Workforce Planner - Design & Engineering

Role description: 

The Workforce Planner Design & Engineering APAC will drive workforce planning from the front lines, supporting pursuits and projects through identification and deployment support of talent. This role will support both Sector and Service leaders and WFP Directors to manage conflicts, drive Global Excellence Centers (GEC) contribution and drive data quality. The role will also be responsible for building and establishing strong networks on the ground, knowing people and capabilities.

Role accountabilities:

• Engage regularly with team managers in Australia to maximize billability and reliability of forecasts.
• Monitor and actively manage the demand market-place, owning demand within remit while also supporting the wider network with requests that may otherwise be missed.
• Own the quality and accuracy of the 12-week look ahead for team managers within remit.
• Proactively engage team managers to identify work and demand that can be planned in advance for Design & Engineering.
• Provide regular feedback and insight from dashboards to key stakeholders to enable them to make informed decisions.
• Identify and recommend recruitment needs to relevant stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Maximize the use of soft booking and pre-planning practices within Design & Engineering.
• Actively support mobilization and de-mobilization of talent to projects across Australia.
• Act as the primary point of contact for talent looking for new opportunities in Design & Engineering in Australia and ensure all information is documented in the system.
• Develop a strong understanding of the team you are aligned to sufficiently to provide strong recommendations and be known to them.
• Build strong and approachable relationships with pursuit leaders or project managers and support by identifying suitable resource options.
• Establish and maintain a strong network with Team managers within Design & Engineering and take a solution driven approach while holding others to account.
• Understand how and where to engage GEC within Design & Engineering.
• Identify gaps or inaccuracies in workforce planning data and seek to resolve issues.
• Support the onboarding of new joiners and complete profile on WFP Tags.
• Engage regularly with Sector and Industry leads who commonly engage with talent to understand the Australia client talent requirements.
• Actively manage the demand marketplace and continuously enrich workforce data.
• Identify and escalate supply and demand risks within Design & Engineering.
• Address behaviours or practices that may compromise the best outcomes for Arcadis where possible and escalate concerns appropriately. 
• Provide early warning and visibility to Sector WFP Directors on supply gaps or oversupply in Australia.
• Escalate unexpected changes and leverage WFP network to find solutions.
• Act as the key point of contact within pursuits to find suitable talent or profiles that support sales.
• Identify key attributes clients are looking for and integrate into WFP Tags to maximize value.
• Support the prioritisation of top tier clients or major opportunities.
• Act as the point of contact for Tier 3-4 client teams in Design & Engineering.

Qualifications & Experience: 

• Experience in workforce planning, resource planning, deployment coordination or similar operational planning roles within the Architecture, Engineering or Construction or related professional Services Industry in Australia.
• Deep understanding of workforce analytics and forecasting, including how demand signals, forecast accuracy and billability influence deployment decisions.
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with Team Managers, Project Managers, Pursuit Leaders, Account Leaders and Talent Acquisition partners while maintaining appropriate challenge and accountability.
• Knowledge of regional talent trends, labor markets and basic employment law relevant to workforce planning and deployment.
• Analytical and data-driven, with the ability to identify gaps in data, manage planning inputs and improve accuracy and completeness of workforce information.
• Change management and transformation expertise, with the ability to support evolving processes, behaviors and adoption of workforce planning tools and ways of working.
• Detailed knowledge of processes and systems that drive workforce planning data, WFP tags and demand matching, or the ability to quickly build that knowledge in a comparable environment.
• Client oriented, solution driven mindset, with the ability to understand client and pursuit needs and translate them into practical resource planning actions.
• Strong communication skills, able to provide timely feedback, recommendations and early warnings on supply and demand risks.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, escalate risks appropriately and leverage networks to identify suitable talent for pursuits and projects.
• Understanding of commercial drivers such as utilization, billability, project margins, and their impact on resource planning decisions.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive adherence to workforce planning practices without direct authority.
• Ability to make informed resource allocation recommendations, balancing competing priorities, business needs, and workforce constraints. 
• Leadership style that empowers Arcadians, promotes accountability and continuous improvement, and supports a healthy, inclusive and high engagement culture aligned to the Arcadis Leadership profile of being curious, driving success and igniting passion.
• Degree level education in a relevant technical or commercial discipline such as business, operations, human resources, analytics or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.