Location: Weatherwell Industrial Estate, Clondalkin, Dublin (fully onsite)
Hours: 4.5-day week, 37 hours. Monday to Thursday 08:00-16:30, Friday 08:00- 13:00
Reporting to: HR Director -UK & Ireland
Salary: €65,000 -€72,000 DOE
Bonus: Up to 7.5% - OTE €77,400 at top of band on full achievement
Benefits: 5% pension, 24 days annual leave, 4x life cover, free secure parking, paid breaks
Team: HR Manager plus four direct reports once landed
Role Overview
Due to continued growth Davenham Switchgear is seeking an experienced HR leader to take full ownership of the Irish HR function. The successful applicant will lead by example and be the recognised HR authority for Ireland, principal advisor to the Leadership Team, accountable for the country's people agenda across operational delivery and strategic programs.
Having transitioned from a local family-run company to a multinational subsidiary in 2024, there has been ongoing positive and progressive change in the organisation. This is an autonomous, fast-paced leadership position in an agile and rapidly growing business.
We are looking for someone who demonstrates ownership, the mindset of the incumbent has been: "Tell me the outcome you want to achieve, and leave the delivery to me," without needing to be managed on next steps or approach. The successful candidate will need to operate in the same manner to support the business alongside some fantastic and supportive managers and leaders.
You will be entrusted to run HR for Ireland, translating strategic direction and roadmap into practical execution-building HR capability, structures, and processes within an organisation where the function evolves alongside business growth.
The successful candidate will join a business that trusts HR, where governance rhythms are already established. A key benefit to this role is you will be shaping decisions in a room that is already listening. Progress over the last three years has been substantial and the function has willing partners at every level. This is a role for someone who enjoys building, improving, and leading rather than maintaining the status quo.
Company Overview
Davenham Switchgear is the leading Low Voltage electrical switchgear business in Ireland -across design, manufacturing, and commissioning of electrical power distribution systems for local and multinational clients across infrastructure, the data segment, pharmaceutical, and industrial sectors. We operate as an entity within the Legrand Group, an €8bn+ global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructure with operations across 90 countries. That structure gives us the best of both worlds; local leadership autonomy with the resources, standards, and opportunities of a multinational company.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Partnership. Act as the senior HR leader for Ireland -principal advisor to the Leadership Team on all people matters. Translate strategic objectives from the HR Director into practical delivery plans, ensuring measurable business outcomes, appropriate governance, and sustainable implementation. Occasionally represent Ireland where required in cluster-level and Group HR forums.
Functional Leadership. Lead with clear delegation, coaching, and performance objectives. Support the team's professional development through structured 1:1s and stretch opportunities. Provide clarity of ownership across the HR team, delegating effectively and ensuring the function can deliver both operational excellence and strategic projects.
Talent Acquisition & Hiring Governance. Chair the Hiring Committee - accountable for hiring standards, decision quality, and cost discipline across the Ireland business. Own recruitment strategy, benchmarking, and salary positioning against internal parity and external market. Delegate day-to-day recruitment activity to the HR team while retaining approval, oversight, and challenge on senior and business-critical hires.
Projects, Culture & Change. Own the Ireland HR multi-year project plan. Lead delivery of transformation programmes -including L&D framework build-out, Absence Management (with manager return-to-work training), Recognition, Succession Planning, and HRIS Integration (Group Oracle onboarding to local systems).
Scope, cost, and prepare projects to sign-off readiness with clear commercial framing for C Suite, then lead organisational change and cultural interventions with measurable outcomes.
Own Employee Relations. Lead on high-complexity or high-risk ER matters, managing cases closely where there is third-party or legal exposure. Advise the ELT on ER risk and legal implications of business decisions. Ensure fair and consistent application of policy and precedent across the workforce.
Organisational Development & Workforce Planning. Continuously design structure, workflow, and capability to match the business as it scales -org design, workforce planning, and succession planning. Partner with operational leaders on team design needs, role scoping, and internal moves.
