Head of HR Operations

Glanua; Galway; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Glanua is seeking a Head of HR Operations to lead global HR operations, systems and services across Ireland, the UK, Portugal and the USA. You will partner with the CPO and SLT, shaping a modern, scalable HR function that supports rapid growth across multiple sites and jurisdictions.

The role involves embedding best-practice policies, driving change, and overseeing talent acquisition, reward, engagement, and organisational design to strengthen culture and performance in a fast-growing,

Qualifications

• 10+ years HR experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Experience building and leading HR functions across multiple sites/jurisdictions (Ireland/UK).
• Strong knowledge of Irish and UK employment law and complex ER matters.
• Proven ability to lead HR Business Partners or senior HR teams.
• Experience partnering with SLT on strategic workforce planning and culture change.
• Willingness to travel regularly within Ireland, the UK, Europe and USA.

Responsibilities

• Act as trusted advisor to the CPO and SLT across all people matters; translate business strategy into a clear HR strategy.
• Own HRIS, internal communications, and other HR platforms; ensure global systems align to local needs.
• Lead end-to-end recruitment strategy and workforce planning across divisions.
• Champion a positive, high-performing culture with fair, compliant practices.
• Develop and implement learning and development programmes including leadership pathways.
• Design and manage equitable reward and benefits structures; own annual salary review and bonus cycles.
• Ensure robust HR governance, policies and compliance across the Group.

Skills

Strategic HR Leadership

HRIS Management

Talent Acquisition

Employee Relations

Education

Degree in HR/Business

CIPD qualification

Job description

About Glanua

Glanua is an industry leader in providing innovative and sustainable engineering solutions to design, build, operate and maintain critical water and wastewater infrastructure across Ireland and the UK. We are a trusted provider to the municipal and industrial sector where our clients include Ireland and the UK’s largest water utilities, Uisce Éireann (formally Irish Water), Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Affinity Water.

Glanua is passionate about solving today’s environmental challenges and delivering a decarbonised and sustainable world. We know that to build successful creative teams we need a diverse workforce that can deliver new innovative ways of thinking. We provide an environment where you will have the freedom to develop and grow to your full potential. We champion our core values of Respect, Collaboration, Accountability, Integrity, Excellence and Safety in everything we do.

We have a talented team of 800+ people across Ireland, UK, Europe & USA and are rapidly expanding our workforce across several disciplines to meet our ambitious growth plans.

Role Purpose

The Head of HR Operations will lead the delivery and continuous improvement of HR Operations, systems and services for Glanua Globally across Ireland, the UK, Portugal and the USA reporting directly to the Chief People Officer (CPO). The role is based in Ireland, with regular travel to sites and offices across multiple jurisdictions and carries responsibility for every aspect of the employee lifecycle as Glanua continues its ambitious growth journey.

The main purpose of the role is to act as a strategic partner to the CPO and Senior Leadership Team, building a modern, scalable HR function that supports Glanua’s growth from a 800+ person organisation into the business it aims to become. This includes shaping talent acquisition, reward, employee relations, learning and development, and organisational design in a way that strengthens culture and performance across a fast-growing, multi-site business.

Working closely with functional and divisional leaders, the Head of HR Operations will be responsible for embedding consistent, best-practice HR policies and processes across the Group, while remaining agile enough to respond to the specific needs of each business unit and jurisdiction.

People leadership is at the heart of this role. The successful candidate will lead a high-performing HR team, and will play a central role in ensuring Glanua continues to be recognised as an employer of choice within the water, wastewater and bio-resources sector.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership

Act as a trusted advisor to the CPO and Senior Leadership Team on all people matters, translating Glanua’s business strategy into a clear, actionable HR strategy. Lead the HR function across the global business, ensuring alignment between people plans and the Group’s growth and operational objectives. Support the CPO in transformation initiatives and lead new ways of working, ensuring HR processes and procedures are best practice and fit for purpose for a modern and rapidly growing business.

HR Technology & Platforms

Own the HRIS, Internal Communications and other HR platforms and provide leadership in the HR Technology space. Ensure global systems align to local requirements with clear accountability for reporting, data quality and continuous improvement.

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

Own the end-to-end recruitment strategy, ensuring Glanua can attract, hire and retain the talent needed to support its ambitious growth plans. Partner with divisional leaders on workforce planning, succession planning and building a strong pipeline of talent across engineering, commercial and support functions.

