At the Heart of the HR Community
Our partnerships keep us connected to the people, conversations and developments shaping HR across Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Connecting HR Leaders With Ambitious Organisations
Senior HR appointments need more than a match on experience. Our specialist HR consultants stay close to the HR community across Northern Ireland and Ireland, speaking with senior people leaders throughout their careers and understanding how HR leadership roles are changing across different sectors.
That means we can give you a clearer view of the organisation, leadership team and expectations behind the opportunity before you decide whether it is the right move.
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Leading the People Function
At HR Director and Head of HR level, you could be setting people strategy, leading the HR team and taking responsibility for areas such as workforce planning, talent, culture, reward and organisational design.
The balance will depend on the business. Some roles stay close to operational HR, while others are much more focused on strategy, transformation and board-level decision-making.
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2026 Salary Survey
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Negotiation & Commercial Performance
Account Management isn't only about keeping customers happy. Pricing, contracts, renewals, margin and commercial negotiations can all form part of the role.
Being able to protect a strong customer relationship while having confident commercial conversations is increasingly valuable, particularly as you progress into Senior Account Manager and Key Account Manager jobs.
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Common Questions From HR Candidates
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Leading Change and Transformation
Growth, restructures, new leadership and changing workforce needs can all reshape what a business needs from HR.
Senior HR leaders may be asked to guide organisations through significant change while keeping people, performance and longer-term priorities moving in the same direction.
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Discover Your Next Career Move in HR
HR Director and Head of HR
Lead the people agenda and shape what comes next. Explore senior HR Director and Head of HR jobs where you can influence strategy, culture and business performance.
HR Business Partner
Turn people strategy into business impact. Discover HR Business Partner jobs where you can work closely with leaders, shape workforce decisions and drive meaningful change.
HR Manager
Ready to take ownership of the HR function or lead a growing team? Explore HR Manager jobs across businesses at different stages of growth and transformation.
HR Advisor
Build your experience across employee relations, policy and day-to-day people challenges. Find HR Advisor jobs that give you the exposure and progression you’re looking for.
HR Officer
Take the next step in your HR career with opportunities that build your experience across employee relations, recruitment and wider people operations. Explore our latest HR Officer jobs.
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Help businesses find and attract the people they need to grow. Explore Talent Acquisition Specialist jobs across sourcing, recruitment strategy, candidate experience and employer brand.
HR Administrator
HR Administrator jobs are a common route into human resources, giving you practical experience across the day-to-day running of an HR team.
Enjoy Work Again
HR Jobs to Move Your Career Forward
Opening Doors to Tomorrow's HR Talent
At MCS, we help your organisation connect with the right HR talent. With our wide network of HR people across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, we find the right person for the role and the right role for the person. Our consultants work within defined specialisms so the conversations start from a place of genuine understanding.
The right HR leader can shape far more than the people function. We recruit senior HR professionals who can influence business strategy, lead transformation and build people strategies that support long-term growth.
From Heads of HR and People Directors to HR Directors and Chief People Officers, we work with organisations across Northern Ireland and Ireland to identify experienced HR leaders with the commercial understanding, credibility and leadership skills to make an impact.
Great Learning and Development teams help businesses build the skills they need for what comes next. We recruit L&D professionals across Northern Ireland and Ireland, from coordinators and advisors through to Learning and Development Managers and senior leaders.
Whether you are developing leadership capability, introducing new learning programmes or building a wider talent development strategy, we connect organisations with L&D professionals who can turn development priorities into meaningful results.
Reward has become an increasingly important part of attracting, motivating and retaining people. We recruit professionals across reward, compensation and benefits, helping organisations find the expertise they need to build competitive and effective reward strategies.
From Reward Analysts and Compensation and Benefits Specialists to Reward Managers and senior appointments, we understand the combination of market insight, data, benchmarking and commercial thinking these roles require.
As HR becomes increasingly driven by technology and data, the right HR systems expertise can transform how a people function operates. We recruit HRIS and HR systems professionals who can help organisations implement, manage and optimise the technology behind their HR operations.
From HRIS Analysts and Systems Specialists to implementation and leadership roles, we connect businesses with people who understand how to make HR technology, systems, processes and data work better together.
