Senior P&O Business Partner
COWI is an international consultancy within engineering, architecture, energy and environment. Together with customers, we co-create sustainable and beautiful solutions that improve the quality of life for people.
Do you thrive when partnering with senior leaders to translate business priorities into people, leadership and organisational outcomes? Are you motivated by helping leaders make better decisions, unlock organisational potential and drive meaningful change?
We are growing our People & Organisation team and are looking for a Senior People & Organisation Business Partner to support one of COWI Norway’s largest business areas, Buildings & Industry. Supporting a business with approximately 800 employees across Buildings & Industry and Arkitema, you will play a key role in shaping people priorities, enabling leaders and driving business success.
A strategic partner at the centre of the business
As the Senior P&O Business Partner, you will serve as a trusted advisor to the Senior Vice President and leadership team, helping guide decisions that shape leadership, organizational design, and business performance. Success in this role requires solid business acumen, sound judgement and the ability to navigate complexity while turning strategic priorities into action.
You will report to the Head of P&O Norway and collaborate closely with colleagues across Norway and COWI’s global P&O organisation.
Your key responsibilities will be to:
Act as a strategic advisor and sparring partner to the SVP and leadership team, ensuring that people, leadership and organisational considerations are integrated into business decisions and priorities.
Execute organisational development and change initiatives, supporting leaders in shaping, implementing, and embedding organisational changes that enhance business performance and engagement.
Coach and challenge leaders on leadership effectiveness, team performance, talent, succession and organisational health, helping them make sound people decisions and build long-term capability.
Run key people processes and translate them into meaningful actions, ensuring high-quality execution and follow-through of engagement, talent, succession, performance and rewards processes.
Support leaders in managing complex people matters and organisational risks, using data, insight and sound judgement to build performance, improve decision-making and ensure effective governance.
Partner with Centres of Excellence and specialist functions across COWI to deliver people priorities, enable organisational effectiveness and ensure alignment with Group frameworks and ways of working.
Help leaders unlock the full potential of the organisation
The first step to success in this role is that you are eager to collaborate with the people around you, whether they are colleagues, partners or customers. Developing ties with others is something you do by acting respectfully and delivering on your promises. And you never get set in your ways, but keep exploring new insights and ways to improve.
On top of that, you:
Preferrably hold a master’s degree in HR, organisational psychology, business administration, leadership, or a related field. Equivalent senior-level experience may compensate for formal education.
Bring extensive experience as a Senior HR or P&O Business Partner, partnering closely with executive and senior leadership teams in complex organisations.
Have solid experience driving organizational development, organizational design and change initiatives that create measurable business impact.
Have experience supporting leaders in performance management, talent and succession planning, as well as navigating complex employee relations and employment law matters.
Thrive in matrix, knowledge-based and project-driven environments, where you influence stakeholders, build trust and communicate effectively in both Norwegian and English.
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. We support our customers’ transition towards increased sustainability. We strive to lead by example by embedding environmental management, social responsibility and good governance into our business practices and the options we provide to our customers.
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 at home. With offices primarily located in the Nordic region, the UK, North America and India, we are currently more than 7,500 people who bring their expertise in engineering, architecture, energy and environment into play.
Got more questions?
If you have any unanswered questions about the role or what we have to offer, please reach out to Senior Global Talent Acquisition Specialist, Sophia Haugen, at sowh@cowi.com, or Head of P&O Norway, Ingrid Husan, at inhu@cowi.com. Due to the summer holiday period, we will respond to inquiries and review all applications in early August.
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.
Equal opportunity employer
COWI provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, COWI complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
