Human Resources Manager

Irish Cancer Society; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days Annual Leave

Service days

Sick Pay Scheme

Flexitime

Group health plans

Pension scheme

Cycle to Work

Learning and Development

Job summary

The Irish Cancer Society is seeking a skilled HR Manager to cover maternity leave, leading the HR Department with responsibility for people management, payroll, and compliance. This full-time role is based on a hybrid model with Dublin 4 office attendance on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

You will drive employee engagement, partner with external advisors, and ensure GDPR compliance while delivering a seamless HR support service to staff and management.

Qualifications

• Third level qualification in a relevant discipline e.g. HR Management, or equivalent on the job experience.
• Experience of hands-on HR management and people management. Irish Cancer Society measures experience by quality, not years.
• Experience managing and approving payroll preferable.
• High level of proficiency in database/HR management systems (HR Locker preferable), and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Working knowledge of Republic of Ireland employment and Health and Safety legislation.
• Understanding of current HR priorities, particularly in a charity organisation.

Responsibilities

• Provide trusted best practice advice to the management team in line with current employment legislation.
• Lead, manage, motivate and inspire direct reports and the wider team toward high performance and development.
• Establish and strengthen relationships with internal and external managers and teams.
• Manage HR, facilities and staffing budgets and work with the Finance manager.
• Promote and support employee engagement and wellbeing across the Society.
• Oversee monthly payroll and benefits processes and annual benchmarking exercises.
• Act as HR Data Owner ensuring GDPR compliance and data handling.

Skills

HR leadership

Stakeholder management

Employee engagement

People management

Education

HR Management degree

Tools

HR Locker

Microsoft Office

Job description

Direct Reports: HR Officer, HR Coordinator, Recruitment Administrator,

Contract type: Specified Purpose Contract (maternity leave cover until December 2027)

Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week) Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm

Location: The Society operates a hybrid working model with a combination of remote and in-person (Dublin 4 office) working.

Office days: Office attendance days are Wednesday & Thursday

Who we are:

Every three minutes, someone in Ireland hears the words ‘You’ve got cancer’. At the Irish Cancer Society, we understand the physical, emotional and financial impact a cancer diagnosis brings. And we are determined to do everything we can to help.

As Ireland’s leading cancer charity, we work across every area of cancer – from prevention and early detection, through to end-of-life care. We make a positive impact for people affected by cancer every day: investing in life‑saving and life‑changing research; providing practical, financial and emotional supports; and driving improvements in public cancer services.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. In order to achieve our vision, we need to attract, recruit and support the best people, enabling them to be successful and fulfilled in their roles and facilitating the achievement of the Society’s strategic goals.

We are looking for a HR Manager to join our team to provide maternity leave cover. If you are passionate about creating a great experience for employees in an environment that allows them to thrive in their roles; delivering a seamless support service for staff and management; and being a trusted leader in an impactful organiser, this role is for you.

Join us to change the lives of people affected by cancer in Ireland.

What you’ll do

As HR Manager, you will oversee the day to day operations of the HR Department in an effective and efficient manner. The main duties and responsibilities will be:

Leadership and relationship management

• Provide trusted best practice advice and comprehensive HR to the management team, in line with current employment legislation.
• Lead, manage, motivate and inspire your direct reports and the wider team, ensuring a culture of high performance, learning, innovation and development, through effective recruiting, training, team building and succession planning.
• Establish and strengthen collaborative relationships, both internal and external, with managers and teams across the organisation.
• Manage and maintain relationships with the Society’s external advisors, including pension advisors, employment lawyers and other professional advisors and service providers.

HR practice

• Manage, oversee and participate in HR practice across all elements of the employee life cycle, including recruitment, attraction and onboarding; performance management; learning and development; compensation and benefits; employee engagement and wellbeing, ensuring alignment with the needs of the Society and the People Strategy.
• Manage the HR, Facilities and staffing budgets to include the annual budget submission and monthly variance reviews. Work with the Finance manager as necessary.
• Promote and support employee engagement and wellbeing activities and initiatives across the Society.
• Manage and oversee the administration of the monthly payroll and benefits processes, as well as conducting annual benchmarking exercises.
• Act as HR Data Owner, ensuring departmental compliance with GDPR, as well as in relation to all employee data.
• Continuously review processes, procedures and systems in a proactive manner and implement improvements as required in line to deliver an excellent employee experience.

Compliance and reporting

• Work with the Head of HR to oversee the effective management and resolution of all employee & industrial relations issues, in accordance with employment legislation, policies and best practice.
• Ensure metrics, reflecting the work of the HR department, are maintained on a monthly and annual basis and conduct reporting as required.
• Work with the Facilities Coordinator to ensure Health and Safety practices and documentation are maintained and kept up to date, in accordance with the relevant legislation and best practice.
• Ensure regular reviews of HR policies and procedures and the Employee Handbook are carried out, including the creation of new policies, to reflect changes in legislation or organisational practices and in line with the needs of the Society.
• Proactively keep abreast of legislation changes and upcoming developments and ensure appropriate action is taken as required.
• Uphold and promote the Society’s values, demonstrating leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion.

Who you are

• A people person: You will have excellent stakeholder management and people skills. You’ll have an ability to bring together and inspire your direct team and people across the organisation. You work well with a wide range of people and build strong trusted relationships.
• Passionate and proactive: You always keep employee experience front of mind and you will be proactive about identifying ways to improve the employee experience and ensure a consistent and fair experience for all.
• A great communicator: You have excellent communication skills, whether talking to a team, engaging with staff at all levels across the organisation, delivering a presentation or writing reports. You produce high quality and engaging communications.
• Technology savvy: you will have a high level of proficiency in the MS Office suite, and experience of working with databases and HR systems, as well as using technology to support internal processes.
• A problem solver: You’re curious, enjoy figuring things out, finding solutions and working around and through issues. You’re able to identify and articulate risks and challenges, identify solutions and problem solve. You’re highly organised, logical, and clear thinking.

Your qualifications and experience

• Third level qualification in a relevant discipline e.g. HR Management, or a general organisation/ management discipline, or equivalent on the job experience.
• Experience of hands‑on HR management and people management. The Irish Cancer Society measures experience by the quality of the experience gained, rather than number of years worked.
• Experience managing and approving payroll preferable.
• High level of proficiency in database/HR management systems (Experience with HR Locker preferable), and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Working knowledge and understanding of Republic of Ireland employment and Health and Safety legislation
• Understanding of the current HR priorities, particularly in a charity organisation.

This contract is a specified purpose contract for the purpose of covering maternity and associated leave of the post holder. This contract will end on the return to work of the post holder.

The closing date for applications is 2nd September 2026.

Please note all CVs are logged through a third‑party system for processing.

The Irish Cancer Society is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Some of our benefits:

• 23 days Annual Leave a year or Pro Rata equivalent, plus public holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Eve (if it falls on a working day)
• Service Days - Additional days awarded to reflect long service with the Society.
• Sick Pay Scheme (following Probationary period)
• Flexitime
• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme - new starters will join the pension from the date of commencement of employment with the Society. The current contribution rate ranges from a contribution of 3%, 5% or a maximum of 8% of basic salary.
• Group membership for VHI and HSF (health plans)
• Bus/Rail Ticket Scheme and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Death In Service Benefit (from commencement of employment)
• Paid Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity, Adoptive, Force Majeure and compassionate Leave)
• Learning and Development Programmes
• Educational Assistance (Study and Examination Leave)