Employee Relations professionals play a critical role in helping organisations manage complex workplace issues while creating fair and consistent environments for their people.
We recruit Employee Relations specialists across Northern Ireland and Ireland, from ER Advisors and Consultants through to Managers and senior specialists. Whether you need additional expertise for complex casework, organisational change or day-to-day employee relations, we understand the experience and judgement these roles demand.
HR Generalists are at the heart of people functions across businesses of every size. We recruit across the full generalist HR market, from HR Administrators and HR Officers to HR Advisors, HR Business Partners and HR Managers.
Whether you are bringing HR in-house for the first time, adding capability to an established team or strengthening support during a period of growth or change, we connect businesses across Northern Ireland and Ireland with HR professionals who can make an impact from day one.
Finding the right people is getting harder in many specialist markets. Strong Talent Acquisition teams help businesses look beyond the immediate vacancy, building talent pipelines, understanding candidate expectations and giving hiring managers a clearer view of the people they're competing for.
MCS recruits Talent Acquisition Specialists, Talent Acquisition Partners, Recruitment Business Partners, Internal Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Managers across Northern Ireland and Ireland. Our relationships across the HR and recruitment community give us a close view of the market, helping businesses strengthen their internal recruitment capability and TA professionals find opportunities where they can make a real impact.
Sectors we work in
Working with the talented & ambitious
The People Behind Your HR Hires
Name: Ryan Calvert
Job Title: Head of HR, Sales & Marketing Recruitment
Team: HR
Years Experience: 10+
Ryan is a highly experienced recruitment professional with over 10 years of specialist expertise across the Island of Ireland. He oversees the strategic direction and growth of the HR, Sales, and Marketing divisions, partnering with hundreds of organisations as a trusted advisor to evaluate and deliver effective talent solutions.
Name: Rebekah Mulligan
Job Title: HR Recruitment Manager
Team: HR
Years Experience: 6
As a Senior Recruitment Consultant at MCS Group, I help clients and candidates find their ideal match in the HR sector across Ireland. With my background in retail management, I have the skills and knowledge to understand the needs and preferences of both parties and to provide tailored and effective solutions. In 2023 I completed my CIPD Level 5 qualification, which shows my commitment to developing my own skillset and shows my profession and the area that I recruit within, that I value knowledge and ethical practice.
Ryan Calvert
Head of HR, Sales & Marketing Recruitment
Rebekah Mulligan
HR Recruitment Manager
HR Director Jobs FAQs
What does an HR Director do?
An HR Director leads an organisation’s people function and helps shape its wider people strategy. Responsibilities can include advising the CEO and board, leading the HR team, workforce planning, organisational change, talent, culture, reward and complex people matters.
What is the difference between an HR Director and a Head of HR?
The titles can overlap. An HR Director may sit on the board or executive leadership team, while Head of HR may be the most senior HR role within a business with a different leadership structure. The reporting line, scope and level of influence are usually more important than the title itself.
What experience do I need for an HR Director job?
Employers will usually look for significant senior HR experience, including leading teams or functions, advising senior leaders and contributing to wider business decisions. Experience across people strategy, organisational change, workforce planning and complex employee matters can also be important.
How do I progress into an HR Director role?
HR Manager, Senior HR Business Partner and Head of HR positions can all provide routes into HR Director jobs. Building experience in people strategy, organisational change, leadership and working directly with senior stakeholders can help prepare you for director-level responsibility.
What qualifications do I need for an HR Director job?
CIPD Level 7 is widely recognised for senior HR positions, while Chartered or Fellow CIPD membership may also be valued. At this level, employers are also likely to look closely at your leadership experience, commercial understanding and the change you have delivered.
Are there HR Director and Head of HR jobs in Belfast and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Senior HR opportunities arise across Belfast and Northern Ireland in organisations of different sizes and sectors. Roles may be advertised as HR Director, Head of HR, Head of People, People Director or Chief People Officer, while some senior appointments are handled more discreetly through recruitment networks.
Ready for What Comes Next?
What Could the Right HR Leader Make Possible?
If you are hiring, tell us where your business is now, what is changing and what you need your next HR leader to help you achieve.
If you are considering your next move, tell us what you have built, what you want more of and where you want your HR career to take you.
We will start there.