Employee Relations & Engagement

Champion a positive, high-performing culture across the business, providing guidance and support on employee relations matters and ensuring fair, consistent and legally compliant practices. Own the design and delivery of employee engagement initiatives that strengthen retention and build a strong sense of belonging.

Learning & Development

Develop and implement learning and development programmes, including leadership development, technical training pathways and graduate programmes, that support career progression and help build a high-performing workforce across Ireland and the UK.

Reward, Compensation & Benefits

Design and manage competitive, equitable reward and benefits structures that support attraction and retention. Own the annual salary review and bonus cycle, and ensure reward practices remain market-competitive as the business scales.

HR Policy, Governance & Compliance

Ensure robust HR policies, procedures and governance frameworks are in place across the Group, safeguarding compliance with employment legislation in both Ireland and the UK. Own HR reporting and metrics, providing the Senior Leadership Team with clear visibility of workforce trends, risks and opportunities.

Organisational Design & Change Management

Support the design of organisational structures that enable efficient, scalable growth, and lead change management initiatives associated with acquisitions, restructuring or new business unit set-up.

Health, Safety & Wellbeing Partnership

Partner closely with the Health & Safety function to embed a strong safety culture across the organisation, and lead employee wellbeing initiatives that support the physical and mental health of Glanua’s workforce.

Stakeholder & Team Leadership

Develop a high-performing HR team, providing mentorship and technical guidance, while acting as a trusted advisor and thought partner to the CPO, Senior Leadership Team and line managers across the business on all HR matters.

Our Values

At Glanua, our values shape how we work together and how we serve our clients. We act with Respect towards our colleagues, clients and communities, and believe in the power of Collaboration to deliver the best outcomes for our teams and projects. We hold ourselves to a high standard of Accountability, taking ownership of our commitments, and act with Integrity in every decision we make. We pursue Excellence in everything we do, continuously improving how we design, build and operate, and we place Safety at the centre of our culture, ensuring the wellbeing of our people is never compromised. As HR Director, you will play a central role in embedding these values across the organisation as Glanua continues to grow.

Essential Criteria

• Degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related discipline; CIPD qualification (or equivalent) is required.
• 10+ years’ progressive HR experience, including at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role, ideally within engineering, construction, utilities or another fast‑growing operational business.
• Proven experience building and leading HR functions across multiple sites and/or jurisdictions, ideally including both Ireland and the UK.
• Strong working knowledge of Irish and UK employment law, and experience managing complex employee relations matters.
• Senior HR leadership experience in a complex, project‑based or engineering‑led environment (construction, infrastructure, energy, manufacturing or similar).
• Proven experience leading HR Business Partners or senior HR teams.
• Strong track record partnering and influencing senior and executive leaders.
• Deep understanding of workforce planning, organisation design, performance, talent and succession.
• Commercial mindset with a clear link between people decisions and delivery outcomes
• Demonstrated experience partnering with a Senior Leadership Team on strategic workforce planning, organisational design and culture change.
• Track record of leading talent acquisition strategies to support rapid organisational growth.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship‑building skills, with the credibility to operate at board level and on the ground with front‑line teams.
• Willingness to travel regularly within Ireland, the UK, Europe and USA.

Desirable Criteria

• Prior experience within the water, wastewater, utilities, or broader engineering/construction sector.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions or post‑acquisition integration from an HR perspective.
• Experience implementing or upgrading HRIS systems and HR data/analytics capability.
• Postgraduate qualification in HR, business, or organisational psychology.
• Experience designing reward and benefits frameworks for a multi‑jurisdictional workforce.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be proactive and resourceful, with the confidence to operate comfortably and independently in a business that is growing quickly across multiple sites, divisions and jurisdictions. They will be a hands‑on leader who can build a function from the ground up, with tangible examples of having scaled an HR team or operating model to support business growth. Strong relationship‑building skills are essential, with the credibility to manage effectively both upwards to the Senior Leadership Team and downwards through the HR team and other stakeholders across the business. The role also calls for genuine commitment to continuous improvement, sound judgement under pressure, and the ability to represent Glanua confidently as it builds its reputation as an employer of choice across the water and wastewater sector.