The posting
CEL Critical Power is seeking an experienced, commercially minded HR Business Partner to join our Dublin headquarters and partner with senior leaders across our Irish and US operations.
CEL is scaling fast, and this role will help the business grow without losing quality or control. Reporting to the Group HR Director, you will be the trusted adviser to your business areas on all people matters, turning business goals into people plans, using data to identify issues early and guide decisions, supporting managers through performance and employee relations matters, and building the frameworks, policies and systems that will enable a group-wide HR function to scale.
About the Role
The HR Business Partner will work closely with senior leaders and managers across CEL’s Irish and US operations, aligning people priorities with the needs of a fast-scaling engineering and manufacturing business.
You will support workforce planning, organisation design, employee relations, performance management, talent development, reward, engagement and organisational change. You will also use HR data and analytics to identify trends, measure impact and provide leaders with evidence-based recommendations.
The successful candidate will combine sound employment-law judgement with credibility at leadership level, analytical rigour, the confidence to guide managers and hold them to account, and a practical, build-as-you-go approach to getting things done.
Requirements
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Partnership & Scaling the Workforce
- Act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders and managers, aligning HR priorities with business strategy and objectives.
- Work with business leaders and the Talent Acquisition team to build hiring and workforce plans for rapid growth, covering headcount, skills, ramp-up timelines and succession needs.
- Use HR data, such as headcount, turnover, absence and probation outcomes, to identify trends, forecast needs and recommend action.
- Contribute to organisation design, role structures and job architecture so that structures scale with growth.
Employee Relations & Compliance
- Give practical advice and guidance to managers on employee relations matters, including performance, conduct, absence, grievance and disciplinary issues, ensuring fair procedures are followed.
- Build repeatable employee relations processes and templates that work across sites as headcount grows.
- Lead or support workplace investigations and case management, keeping clear documentation and escalating to the Group HR Director and legal counsel where appropriate.
- Ensure compliance with Irish employment law and support the US HR team on US requirements within a consistent group-wide framework.
- Support the review and rollout of the employee handbook and HR policies for Ireland and the US, ensuring policies are applied consistently.
Performance, Talent & Development
- Design, embed and guide managers through performance management, including probation reviews, goal setting and calibration.
- Support succession planning, promotion and career pathways for key roles.
- Identify capability gaps and partner with the business on training, leadership development and certification needs.
- Build people-management capability by guiding line managers and holding them to account for people outcomes.
Reward, Recognition & Engagement
- Help shape reward, recognition and bonus frameworks, working with Finance and leadership to ensure they are fair, consistent and transparent.
- Benchmark pay against the market and support gender pay gap and pay transparency obligations in Ireland.
- Lead engagement activity, including employee surveys, feedback loops and action planning.
Change & Organisational Development
- Partner with leaders on change driven by rapid growth, including new sites, restructures and process changes, supporting related communications and managing the impact on employees.
- Support onboarding and retention strategies with the HR Coordinator and Talent Acquisition team, particularly for production-floor roles and the new US site.
Data, Analytics & Systems
- Build and own HR metrics and dashboards, including headcount, attrition, absence, time to productivity, probation outcomes and engagement, ensuring the underlying data is accurate.
- Use data to test assumptions, measure the impact of HR initiatives and provide leaders with evidence-based recommendations and clear, measurable outcomes.
- Represent the business’s needs in HR systems projects, including the rollout of a new group-wide HRIS.
- Own assigned HR projects from end to end, including policy reviews, process improvements and new-starter programmes.
Skills, Experience & Qualifications
- Degree in Human Resources, Business or a related field, together with a CIPD qualification at Level 7, currently working towards Level 7, or an equivalent qualification.
- Minimum 10 years’ HR experience, including at least eight years in a business partnering or senior HR generalist role.
- Strong working knowledge of Irish employment law, with hands-on experience of disciplinary, grievance and investigation processes.
- Proven track record in HR within a fast-scaling or high-growth business, including building processes and frameworks as headcount grows.
- Proven ability to advise and influence senior leaders, guide line managers and hold them to account.
- Strong analytical rigour, with the ability to build and interpret HR metrics, use Excel or HRIS reporting, and translate data into clear recommendations.
- Excellent communication, judgement and discretion when handling confidential matters.
- Ability to prioritise a varied workload in a fast-moving environment and work effectively with colleagues across multiple time zones, including the United States.
Desirable
- Exposure to US employment law and HR practice, including state-level variation.
- Experience in a manufacturing, engineering or technical environment, supporting a mix of office-based and production-floor employees.
- Experience designing performance management, reward or job architecture frameworks.
- Experience supporting an HRIS implementation or change programme.
- Experience using HR analytics or dashboard tools, such as Power BI.
Benefits
Why Join CEL Critical Power?
Join a Trusted Industry Leader – 42 Years of Excellence CEL has been delivering high-quality, bespoke power distribution solutions for over four decades, with products that stand the test of time.
Be Part of a Global Expansion With CEL launching its first US manufacturing plant, you will have the opportunity to work on international projects and documentation standards while collaborating with colleagues across North America.
Collaborate with World-Class Engineers, Vendors & Industry Experts You’ll work alongside leading engineers, project managers, document controllers, product managers, and global vendors, ensuring excellence and operational success across CEL’s international teams.
Shape the Future of CEL – Critical Power This is more than just an operator role—it’s an opportunity to help forge the future of CEL and our expansion across the US.
Competitive Salary, Benefits & Career Growth We offer structured career development, professional training, and leadership opportunities, ensuring long-term career progression.
