customers toward sustainability.

We value differences and development and cultivate an environment of belonging and having fun. Because that is what brings out the best in you, at work and home.

With offices primarily located in Scandinavia, the UK, North America, and India, we currently have 8,000 people who bring their expertise in engineering, architecture, energy, and environment into play.

Do you have any questions?

If you have questions or would like further information on the position, please reach out to Annika Rathje, Head of P&O, Business Partners at anrh@cowi.com or Tea Ellingsen, Strategic Workforce Lead, at teel@cowi.com

Get to know us even better at our website, www.cowi.com, where you can learn more about our projects, our strategy, what we want to achieve, and what life is like at COWI.

Diversity is fundamental to COWI, inclusion is key.

We are committed to creating a respectful and fair work environment where all employees have a sense of belonging and equitable opportunities to thrive and grow. We ensure that our leaders are role models for inclusive leadership by cultivating a culture where diverse perspectives and thoughts are seen as strengths. We take diversity and inclusion into account in all relevant decisions and processes and when setting teams and fora. We do it because it is part of our values and because it is simply the right thing to do.