Chief People Officer

About This Role

This executive role partners directly with the President and firm leadership to align people decisions with business performance in engineering consulting. The Chief People Officer will translate the connection between people's expertise, relationships, and capacity and the work won, delivery quality, and profitable growth into workforce plans, stronger retention, effective leadership, and an employee experience that attracts and retains talented individuals. The role combines executive partnership with hands-on leadership of the HR team, shaping people priorities within the firm while collaborating with regional and Trilon HR leaders and Centers of Excellence in Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and Talent Management. This position also leads the people side of AI adoption and organizational change, helping employees build the skills and confidence to adapt to new ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Advise the President and firm leadership on organization design, culture, succession, and people risk, building trust, constructively challenging assumptions, and turning 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
• Own the firm
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Partner with technology, Legal, and Trilon HR on responsible AI use, privacy, fairness, and employee trust

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership, with experience leading a people function or serving as the senior HR partner to a business leader
• 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

Benefits

• 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

About the Company

DRMP is an award-winning multidiscipline firm that delivers infrastructure solutions to meet the needs of public, private, and industrial clients, transforming communities and strengthening connectivity across the Southeast since 1977. The company has over 700 employees and 23 strategically located offices. With expertise in six core markets

DRMP is ranked among Engineering News-Record

• alternative delivery, construction services, federal, surveying and mapping/geospatial, and transportation
• and has earned both local and national recognition for project excellence. At DRMP, employees are supported, challenged, and valued through professional development, career advancement opportunities, and work that contributes to the communities served.