People Operations & Engagement Lead - Research Ireland
About Taighde Eireann - Research Ireland
Taighde Eireann - Research Ireland is the national research and innovation funding agency, established on 1 August 2024. It amalgamates the activities of the Irish Research Council and Science Foundation Ireland. Research Ireland will drive world‑class research and innovation in Ireland, funding excellence across Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, Technology and other disciplines.
Role Overview
Research Ireland seeks a People Operations & Engagement Lead to join its experienced and supportive People & Culture team. The role offers exposure to a broad range of HR activities, including recruitment, HR operations, employee support, internal communications and engagement projects.
Key Accountabilities
People Operations
Coordinate end‑to‑end recruitment processes, partnering with hiring managers to support workforce needs and ensure a positive candidate experience.
Manage recruitment platforms and job advertising while ensuring recruitment activity aligns with public sector guidelines and best practice.
Maintain and administer the HR information system, ensuring employee records and workforce data are accurate and up to date.
Support payroll processes in collaboration with external providers and assist with pension administration where required.
Oversee onboarding and offboarding processes, ensuring a structured and positive employee experience.
Act as a key point of contact for general queries from employees and managers, providing guidance on people policies and procedures.
Support performance management, probation processes and employee relations matters where required.
Assist with reporting and workforce data requests for internal and external stakeholders.
Contribute to projects and initiatives including employee engagement, learning and development and process improvement.
Identify opportunities to strengthen processes and help improve efficiencies.
Learning, Development & Capability Building
Coordinate learning and development activities across the organisation, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
Support the design, implementation and ongoing management of the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) process.
Work with managers and teams to identify capability gaps and development requirements.
Develop and maintain the organisational annual training plan, tracking delivery, participation and outcomes.
Partner with internal stakeholders and external providers to organise and deliver training programmes and workshops.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of learning initiatives, using feedback and data to inform continuous improvement.
Maintain training records, compliance training requirements and reporting metrics.
Engagement, Communications & Culture
Contribute to employee engagement initiatives, recognition programmes and organisational development projects.
Support internal communications, announcements and engagement content.
Partner with teams across the organisation to support workshops, onboarding and culture‑building activities.
Help promote a positive, inclusive and connected workplace environment.
Experience & Qualifications
Key Criteria
Experience working in a public sector or similarly regulated environment (essential).
Previous experience in an HR generalist or HR operations role.
Strong understanding of HR policies, procedures and governance frameworks.
Experience supporting recruitment and working closely with hiring managers.
Familiarity with HR systems and data management.
Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills.
Interpersonal & Communication Competencies
Ability to build strong working relationships across all levels of the organisation.
Confident, professional verbal and written communication.
Positive, supportive approach to dealing with HR queries, ensuring a high‑quality employee experience from onboarding to exit.
Ability to compile HR metrics and respond to data requests, comfortable interpreting trends and identifying insights.
Proactive in identifying gaps or inefficiencies, can propose, test and implement improved processes.
Able to manage multiple tasks in a busy environment, strong planning and time‑management capability.
Works with accuracy across documentation, HR records and reporting.
Self‑starter with initiative who takes ownership of tasks and processes, keeping projects moving with minimal oversight.
Salary
The salary for this post will be €52,546 per annum for new entrants to the public sector. This salary will rise over time, as per the salary scale detailed below.
Level D salary scale: €52,546 – €75,472 per annum with contributory superannuation (pension). Government policy continues to be that starting pay on recruitment from open competition for all posts within the public sector should be at the minimum of the relevant salary scale and is not subject to negotiation. Remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government policy.
Benefits
Competitive salary with defined progression through the grade.
Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (Single Public Service Pension Scheme).
Excellent progressive policies including a favourable blended working policy, sick leave and other family‑friendly policies.
Modern office facilities with a subsidised canteen.
Life insurance.
29 days annual leave.
Learning and development opportunities.
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