Senior HR Business Partner

Grade and Salary Grade C €83,891 - €125,837

We are Uisce Éireann. Every day, we are responsible for the delivery of secure, safe, and sustainable water services for the people of Ireland. As Ireland’s national regulated water utility, our vision is a sustainable Ireland where water is respected and protected, for the planet and all the lives it supports.

Our purpose at Uisce Éireann is to rise to the challenge of delivering transformative water services that enable communities to thrive. That means we are proud to take on the responsibility of protecting our water supply and passing on a safe and secure water system to a rapidly growing population and empowering Ireland’s social and economic growth.

We are passionate about empowering our people, enabling them to make a positive impact on communities across Ireland. We are guided by a shared vision and purpose, grounded in values that define who we are and shape how we work, where we deliver for customers and communities, we work better together, we do the right thing, we aim high, and we keep each other safe. Our behaviours define how we interact, communicate, and succeed together. These values and behaviours apply to each one of us, across every role, location, and level.

Our goal is to attract and develop skilled and talented people from diverse backgrounds, who bring a dynamic range of expertise and insights to our work. With a strong, values-driven workforce, we ensure Uisce Éireann can continue advancing Ireland’s water services and meeting the needs of the communities we serve for generations to come.

The Role:

The HR & People Experience function is responsible for providing strategic Human Resources support to the business units via a Business Partnering model. It supports the local implementation and application of HR policy and strategy and represent the needs of respective business functions to the HR centres of excellence, providing dedicated functional support across a wide range of HR practices. Additionally the function is responsible for the development and delivery of the Talent Acquisition & Recruitment, Employee Experience, Onboarding. and HRIS Strategies to ensure alignment and integrating these across HR and Transaction Services to facilitate the delivery of UÉ’s strategic objectives. 

The Business Partnering Team support the management & execution of HR strategy and provide line managers with HR expertise on all people related matters e.g., headcount and budget management, development and implementation of policies and processes, incident management, termination/contract expiry, absence management etc. The team drive high performance throughout all their processes and activities supported through the interpretation and delivery of the measurement, analysis and interpretation of HR Data Analytics. They also provide people managers with the tools to build and maintain high performance within their teams and address issues of conflict and underperformance. The Business Partnering team deliver and govern headcount management, attraction & retention strategy aligned to the Opex payroll budget for the functional area and build trust through mutual and sustainable stakeholder relationships with all functions within Uisce Éireann. Additionally, they provide direction to functional areas on HR best practice and maintain key relationships to ensure effective delivery of the HR Business Partnering through the relevant Centres of Excellence. 

Reporting to the HRBP Senior Manager, The Senior HR Business Partner cultivates strong relationships with senior management and employees across all business functions, provides a deep understanding of the Business, delivers the required Business Partnering expertise to drive Business performance, and drives a HR agenda that closely supports the overall aims of the organisation. The role holder will work closely with Directors and Heads of Functions across the business to deliver high quality advice, insights, information, analysis and interpretation to underpin effective decision-making and meaningful performance management. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the HRBP Senior Manager in the delivery of Uisce Éireann’s strategic direction and HR agenda
• Help to shape the organisation’s HR landscape, fostering a productive and engaged workforce.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to understand Uisce Éireann’s long-term goals and devise HR strategies to support and drive these objectives. 
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with managers and employees and work closely with them to implement solutions to meet their current and future business needs 
• Proactively identify HR trends, challenges, and opportunities within the organisation and industry to create innovative solutions for HR-related issues. 
• Deliver key HR projects within the HR team and provide expert input to the team and wider Uisce Éireann business on the delivery of these i.e., senior recruitment and attraction strategy, HRIS, Engagement initiatives, development interventions etc. 
• Drive HR decision-making across Uisce Éireann through the provision, assimilation, and analytics of data insights, and provide context to the interpretation of Business Unit reports (KPIs, workforce planning metrics, financials, projects, engagement, retention etc.) 
• Create reports and presentations for senior management on HR KPIs and metrics 
• Work with managers to establish and monitor performance metrics, providing guidance on performance improvement plans and succession planning. 
• Advise on performance evaluation processes to ensure fair and transparent performance reviews. 
• Support the organisation through periods of change and transformation by developing change management plans, providing context to HR operational change requirements, and fostering a culture of adaptability and resilience.
• Review and update HR policies and procedures to align with changing laws, regulations, and industry best practices. 
• Ensure the organisation's HR practices are compliant with employment laws. 
• Manage relationships with relevant internal stakeholders (HR Transaction Services) to ensure the delivery of appropriate levels of high-quality services, support, and intervention that meet the needs of Uisce Éireann 
• Engage with staff across the business to ensure understanding of, and buy-in for, HR activities and initiatives 
• Collaborate with compensation teams to design and implement competitive salary structures and benefit packages that attract and retain high-performing employees. 
• Act as a trusted advisor and mediator, addressing employee concerns and resolving complex workplace issues while maintaining a fair and compliant work environment. 
• Monitor results of delivered HR projects and programmes and work with the HRBP Senior Manager and People Experience Senior Manager to facilitate changes and improvements as needed 
• Collaborate with the talent team to oversee the recruitment of Executive and Senior roles, ensuring align of talent and attraction strategies 
• Work closely with the Finance Business Partners to ensure the management of Opex budget within the agreed headcount parameters 
• Manage business stakeholders, participate in relevant meetings and develop strong working relationships with HR customers.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with key internal stakeholders across the UÉ business, including but not limited to Finance Teams, Legal, IT, L&D, ER/IR, Compensation and Benefits and HR Transaction Services.
• Support the delivery of the Uisce Éireann Transformation Programme, driving results required within the Directorate and supporting organisation-wide objectives. 
• Drive the delivery of Uisce Éireann’s Values and Behaviours across the organisation.
• Provide visible leadership for your team, coaching and developing them to achieve their full potential and deliver business objectives, promoting collaboration and highlighting the behaviours that are expected from everyone in the team. 
• Other duties as required. 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant third level qualification and or accreditation is desirable, and or relevant experience 
• CIPD membership is desirable
• A minimum of 7 years’ Experience in a HR, with experience in Business Partnering
• Experience in water, utilities or similar industries is desirable 
• Highly motivated individual, working to the highest professional standards and with proven ability to deliver results at a senior level 
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to identify and analyse problems and potential improvements, and propose and implement solutions at a senior level 
• Experience of developing and maintaining effective strategic partnerships with key stakeholders 
• Proven track record with dealing with complex issues, proactively and in a timely fashion along with the ability to communicate complex information to others 
• Experience of supporting policies, systems and controls and driving the implementation of progressive policies. 
• You are comfortable in a scaling environment and have a proven track record in leadership, change and transformation experience ideally in a similar utility, regulated industry or multi stakeholder environment
• Able to work to deadlines and adapt to changing conditions and ambiguity generating effective and pragmatic solutions to new situations and problems.

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