Chief People & Culture Officer

About You

Strategic and financially astute mindset; able to connect people strategy to institutional performance, resourcing, and sustainability.

Excellent judgement, resilience, and ability to lead through ambiguity and complexity.

Advanced influencing, negotiation, and communication skills; credible with diverse audiences.

Values-led, inclusive leadership; strong commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing.

Demonstrated ability to lead digital and AI-enabled transformation, translating technological opportunity into measurable organisational and service improvements.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire confidence and credibility and with significant experience influencing executive teams, senior leaders, boards, or governing authorities.

Skills, Knowledge & Behaviours

Degree-level education or equivalent professional experience.

CIPD Chartered Fellow (or equivalent) with evidence of ongoing CPD.

Essential Qualifications

Senior People / HR leadership experience typically 10+ years within a large, complex organisation (e.g., higher education, public sector, or similarly regulated environment).

Demonstrable track record leading enterprise scale transformation and organisational change with measurable outcomes.

Proven capability in operating model design, service delivery improvement and driving efficiency through process, technology and shared services.

Strong understanding of Irish Higher Education / public sector governance and employment context, including pay frameworks and relevant regulatory requirements.

Excellent knowledge of employment law and industrial relations practices.

Proven experience advising executive teams, boards, or governing authorities; confident working in complex governance environments.

Evidence of effective industrial / employee relations leadership, including constructive engagement with representative bodies and complex casework, unions, government departments, agencies, and sector bodies.

Strong data, analytics, and performance orientation — using insights to shape strategy, manage risk and evidence impact.

Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing teams and senior leaders.

Experience leading digital transformation within people functions, including the effective use of workforce technologies, data analytics, automation or AI-enabled solutions.

Essential Experience

Experience implementing or optimising HRIS and digital employee self-service platforms, and workforce analytics capabilities at scale.

Qualification in coaching, leadership development, or organisational psychology (or equivalent).

What we offer

Permanent whole-time role (subject to probation).

Salary: €145,800 – €184,250 per annum (Scale B) - Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with public sector pay policy, new entrants to the public sector will generally be at first point of scale.

30 days’ annual leave, exclusive of public holidays and Good Friday.

Pensionable public service employment under the Single Scheme (for those starting on / after 1 January 2013).

Access to comprehensive sick leave, Income Continuance Plan, Specified Illness Cover, Employee Assistance Service (for employees and family), Supplementary Life Assurance, Group Personal Accident Scheme, and voluntary health insurance group schemes.

A vibrant campus community: leisure centre, clubs and societies, subsidised staff restaurants, cafés, shops, social spaces, and flexible work initiatives.

Progressive learning and development opportunities.