Heat Merchants Group is Ireland's leading Heating, Renewables, Plumbing, Tiles and Sanitary Ware supplier.
Heat Merchants Group trades in 42 outlets around Ireland as Heat Merchants and Tubs & Tiles.
The group has 30 Heat Merchants branches and 12 Tubs & Tiles showrooms supported by a central warehouse and distribution hub based in Athlone.
The Group's business support services and technical design hub are based in offices in Athlone and Balbriggan.
Heat Merchants Group
have a fantastic opportunity for a HR Officer to join the team at their Business Support Offices in Athlone, Co Westmeath.
As an HR Officer within Heat Merchants Group, you will play a key role in delivering a comprehensive and professional HR service across the organisation.
This position requires a proactive approach to supporting managers and employees, ensuring compliance with HR policies and procedures, and contributing to the development and implementation of HR initiatives that align with business objectives.
Job Specification
Key Responsibilities
Employee Lifecycle Management
Maintain and update accurate employee records and HR software, ensuring compliance with data protection requirements.
Prepare and issue contracts of employment and other HR documentation, ensuring timely follow-up on outstanding items.
Oversee the probation review processes, liaising with line managers to ensure completion within required timelines.
Performance Management
Support line managers in implementing the company's performance management process, ensuring fairness, consistency, and alignment with policy.
Coordinate performance review timelines and ensure documentation is completed and stored correctly.
Provide guidance to managers on handling performance concerns, documentation procedures, and escalation pathways.
Track and monitor probation and performance outcomes to ensure follow-up actions are completed.
Absence Management
Administer the company's absence management procedures, ensuring all employee leave is accurately recorded and monitored.
Provide managers with guidance on absence triggers, return-to-work requirements, and interventions in line with policy.
Generate absence reports and identify trends to support proactive workforce planning.
Ensure timely submission and secure storage of medical certificates and related documentation in compliance with data protection legislation.
HR Software & Reporting
Manage updates to the Time and Attendance system and organisational structure charts.
Maintain the HR section on the company intranet (SharePoint), ensuring policies, forms, and resources are current and accessible.
Generate HR reports and metrics as required to support decision-making and compliance.
Training & Development
Organise and administer training sessions, including scheduling, room setup, attendance tracking, and feedback collection.
Assist in implementing learning and development initiatives aligned with organisational goals.
Employee Relations & Support
Act as a first point of contact for HR queries from managers and employees, providing guidance on policies and procedures.
Support HR-led projects and initiatives such as wellness programmes, engagement activities, and recruitment fairs.
Compliance & Administration
Manage the full lifecycle of statutory leave requests—including maternity, paternity, adoptive, parental, parent's, carer's, and force majeure leave—ensuring timely processing, accurate record-keeping, and full compliance with current employment legislation.
Coordinate with employees and managers to provide guidance on entitlements, documentation, return-to-work arrangements, and policy requirements.
Ensure adherence to company policies and employment legislation in all HR activities.
Manage uniform and PPE ordering and distribution, ensuring accurate documentation.
Process HR-related invoices and liaise with Finance to ensure timely payments.
Recruitment & Onboarding
Support the Talent & Recruitment Specialist by carrying out administrative and coordination tasks within the end-to-end recruitment process, including job posting assistance, candidate screening support, interview coordination, reference check administration, and preparing offer/regret letters.
Assist with induction and onboarding programmes to ensure a positive employee experience.
Additional Duties
Participate in HR projects and continuous improvement initiatives.
Undertake any other duties as reasonably requested by management.
Please note that the above list is not intended to capture every detail of your role but the main areas of responsibility.
Person Specification
The following criteria will be used in the selection process.
Only those applicants who meet the essential criteria will be shortlisted for interview.
The Company reserves the right to initially shortlist those candidates who meet both essential and desirable criteria.
Minimum of 3 years+ experience in a HR role within a fast-paced environment.
Strong proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise effectively.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships across all levels.
Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion at all times.
Ability to work to deadlines whilst maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
CIPD qualification or currently working towards a recognised HR qualification.
Full, clean driving licence and willingness to travel to branch locations as required.
Attention to Detail: Ensures accuracy and compliance in all HR processes.
Problem-Solving: Ability to identify issues and propose practical solutions.
Proactivity: Takes initiative to improve processes and enhance employee experience.
Team Collaboration: Works effectively with colleagues and managers to achieve HR objectives.
Additional Information
Interested applicants should send their up-to-date CV and a cover letter clearly outlining how they meet the requirements of the role through this website.
Company Benefits
At Heat Merchants Group, we are very proud of our employees and value their commitment to creating positive experiences for our Customers.
Some benefits employees of Heat Merchants Group enjoy are as follows:
Competitive remuneration
Monday to Friday role
Bonus Scheme (Performance related)
Employer Contribution to pension scheme
21 days annual leave increasing to 25 with length of service
Hybrid working available*
EAP (Employee Assistance Programme)
Wellness initiatives
Life cover
Training & Development
Further education supportBenefix (Employee Benefits, Wellbeing and Discounts Platform)
GoodHabitz (platform provides unlimited access to a wide range of interactive online courses, enabling the development of new soft skills)
Company Values
All our people are encouraged to live and breathe our core values, which means taking care of and being responsible for the
safety, health and wellbeing
of their colleagues and working together to provide
exceptional service
to our customers.
It also means being part of a culture in which we
nurture potential
so that of others can be fully reached.
We achieve this by always treating everyone with
fairness and respect
whilst working to have a
positive impact
on the communities we serve.
Heat Merchants Group is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
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