Head of HR | Ireland

Purpose of the Job

Reporting to the HR Director for Countries/Functions and HR Director for Service Line, this role oversees the operational delivery of HR services across the UK and Ireland. Ensuring resources are optimised, processes run efficiently, and HR support is aligned with business needs.

• Lead and deliver HR support throughout the full employee lifecycle across the UK & Ireland, working closely with HR Directors to drive organisational transformation, support M&A activity, and optimise talent and workforce planning across a population of c.350 employees.
• Act as a trusted HR partner to senior stakeholders, including Country Heads (London, Belfast and Dublin) and C‑suite leaders, building strong, positive relationships and spending meaningful time in the business to anticipate needs rather than react to issues.
• Provide expert HR guidance to managers and colleagues, ensuring local policies, handbooks and procedures are up to date, compliant, well‑communicated and easy to access.
• Oversee resourcing and workforce planning for client delivery, including onboarding, attrition, absence management and talent pipeline development.
• Lead on complex employee relations matters, ensuring issues are managed in line with legislation and internal processes, including grievances, appeals, redundancies and performance management (including active involvement in PIPs).
• Use data and evidence (attrition, absence, utilisation, engagement insights) to diagnose people challenges, identify priorities and shape practical, business‑focused solutions.
• Coach, challenge and influence managers to strengthen people leadership capability, drive performance and support the successful implementation of organisational initiatives.
• Act as the local HR expert for the rollout of new people initiatives, ensuring effective execution of plans designed at group level (e.g., organisational design, engagement survey actions, policy updates).
• Lead and coordinate HR operational activity, ensuring high‑quality BAU delivery while remaining agile and adaptable to changing business priorities.
• Collaborate with other HR teams including TA, Reward, HR Operations and Learning & Development.
• Ensure HR practices reflect the organisation’s risk appetite, providing clear recommendations and minimising reliance on external legal counsel.
• Contribute to “clean‑up” and reorganisation activity where needed, ensuring clarity, consistency and improved operational efficiency.
• Travel up to twice per month to partner with stakeholders and maintain strong on‑site relationships.

• Proven experience operating as a Senior HRBP or Head of HR within a complex, global and matrixed organisation.
• Operates as a hands‑on HR generalist with strong ER expertise; M&A experience advantageous.
• Strong HR generalist background with deep expertise in UK and Ireland employment law, including managing complex ER cases, grievances, appeals and redundancy processes.
• Comfortable working with senior stakeholders and C‑suite leaders, with strong influencing, coaching and relationship‑building skills.
• HR operational and tactical business as usual experience and initiative implementation.
• Highly data‑literate, with the ability to use evidence (attrition, absence, utilisation, engagement insights) to forecast issues, identify priorities and shape practical solutions.
• CIPD Level 5 qualified or working towards.
• Strong HRIS systems literacy (e.g., Bamboo, Smart Recruiters, Microsoft, Oracle).
• Self‑starter who is agile, collaborative and able to navigate ambiguity and change.
• Willingness to travel frequently.

All staff are expected to embody our core values that underpin everything that we do and that reflect the skills and behaviours we all need to be successful.

These are:

• We are CLIENT CENTRIC – Clients are at the centre of our world, and we’re committed to providing expertise and specialist solutions to meet their most complex challenges.
• We are AMBITIOUS – We aim high. We think and act globally, seizing every opportunity to delight our clients and support our colleagues - wherever in the world they may be.
• We are AGILE – We act on…