Job description

As Chief People Officer, you will partner directly with the President and firm leadership to connect people decisions to business performance. In engineering consulting, the expertise, relationships, and capacity of our people determine the work we win, how well we deliver, and how profitably we grow. You will translate that connection into workforce plans, stronger retention, effective leadership, and an employee experience that gives talented people compelling reasons to join and stay. This role combines executive partnership with hands-on leadership of the HR team. You will shape people priorities within the firm while partnering with regional and Trilon HR leaders and Centers of Excellence in Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and Talent Management. You will also lead the people side of AI adoption and organizational change, helping employees build the skills and confidence to work differently. What you will lead: People Strategy and Business Partnership • Advise the President and firm leadership on organization design, culture, succession, and people risk. Build trust, challenge assumptions constructively, and turn decisions into action. • Translate the business plan, project backlog, and pursuit pipeline into workforce plans that align skills and capacity with utilization, project delivery, and growth. • Partner with Trilon Talent Acquisition on critical hiring needs, and close capability gaps through development, internal mobility, flexible staffing, and appropriate automation. Build succession plans for leadership, technical, and client-facing roles. • Align firm priorities with regional and Trilon people programs while tailoring execution to local business needs. Retention and Employee Engagement • Own the firm’s retention strategy, with clear goals and targeted actions to retain critical expertise, high performers, and early-career talent. Protect the client relationships and delivery capacity that depend on these employees. • Use turnover trends, stay and exit interviews, and employee feedback to understand why people stay or leave. Partner with leaders to address root causes and measure the impact of retention and engagement actions. • Strengthen the employee value proposition and ensure it is delivered through meaningful work, career opportunities, competitive rewards, flexibility, and day-to-day leadership. • Equip managers to hold regular career and stay conversations, recognize contributions, and follow through on employee feedback. Hold leaders accountable for engagement and retention commitments. Leadership and Talent Development • Lead performance management and career development, including technical career paths, licensure support, and opportunities for internal mobility within the firm and Trilon. • Build leadership and project manager capability in coaching, feedback, accountability, and leading through change. • Equip managers to address performance issues and support employee growth. Develop successors for critical roles. HR Operations and Total Rewards • Build, lead, and develop an effective HR team with clear priorities, accountability, and a strong service mindset. • Oversee reliable HR operations, employee relations, policies, and compliance in partnership with Trilon HR and Legal. • Lead people planning and integration for acquisitions, including leadership alignment, cultural integration, employee communication, and retention of critical talent. • Partner with Trilon Total Rewards on competitive, equitable compensation, incentives, and benefits that support attraction, retention, and firm performance within Trilon frameworks. • Use people analytics to identify risks, recommend action, and assess results. Connect turnover, hiring, engagement, workforce capacity, and rewards spending to business performance. AI Adoption and Change Leadership • Apply HR technology and AI where they improve recruiting, onboarding, employee service, analytics, or HR productivity. • Partner with technology and operational leaders to assess how AI changes roles, skills, and workflows; guide workforce planning, learning, and adoption. • Lead people-focused change management and internal communications, with Marketing support. Help employees understand the firm’s direction and changes affecting their work, and create two-way channels for questions and feedback. • Partner with technology, Legal, and Trilon HR on responsible AI use, privacy, fairness, and employee trust. What you bring: Qualifications and Experience • 10+ years of progressive HR leadership, with experience leading a people function or serving as the senior HR partner to a business leader. High-impact leaders ready for a broader remit will be considered. • Demonstrated success improving retention and employee engagement, with measurable results and clear examples of personal ownership and business impact. Experience translating workforce planning or leadership development into stronger organizational performance. • Strong business and analytical judgment, including the ability to connect workforce decisions to revenue growth, project delivery, utilization, and profitability. • Experience supporting a complex workforce across multiple locations, entities, or a matrixed organization is highly relevant. • High emotional intelligence and the credibility to influence senior, operational, and technical leaders. Able to challenge constructively, navigate resistance, and hold people accountable while maintaining strong relationships. • Broad HR expertise across employee relations, organizational development, talent management, compensation, and US employment practices, with sound judgment on when to engage specialist partners. • Demonstrated success leading organizational change and improving HR processes and technology. Able to guide the workforce implications of AI adoption in partnership with technical experts. • Preferred experience includes engineering consulting, AEC, or another professional services business with a technical workforce; growth through acquisitions or a private equity-backed environment is also valuable. #LI-AH1 DRMP Offers • Excellent compensation package • Outstanding holiday and paid-time-off programs • 401(k) Plan and Match • Career Path Development Program (Management & Technical Career Tracks) • Mentorship Program • Tuition Reimbursement • Parental Leave • Competitive health and dental insurance premiums • Variety of voluntary benefit options • Short-Term Disability/Long-Term Disability • Company-furnished life insurance • Employee Assistant Program (EAP) • Flexible Spending Account • and More DRMP is a Drug and Alcohol Free workplace, an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and E-Verify employer. Pay Transparency The base salary range for this role is indicated in the posting. This range reflects the company’s good faith estimate of the compensation for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and geographic location.

Requirements

Must-haves

People Strategy and Business Partnership
Advise the President and firm leadership on organization design, culture, succession, and people risk. Build trust, challenge assumptions constructively, and turn decisions into action.
Translate the business plan, project backlog, and pursuit pipeline into workforce plans that align skills and capacity with utilization, project delivery, and growth.
Align firm priorities with regional and Trilon people programs while tailoring execution to local business needs.
Retention and Employee Engagement
Use turnover trends, stay and exit interviews, and employee feedback to understand why people stay or leave. Partner with leaders to address root causes and measure the impact of retention and engagement actions.
Strengthen the employee value proposition and ensure it is delivered through meaningful work, career opportunities, competitive rewards, flexibility, and day-to-day leadership.
Equip managers to hold regular career and stay conversations, recognize contributions, and follow through on employee feedback. Hold leaders accountable for engagement and retention commitments.
Leadership and Talent Development
Lead performance management and career development, including technical career paths, licensure support, and opportunities for internal mobility within the firm and Trilon.
Build leadership and project manager capability in coaching, feedback, accountability, and leading through change.
Equip managers to address performance issues and support employee growth. Develop successors for critical roles.
HR Operations and Total Rewards
Build, lead, and develop an effective HR team with clear priorities, accountability, and a strong service mindset.
Oversee reliable HR operations, employee relations, policies, and compliance in partnership with Trilon HR and Legal.
Lead people planning and integration for acquisitions, including leadership alignment, cultural integration, employee communication, and retention of critical talent.
Partner with Trilon Total Rewards on competitive, equitable compensation, incentives, and benefits that support attraction, retention, and firm performance within Trilon frameworks.
Use people analytics to identify risks, recommend action, and assess results. Connect turnover, hiring, engagement, workforce capacity, and rewards spending to business performance.
AI Adoption and Change Leadership
Apply HR technology and AI where they improve recruiting, onboarding, employee service, analytics, or HR productivity.
Partner with technology and operational leaders to assess how AI changes roles, skills, and workflows; guide workforce planning, learning, and adoption.
Partner with technology, Legal, and Trilon HR on responsible AI use, privacy, fairness, and employee trust.
10+ years of progressive HR leadership, with experience leading a people function or serving as the senior HR partner to a business leader. High-impact leaders ready for a broader remit will be considered.

Nice-to-haves

Preferred experience includes engineering consulting, AEC, or another professional services business with a technical workforce; growth through acquisitions or a private equity-backed environment is also valuable.

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

Platform: pinpoint
Effort: medium

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

401(K)

Parental Leave