People & Culture Manager - Route to Head of HR

People & Culture Manager

Newry - NI and ROI

High-Growth Organisation

MCS Group is delighted to be working exclusively with a rapidly expanding, award-winning organisation with a strong footprint across both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, to appoint a People & Culture Manager on a full-time, permanent basis.

This is an exciting time to join the business. Having tripled turnover over the past three years and with a workforce of approximately 200 employees across multiple sites, the organisation is entering its next phase of strategic growth. To support this journey, they are strengthening their people function and are now seeking an experienced People & Culture professional to play a key role in shaping and delivering a progressive, high-impact people agenda.

Reporting to the Head of People & Culture, this role offers significant exposure, influence, and development opportunity within a fast-paced, evolving environment.

The Role

As People & Culture Manager, you will work closely with the Head of People & Culture to implement and embed the organisation's people strategy, supporting leaders and teams across the business to build capability, engagement, and performance.

This is a hands-on, highly visible role with a strong operational focus, combined with meaningful involvement in strategic people initiatives. You will act as a trusted partner to managers across multiple sites, helping to translate strategy into practical, people-focused outcomes.

Key areas of focus include:

• Management development - supporting the design and delivery of programmes to build people management capability
• Talent management - embedding career pathways, succession planning, and development frameworks
• Employer Value Proposition (EVP) - supporting and delivering initiatives that strengthen the employer brand and employee experience

Key Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of the people & culture strategy in line with business objectives
• Act as a key point of contact for managers, providing pragmatic HR guidance and coaching
• Assist in the design and rollout of management and leadership development initiatives
• Implement and maintain talent management, succession planning, and career development frameworks
• Partner with hiring managers to support talent acquisition and workforce planning activities
• Contribute to the development and promotion of a compelling Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and support a positive, inclusive workplace culture
• Ensure consistency and best practice across HR processes and policies in a multi-site environment
• Lead and support people projects as the organisation continues to scale

The Person

We are seeking an experienced, proactive People & Culture professional who thrives in a growth environment and enjoys working closely with leaders and teams to make things happen.

You will bring:

• Proven experience in an HR / People & Culture Manager or Senior HR Business Partner role, with line management experience
• Experience operating within a fast-paced, multi-site or scaling organisation
• Strong knowledge of talent management, employee relations, and people development
• A practical, solutions-focused approach with the confidence to influence and challenge constructively
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills
• A collaborative, hands-on mindset with strong organisational capability
• Ideally exposure to NI and ROI legislation, but not essential
• CIPD qualification (or working towards)

The Package

The successful candidate will receive a competitive salary and benefits package, alongside the opportunity to work closely with a senior People leader and play a pivotal role in shaping the culture of a high-growth organisation. There is clear scope for progression as the people function and wider business continue to evolve, with a clear route to Head of Department in the next 24 months.

To Apply

To speak in absolute confidence about this opportunity, please send your CV via the link provided or contact Ryan Calvert (Assoc. CIPD), HR Recruitment Specialist at MCS Group, on 028 9023 5456.

Even if this role isn't quite right, MCS Group has a wide range of opportunities available - please visit www.mcsgroup.jobs to explore more.