Patrick Whalen

About Patrick Whalen

I am a senior People executive with more than 20 years of experience building people strategy and people architecture to scale organizations. My work centers on designing systems, operating models, and governance that enable growth without sacrificing clarity, execution discipline, or leadership consistency. I have operated across startups, scale-ups, and global enterprises in technology/SaaS, manufacturing, financial services, energy, construction, healthcare, retail, government, and professional services, with initiatives impacting thousands of employees in regulated and high-growth environments. Across my career, I have held executive accountability for the people function, leading teams and owning enterprise-wide execution across multi-site operations in both union and non-union environments, including periods of growth, restructuring, and post-acquisition integration.Core strengths include:• People strategy, organizational design, and workforce architecture, including operating models, role design, job leveling, spans and layers, and workforce planning aligned to business priorities.• End-to-end People Operations leadership, encompassing compliance, employee relations, policy governance, HR systems, benefits administration, and workforce risk management.•People analytics and operating dashboards, covering workforce, performance, engagement, and succession metrics used for executive decision-making and scale planning.• Full employee lifecycle ownership, from workforce planning and hiring through onboarding, performance management, development, succession, and transitions.• Employee experience design, using role clarity, manager capability, performance expectations, and development pathways to improve engagement, retention, and productivity.• Leadership capability and accountability, including manager readiness, succession planning, and leadership development tied to real operating needs.•Executive partnership, aligning people strategy with growth, execution, risk management, and integration outcomes.Leadership Beyond the WorkplaceIn addition to my professional career, I am a former elite-level rugby player with more than 20 years of experience and an accomplished World Rugby Level 2 Coach. I have coached youth, high school, collegiate, men’s club, and high-performance elite travel squads in both domestic and international settings. My coaching philosophy focuses on building inclusive, high-performance environments that develop athletic ability, teamwork, accountability, and character, preparing individuals for success well beyond sport.

Experience

1. Chief People Officer

   United Infrastructure Group

   Mar 2026 — Present · NC, US

   Executive leadership of the enterprise people strategy for a Centennial heavy-civil construction firm. Tasked with aligning human capital initiatives with long-term growth objectives to ensure operational readiness and leadership continuity across the Southeast.Enterprise Strategy & Scalability: Architecting a scalable organizational design and talent strategy to support UIG’s expansion into larger, more complex infrastructure projects while maintaining a deep-rooted \"Professional Family\" culture.Strategic Talent Development: Spearheading the design and implementation of the UIG Academy, a centralized framework for technical field training, high-potential leadership development, and executive succession planning.Fiduciary & Total Rewards Stewardship: Providing executive oversight of self-insured health programs and retirement assets; optimizing plan design to enhance employee value and family stability while maintaining strict fiscal discipline and ROI.Operational Excellence & People Analytics: Re-engineering internal People Operations and administrative workflows to eliminate operational bottlenecks. Utilizing data-driven people analytics to improve decision-making, support project margins, and ensure HR functions as a high-value partner to field operations.Cultural & Brand Advocacy: Leveraging a century of legacy to position UIG as the premier employer of choice in the heavy-civil sector, driving a talent brand that attracts and retains the industry\'s elite workforce.

Education

• Capella University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Organizational Performance

• The University of Tulsa

  Master of Science - MS, Industrial Organizational Psychology

• Springfield College

  Master of Science - MS, Counseling and Sports Psychology

• Oklahoma State University

  BS, Psychology

Skills

• Human Resources
• Supply Chain Management
• Leadership
• Career Development
• Business Process Improvement
• Team Building
• Management
• Leadership Development
• Learning and Development
• Human Resources Information Systems (Hris)
• Management Development
• Onboarding
• Corporate University
• Curriculum Development
• Strategy
• Succession Planning
• Workshop Facilitation
• Competency Assessment
• HR Consulting
• Instructional Design
• Performance Improvement
• Strategic Planning
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Key Performance Indicators
• Personnel Management
• Executive Development
• Performance Measurement
• Mbti
• Employee Engagement
• Workforce Management
• Change Management
• Organizational Development
• Consulting
• Strategic Human Resource Planning
• Training
• Executive Management
• Talent Management
• Strategic Human Resources Leadership
• Competency Management
• Organizational Effectiveness