HR Generalist

Howden; Wexford; Hybrid; EUR 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Howden Ireland is seeking a HR Generalist to provide day‑to‑day HR support across the Retail division, acting as a key contact for employees and managers in Dublin or Wexford. The role covers onboarding, HR operations, employee relations, Workday transactions, and HR process improvement.

You’ll work with the HR Advisor, HRBP, and Head of HR in a fast‑paced environment. The successful candidate will have 5+ years in HR and a strong grasp of employment law, with potential for advisory progression

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a HR Generalist, HR Coordinator, or HR Administrator role.
• Experience using Workday or another HRIS.
• CIPD qualification (or working towards) or relevant HR/business degree.
• Strong understanding of ROI employment law; UK employment law is an advantage.
• Experience supporting employee relations cases and HR reporting.

Responsibilities

• Support onboarding activities including preparing documentation and guiding new joiners.
• Process HR transactions in Workday within SLAs (hiring, changes, promotions, leavers).
• Maintain accurate employee records and data integrity across HR systems.
• Respond to HR queries via the HR inbox in a timely, professional manner.
• Assist with ER case preparation, note-taking, and scheduling meetings.
• Support HR initiatives, policy updates, and reporting requests.

Skills

HR Generalist experience

Workday experience

Customer focus

Education

CIPD qualification or HR degree

Tools

Workday

MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

Job description

Who are we?

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like‑minded people driving change at Howden.

Based in our Dublin or Wexford Office, Howden Ireland are delighted to have a vacancy as a HR Generalist on a permanent basis who will provide day‑to‑day HR support across the Howden Retail division, acting as a key point of contact for employees and managers, and will be an integral part of our wider HR team.

The successful candidate will support the HR Advisor, HR Business Partner, and Head of HR in delivering a high‑quality, compliant, and people‑focused HR service.

About the Role:

As a key contributor, you will thrive in our dynamic and fast‑paced environment, you'll embrace the complexity and commerciality that accompanies Howden's growth plans.

You will work across the full employee lifecycle, supporting HR operations, employee relations administration & relations, Workday transactions, onboarding, and HR process improvement. This role is ideal for someone with strong HR experience who is ready to grow into a more advisory‑focused position.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support onboarding activities including preparing documentation, guiding new joiners through required steps, and responding to initial queries.
• Process HR transactions in Workday within agreed SLAs (new hires, job changes, promotions, leavers, etc.).
• Maintain accurate employee records and ensure data integrity across all HR systems.
• Respond to HR queries via the HR inbox in a timely and professional manner.
• Prepare employment letters, contract amendments, and other HR documentation as required.
• Assist with M&A integration tasks and new business initiatives under the guidance of the Head of HR.
• Support probation tracking, contract renewals, and compliance‑related documentation.
• Act as the first point of contact for general HR queries and low‑complexity employee relations matters.
• Support the HR Advisor with ER case preparation including note‑taking, drafting letters, scheduling meetings, and maintaining case trackers.
• Serve as the initial contact for general inquiries and address Employee Relations matters, collaborating with the HR Business Partner and Head of HR for significant issues.
• Ownership of sickness and long‑term absence cases, including occupational health assessments, return to work arrangements, group income protection applications and line manager support.
• Escalate more complex issues to the HR Advisor or HRBP as appropriate.
• Maintain and verify Workday data including job titles, cost centres, reporting lines, and organisational changes.
• Produce routine HR reports (headcount, absence, turnover, etc.) and support ad‑hoc reporting requests.
• Support managers in using Workday self‑service functionality, in collaboration with HR Employee Services.
• Flag data inconsistencies and support corrective actions.
• Contribute to HR initiatives including policy updates, process improvements, and training materials.
• Support the HR Advisor and HRBP with activities related to talent management, goal setting, early careers, and diversity & inclusion.
• Help coordinate training sessions, workshops, and HR communications.
• Maintain awareness of employment law changes in the Republic of Ireland (and UK where relevant).
• Ensure all HR activities comply with internal policies, GDPR, and regulatory requirements.
• Support audit requests and documentation reviews as needed.
• Support the annual compensation and promotions process.

About You:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a HR Generalist, HR Coordinator, or HR Administrator role.
• Experience using Workday or another HRIS.
• CIPD qualification (or working towards) or relevant HR/business degree.
• Strong understanding of ROI employment law; exposure to UK employment law is an advantage.
• Experience supporting employee relations cases (note‑taking, drafting letters, scheduling, documentation).
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong customer focus and employee experience mind‑set - using this for continuous improvement in service delivery.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

About Howden Ireland:

Howden Ireland is part of Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, and has over 600 employees across 28 local offices advising clients on their commercial insurance, personal insurance, health insurance, life and pensions and mortgage requirements. Our success is primarily down to the incredible people we employ.

What do we offer in return?

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Reasonable adjustments

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

Permanent