Head of People and Culture

Odyssey Social Care; Dublin; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Insurance

Health Insurance on probation

Education Assistance

Employee Assistance Programme (VHI)

Refer a Friend Scheme

Team Building & Social Fund

CPD & Career Progression

Job summary

Odyssey Social Care is seeking a senior leader to head People & Culture in Dublin or Kilkenny with national travel. You will shape strategy, lead regulatory excellence, and drive culture across the organisation.

You will collaborate with the CEO and Board, design leadership pipelines, and champion data-driven HR practices, transformation, and inclusive people practices across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience in People/HR within regulated or mission-driven settings.
• Proven success partnering with CEOs and Boards on organizational design and culture.
• Deep knowledge of Irish employment law and governance requirements.
• Experience delivering DEI, ESG, and learning initiatives at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People & Culture strategy aligned to Odyssey Playbook, Family Principles, and growth ambition.
• Partner with CEO, Board and Executive Team on design, leadership capability and succession.
• Drive HR governance, compliance, and readiness for inspections and audits.
• Oversee talent development, onboarding, retention, and organizational design for scale.
• Deliver data-led reporting on people metrics and risk, culture, and capability.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive partnership

People & culture strategy

HR governance & compliance

Data-driven decision making

Digital HR transformation

DEI strategy & inclusion

Talent development & succession

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Tools

HR systems

Job description

Head of People and Culture –Job Description

Department: People & Culture

Reports To: CEO

Location: Dublin or Kilkenny office with national travel required

Weekly Hours: 40

Holiday Entitlement: 25 days p.a.

About Odyssey Social Care

Odyssey Social Care is a leading residential care provider, committed to delivering high-quality, trauma-informed care to young people across Ireland. As part of the Broadlake Group, we are on a 3X10X growth journey—growing sustainably while delivering 10X Positive Impact for young people, employees, and communities. Our management tools—The Realiser, the Playbook, and our Family Principles—are central to how we lead, make decisions, and realise potential across the organisation.

Position Overview

The Head of People and Culture is a senior executive leadership role with strategic, operational, and cultural accountability for Odyssey’s people agenda. Reporting directly to the CEO and as a core member of the Executive Team, you will lead the design, delivery, and evolution of People & Culture strategy to support organisational growth, regulatory excellence, and positive impact. Regular travel to the Odyssey houses is required for this role.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Executive Partnership

• Lead and execute the People & Culture strategy, aligned to Odyssey’s Playbook, Family Principles, and 3X10X ambition.
• Act as a core member of the Executive Team, contributing to organisational strategy, decision-making, and long-term planning.
• Partner with the CEO and Board, shaping organisational design, leadership capability, succession planning, and workforce sustainability.
• Provide clear, data-led insight and reporting on people performance, risk, culture, and capability.
• Drive digital transformation of People & Culture, embedding HR technology and data-driven decision-making across all people processes.

Organisational Design, Workforce Planning & Growth

• Lead workforce planning and talent development to deliver the talent pipeline for current operations and future growth.
• Design and evolve organisational structures to support scale, clarity, accountability, and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee succession planning and internal mobility frameworks for leadership pipelines and retention.
• Embed simplification and clarity across roles, reporting lines, and ways of working.

People Operations, Compliance & Governance

• Maintain full accountability for HR governance, employee relations, and compliance within a highly regulated care environment.
• Ensure organisational readiness for inspections and audits (including TUSLA and CORU requirements) through robust people systems, documentation, and practice.
• Lead policy development and implementation in line with employment legislation, safeguarding obligations, and best practice.
• Oversee HR systems, data integrity, and people analytics to support compliance and informed decision-making.

Talent, Learning & Capability Development

• Provide strategic oversight of recruitment, onboarding, and retention in partnership with the Head of Talent Acquisition & Recruitment.
• Lead the development and delivery of the Odyssey Development Framework, learning pathways, leadership programmes, and shared learning initiatives.
• Champion continuous professional development, coaching, and capability-building across all levels.
• Support innovative learning solutions aligned to operational needs and future skills.
• Develop global talent strategies to support international growth and cross-cultural integration.
• Deliver an effective and outcome driven Retention Strategy
• Act as cultural custodian of Odyssey’s values, Family Principles, and positive behaviours.
• Lead initiatives that enhance employee engagement, wellbeing (including proactive mental health strategies), inclusion, and belonging.
• Oversee Employee Forum structures and engagement mechanisms to ensure strong employee voice and partnership.
• Champion pay transparency, benefits development, and equitable people practices.
• Design and deliver a comprehensive DEI strategy, with clear KPIs and regular reporting.
• Reference neurodiversity and accessibility as explicit areas of focus.

Sustainability, ESG & Positive Impact

• Represent Odyssey within the Broadlake Group People & Culture, AD&I, and L&D forums.
• Contribute to shared strategy, cross-group initiatives, and award-winning programmes across the Broadlake family.
• Lead and support B Corp-aligned people practices, ESG commitments, and positive impact initiatives.
• Drive the organisation’s ESG and B Corp commitments through people practices that deliver measurable social and environmental impact.

Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a senior ambassador for Odyssey across the sector, contributing to external engagement, collaboration, and thought leadership.
• Map and engage a broad range of stakeholders (e.g., regulators, community partners, sector bodies).
• Present to and work with Boards or RemCos, especially for executive remuneration and governance.

KPIs and Impact Measurement

• Set, track, and report on People & Culture KPIs aligned to business outcomes (e.g., recruitment, development, retention, engagement, regulatory ratings).

Person Specification

• Significant senior leadership experience in People/HR roles within complex, regulated, or mission-driven environments.
• Proven experience operating at Executive Team level and partnering directly with a CEO and Board.
• Demonstrated success leading organisational change, workforce planning, and culture transformation.
• Strong knowledge of Irish employment law, regulatory frameworks, and governance requirements.
• Track record of leading and influencing through data, insight, and strong stakeholder relationships.
• Experience in digital HR transformation and change management.
• Experience designing and delivering measurable DEI strategies.
• Experience with global talent management and multicultural teams.
• Experience within health, social care, or similarly regulated sectors.
• Experience contributing to group or multi-entity People & Culture strategies.
• Background in learning, coaching, organisational development, or behavioural change.
• Strong alignment with values-led leadership and positive impact models.
• Experience in sustainability, ESG, and B Corp-aligned people practices.
• Values-driven and people-centred
• Commercially astute and strategically minded
• Calm, credible, and influential in complex environments
• Passionate about impact, inclusion, and excellence
• Committed to developing others and realising potential
• Life Insurance (Death in Service)
• Health Insurance on completion of probation
• Education Assistance Programme
• Employee Assistance Programme (VHI) for you and your family
• Refer a Friend Scheme
• Team Building & Social Fund
• Continuous Professional Development & Career Progression

Odyssey Social Care is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.