People Development Manager

Communicare Healthcare; Galway; On-site; EUR 58,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bike to work scheme

Company pension

On-site parking

Private medical insurance

Job summary

Communicare Healthcare is seeking a People Development Manager to lead the design and delivery of a comprehensive learning and development framework across our disability services. You will ensure staff are competent, confident and compliant to HIQA standards, with a focus on safe, person-centred care in community and home-based settings.

You will work with senior leaders to align learning strategies with regulatory requirements, implement induction programmes, and develop governance to evidence

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in Social Care.
• Minimum Level 8 in Social Care and CORU Registration.
• Strong working knowledge of HIQA regulations and inspection processes.
• Experience designing staff induction programmes and compliance training frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Develop learning and development strategy aligned with HIQA standards and regulatory compliance.
• Lead onboarding and adaptation programmes for international staff.
• Design structured induction and readiness frameworks for safe, competent practice.
• Develop governance and reporting to evidence training compliance and inspection readiness.
• Partner with Operations and Quality teams to ensure learning supports inspection readiness.

Skills

Induction design

Training frameworks

Compliance training

Leadership support

Care regulations

Education

Level 8 in Social Care

CORU Registered

Job description

The People Development Manager will lead the design and delivery of a comprehensive learning and development framework that ensures all staff are fully prepared, competent and confident to work within our Disability department.

This role is central to embedding a culture of safe, compliant and person-centred practice, ensuring that employees, from new starters to experienced leaders, possess the skills, knowledge and values required to deliver high-quality care in people’s homes and community settings.

You will ensure that learning, induction and ongoing development directly support HIQA standards, regulatory compliance and continuous quality improvement, while also nurturing staff wellbeing, professional growth and retention.

What the Role Involves

Learning Strategy & HIQA Alignment

• Develop and implement a HIQA-led Learning & Development strategy aligned with: National Standards for Residential Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities
• Organisational values and service model

Work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, Head of Services, Persons in Charge (PICs) Quality, HR and Operations to anticipate workforce capability needs.

Ensure all learning frameworks demonstrate clear evidence of:

• Staff competence
• Safe practice
• Continuous improvement for inspection and audit purposes

Establish measurable learning outcomes linked to inspection performance, audit findings and service quality indicators.

Develop governance systems to evidence training compliance, including audit-ready records and reporting dashboards.

Monitor and respond to changes in HIQA standards and national policy, ensuring timely adaptation of learning frameworks.

Induction & Readiness

Design and own a structured, mandatory induction programme that prepares staff to work safely and confidently in:

• HIQA-regulated houses
• Community services

Ensure induction covers:

• HIQA standards and regulations
• Safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children
• Person-centred planning and rights-based care
• Professional boundaries and ethical practice
• Health and safety, medication management and infection prevention
• Organisational policies, procedures and values

Implement ‘fit for duty’ and readiness to practice frameworks, ensuring staff are appropriately inducted before working independently.

International Workforce & Regulatory Readiness

• Lead the development of structured onboarding and adaptation programmes for internationally recruited staff
• Ensure alignment with Irish regulatory requirements, including Health Information and Quality Authority standards, safeguarding legislation and professional practice expectations
• Conduct competency gap analysis to identify differences between international training and Irish care standards
• Design “bridging to practice” programmes to ensure safe, compliant and confident practice
• Support cultural competence, communication skills and understanding of person-centred care in an Irish context
• Work with HR and recruitment teams to ensure workforce readiness prior to deployment in regulated services

Capability Building for Community & Residential Services

Lead ongoing training and upskilling aligned with HIQA requirements and service needs, including:

• Safeguarding and protection
• Positive behaviour support
• Risk assessment and risk management
• Restrictive practices and human rights
• Dignity-based care
• Ensure learning reflects real-life practice in community and residential settings
• Align all training programmes with competency frameworks that demonstrate readiness for HIQA inspection and safe practice in regulated environments

Leadership Development & Practice Oversight

Develop learning pathways for:

• Team leaders and senior support workers
• Persons in Charge (PICs)
• Regional Managers
• SCA

Support leaders to:

• Evidence competence and training compliance
• Lead HIQA inspections and action plans
• Foster safe, accountable and compassionate team cultures
• Embed reflective practice, supervision and peer learning to support continuous development
• Partner with Quality and Operations teams to ensure learning supports inspection readiness and service improvement
• Equip leaders to assess and evidence staff competence, particularly for newly inducted and internationally recruited staff
• Support leaders in closing competency gaps identified through audit, supervision and inspection findings

Employee Experience & Professional Development

Embed learning throughout the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and induction to progression and leadership.

Create clear development pathways for:

• Social care workers
• Support workers
• Supervisory and management roles

Promote inclusion, wellbeing and reflective practice in high-demand care environments.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in Social Care.
• Qualification: Minimum Level 8 In Social care and CORU Registered.

Strong working knowledge of:

• HIQA regulations and inspection processes
• Community and residential service delivery models
• Safeguarding legislation and best practice

Demonstrated experience designing:

• Staff induction programmes
• Mandatory and compliance training frameworks

Proven ability to work collaboratively with Operations and Quality teams.

Experience supporting or working with internationally recruited healthcare or social care staff.

Experience implementing compliance-driven training systems in regulated environments.

Pay: €58,000.00-€70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Bike to work scheme
• Company pension
• On-site parking
• Private medical insurance

Experience:

• Social Care: 5 years (required)

Licence/Certification:

• CORU Registration (required)

Work authorisation:

• Ireland (required)

Work Location: In person