Learning, Development & Leadership Capability. Own the L&D framework for Ireland - from technical skill pipelines and employee training hours through to leadership capability across the business. Design, deliver or delegate as appropriate, and evaluate effectiveness. Coach the leadership layer on people leadership to reduce operational dependency on HR.
HR Operations, Compliance & Employment Law. Ensure the function operates with comprehensive command of Irish employment legislation and codes of practice. Own the full employee lifecycle, HR policy governance, and HR systems landscape - including HRIS, LMS, and Group reporting platforms. Accountable for GDPR compliance and documentation integrity across the function.
EHS & Occupational Health Partnership. Partner closely with EHS and occupational health providers on workforce risk management, long-term absence cases, and structured return-to-work processes. Ensure HR case management integrates cleanly with EHS governance and site protocols.
Compensation, Reward & Group Alignment. Own implementation of the compensation structure and reward framework. Lead the Ireland input into the EU Pay Transparency Directive programme. Support the roll-out of Group HR initiatives -HRIS integration (Group Oracle onboarding to local systems), engagement surveys, cluster HR programmes, and Group compliance.
External Stakeholder Management. Own the HR-facing external partnerships -legal counsel, occupational health providers, benefit brokers, and recruitment agencies. Ensure value, quality of delivery, and clean contractual governance across each relationship.
People Analytics, Insight & Executive Reporting. Own the development of meaningful people insights to support business decision-making. Build reporting rhythms, dashboards, and executive insight packs covering workforce trends, labour costs, recruitment, retention, absence, engagement, capability, and organisational risks. Translate data into recommendations and actions rather than simply reporting metrics.
Required Experience
- 7+ years progressive HR experience, including 4+ years operating as the senior HR lead for a business, site, or function.
- Responsibility for a workforce of approximately 300–800 employees.
- Experience partnering with Executive and Senior Leadership Teams as the recognised HR authority.
- Track record of leading HR teams within lean organisational structures.
- Delivering strategic HR programmes end-to-end, not co-leading or supporting.
- Leading organisational change with demonstrable outcomes.
- Managing complex employee relations matters, including cases with third-party or legal exposure.
- Experience partnering closely with EHS and occupational health on workforce risk, long-term absence, and return-to-work processes.
- Experience managing HR-facing external stakeholders - occupational health providers, benefit brokers, and recruitment agencies.
- Experience scoping, costing, and preparing HR programmes to sign-off standard with clear commercial framing.
- Comprehensive knowledge of Irish employment law, codes of practice, and case law.
- Professional HR qualification (CIPD preferred) or equivalent demonstrable experience.
- Strong commercial acumen and business judgement.
- Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.
Desirable Experience
- Beneficial if HR experience is in manufacturing, engineering, industrial, logistics, or a similarly blue-collar operational environment.
- Experience of post-acquisition or corporate integration environments -where local autonomy meets Group standards, systems, and reporting.
- Exposure to a Group or multinational HR environment with cluster reporting requirements.
- Experience implementing or migrating HRIS platforms (Oracle, SAP, Workday).
- Prior experience supporting or leading through significant workforce growth (120+ onboarded per annum).
- Experience delivering strategic HR roadmaps autonomously based on clear deliverables.
- International mobility support experience - collaborating with site services and Group mobility teams as expansion requires.
- Cross-jurisdictional exposure (Ireland and UK employment law) - useful but not required.
What We Offer
- A handover with the incumbent is planned at the start of the role. The incumbent remains in the group but not in this capacity.
- A HR leadership role with real autonomy, real scope, and a mandate to lead.
- A high-performing team and a coachable, respectful operational leadership layer.
- A landed HR team with clear structure.
- An active HR transformation roadmap, much of which is completed and on track, with visible outcomes and measurable delivery.
- Work-life balance with a 4.5-day week, no weekends.
- Meaningful skill development opportunities.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: €65,000.00-€72,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status to work in the republic of Ireland or UK?
- Are you satisfied this is a fully onsite position?
Experience:
- Senior HR Leadership: 5 years (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- CIPD Qualification? (preferred)
Work authorisation:
Work Location: In person
