Global Digital & AI Transformation Director Design & Engineering

The Design & Engineering Digital & AI Transformation Director is accountable for rewiring how Design & Engineering delivers value to clients by embedding digital, data, and AI capabilities into core delivery workflows, decision making, and operating rhythms. This role is about changing how work gets done to make better decisions, reduce risk, improve quality and outcomes, and scale what works across Design & Engineering.

Role accountabilities

• Set the Digital & AI direction for the Service Line
• Create a Design & Engineering specific digital & AI strategy in the context of our 3yr-out vision and strategy of the Design & Engineering, and the strategic priorities of Industries & Sectors.
• Define and regularly update “digital must-win” areas by conducting competitor analyses and gap analysis within existing portfolio of tools and digital products and partnerships.
• Identify which Design & Engineering delivery domains and workflows must be redesigned.
• Setup collaboration rhythm with Digital Intelligence, Investment governance, pipeline management approach and prioritization framework, change network, CoPs, etc.
• Set clear objectives for the transformation that link to overall Design & Engineering performance metrics.

Own the Opportunity Portfolio

• Collect and pro-actively source digital opportunities and use cases within the organization, in close collaboration with peers in other Service Lines and Industries.
• Kick-start and actively participate in AI studios around the most promising opportunities, to quickly validate and potentially prototype, ideally in real client settings.
• Work closely together with Digital Intelligence counterparts to make buy/build/partner decisions, as well as start/continue/stop decisions, following pre-set guidelines.
• Actively stop or kill initiatives that do not demonstrate clear value, adoption potential, or strategic fit.
• Participate regularly in client conversations to better understand client needs.
• Act as primary interface and product sponsor to product managers, e.g., help get funding, set requirements, mobilize business SME involvement, anything needed to deliver at pace.

Rewire Service Delivery workflows

• Redesign end‑to‑end Design & Engineering delivery workflows to embed digital and AI where they materially improve outcomes.
• Work with Service Line leadership to support adjustments to new ways of working.

Embed Digital & AI in our capabilities and drive adoption

• Build a local network of digital & AI champions (change agents and catalysts) within each Service Area Group.
• Strengthen foundational digital skills and AI usage within the organization (e.g., Drive Citizen Development participation, measure and steer on AI usage, make part of SPO).
• Setup adoption campaigns around new tooling / digital products, and ways of working, incl. training programs and updated global procedures.

Strengthen data foundations and other boundary conditions

• Turn global data strategy into an actionable plan within the service line, with clear focus around the priority areas (digital must-wins).
• Create knowledge and data libraries around discipline areas, managed within Communities of Practice.
• Setup data governance (who collects, who structures and maintains) and measure adherence and progress.
• Define any other pre‑requisites for digital innovation and bake into transformation plan.
• Own the Design & Engineering Digital and AI innovation backlog and roadmap, in partnership with Digital Intelligence, ensuring alignment to strategic priorities and measurable value delivery.
• Drive investment prioritisation and portfolio transparency within the Innovation governance framework, enabling clear decision‑making and optimal allocation of resources.
• Champion digital adoption across the Design & Engineering workforce and project delivery, working closely with Services leadership to embed tools, behaviours, and ways of working that maximise impact.

Qualifications & Experience

• Extensive leadership experience building and scaling global digital, AI, automation or technology‑enabled capabilities within the AEC or related professional services industry, with clear accountability for capability maturity, business value and enterprise impact.
• Experience embedding responsible AI principles, including governance, transparency, human oversight, risk mitigation and regulatory alignment into enterprise AI adoption and operational practices.
• Proven strategic leadership in defining and executing a global Digital & AI capability vision aligned to business goals, enterprise priorities and long‑term transformation objectives.
• Deep expertise in digital, AI, automation and emerging technologies, with a strong understanding of how these can be applied to improve delivery models, business performance and client outcomes within complex organizational environments.
• Demonstrated experience driving organizational change and broad adoption of new digital and AI capabilities, tools and ways of working across global and local teams.
• Strong track record of identifying, sponsoring and scaling successful innovations, pilots and proof of concept initiatives into practical, repeatable and value‑adding business capabilities.
• Proven ability to influence and align senior stakeholders across global, regional and local teams, building commitment to shared priorities and securing support for transformation roadmaps and implementation plans.
• Strong understanding of scalable delivery models, process optimisation and operational excellence, with experience designing approaches that improve consistency, efficiency and quality in digital and AI‑enabled services.
• Governance and risk management experience, including understanding of data privacy, AI ethics, information security and relevant compliance requirements, with the ability to embed these into capability design, deployment and ongoing management.
• Demonstrated talent and capability development experience, including building learning programmes, enabling skills development and fostering communities of practice that strengthen digital, data and AI capability across the organisation.
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to connect cross‑functional teams around a unified transformation agenda and deliver outcomes across a complex matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated strategic judgement and execution discipline, with the ability to translate vision into clear priorities, practical roadmaps and measurable outcomes.
• 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 digital technology, data science, artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, business or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Advanced degree preferred such as an MBA or a relevant Master’s in artificial intelligence, data science, digital transformation, technology management, engineering, business or a related field, or equivalent executive level experience in complex global organisations.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day, which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people.