HR Director
About Odyssey Social Care
Odyssey Social Care is a leading residential care provider delivering high‑quality, trauma‑informed care to young people across Ireland. As part of the Broadlake Group, we are on an ambitious 3X10X growth journey—scaling sustainably while delivering 10X Positive Impact for young people, employees, and communities.
Our management tools—The Realiser, The Playbook, and our Family Principles—guide how we lead, make decisions, and realise potential across the organisation.
Position Overview
We are seeking a HR Director to join our Executive Leadership Team. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role holds strategic, operational, and cultural accountability for Odyssey’s People & Culture function. You will shape, deliver, and evolve the People & Culture strategy to support organisational growth, regulatory excellence, and positive impact.
This is a pivotal leadership role for someone passionate about people, purpose, and transformational change.
Benefits
Life Insurance (Death in Service)
Health Insurance (post‑probation)
Education Assistance Programme
Paid Volunteering Opportunities
Employee Assistance Programme (VHI) for you and your family
Refer a Friend Scheme
Team Building & Social Fund
Continuous Professional Development & Career Progression
About the role
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Executive Partnership
Lead and execute the People & Culture strategy aligned to Odyssey’s Playbook, Family Principles, and 3X10X ambition.
Act as a core member of the Executive Team, influencing organisational strategy and decision-making.
Partner with the CEO and Board on organisational design, leadership capability, succession planning, and workforce sustainability.
Provide data-led insights and reporting on people performance, culture, and capability.
Drive digital transformation across HR processes and embed technology-led solutions.
Organisational Design, Workforce Planning & Growth
Lead workforce planning and talent development for current and future operations.
Design and evolve organisational structures to support scale, accountability, and compliance.
Oversee leadership succession planning and internal mobility pathways.
Drive simplification, clarity, and consistency across roles and ways of working.
People Operations, Compliance & Governance
Maintain full accountability for HR governance, employee relations, and compliance in a regulated environment.
Ensure readiness for regulatory inspections (TUSLA, CORU) through strong systems and documentation.
Lead policy development aligned to legislation, safeguarding standards, and best practice.
Oversee HR systems, data integrity, and people analytics.
Talent, Learning & Capability Development
Provide strategic oversight of recruitment and retention in partnership with the Head of Talent Acquisition & Recruitment.
Lead the Odyssey Development Framework, leadership programmes, and learning pathways.
Champion continuous professional development, coaching, and capability-building.
Develop global talent strategies to support international growth.
Culture, Engagement, Wellbeing & Employee Experience
Deliver an outcome‑driven Retention Strategy.
Act as a custodian of Odyssey’s values, Family Principles, and positive culture.
Lead initiatives that enhance employee engagement, wellbeing, inclusion, and belonging.
Oversee Employee Forums and engagement mechanisms to ensure strong employee voice.
Champion equitable practices, pay transparency, and DEI strategy—including neurodiversity and accessibility.
Sustainability, ESG & Positive Impact
Represent Odyssey across Broadlake Group’s People & Culture, AD&I, and L&D forums.
Contribute to cross-group initiatives and award‑winning programmes.
Support and drive B Corp-aligned practices, ESG commitments, and positive impact initiatives.
Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
Act as a senior ambassador for Odyssey across the sector.
Build strong stakeholder relationships with regulators, community partners, and sector bodies.
Present to Boards or Remuneration Committees on executive remuneration and governance.
KPIs & Impact Measurement
Set, track, and report on KPIs related to recruitment, development, engagement, retention, and regulatory performance.
Person Specification
Essential Requirements
Significant senior leadership experience in People/HR roles within complex, regulated, or mission‑driven environments.
Proven experience operating at Executive Team level and partnering directly with a CEO and Board.
Demonstrated success in organisational change, workforce planning, and culture transformation.
Strong knowledge of Irish employment law and regulatory frameworks.
Data‑led decision‑maker with strong stakeholder influence.
Experience in digital HR transformation and change management.
Experience designing and delivering measurable DEI strategies.
Experience working with global or multicultural teams.
Desirable Attributes
Experience in health, social care, or regulated sectors.
Experience in group or multi‑entity organisational structures.
Background in learning, coaching, organisational development, or behavioural change.
Alignment with values-led leadership and positive impact models.
Experience in sustainability, ESG, or B Corp practices.
Values & Leadership Approach
Values‑driven and people‑centred
Commercially astute and strategically minded
Calm, credible, and influential
Passionate about impact, inclusion, and excellence
Committed to developing others
Odyssey Social Care
Odyssey Social Care is a children’s residential care provider. We support young people by providing secure and safe homes and by building trusting and meaningful relationships with our teams. We work therapeutically with our young people to support them through past hurts and traumas. We go on the journey with our young people, empowering them to be the best version of themselves.
Overview Mission: Odyssey Social Care provides safe homes where children and young people can heal from trauma, rebuild trust, and discover their own strengths. We give them the support and opportunities they need to build resilience and step into a brighter future. Working for Odyssey Social Care involves being part of a team (led by CEO Stacey McGrath, above) dedicated to supporting children and young people. As professional caregivers, we are caring, compassionate and resilient. We work with children who have experienced trauma, and believe in healing through trusting care relationships. The Odyssey Way We put the needs of the child at the forefront of everything we do. Our care framework is designed to be flexible, responsive and provide holistic care to our young people. Our care model, The Odyssey Way, is trauma-informed, evidence-based, and outcome-led. It supports the needs of each individual child, helping them to work through trauma by focusing on overall wellbeing. Our unique, specialised intervention, the Odyssey Saoirse Project, uses eco-therapy, adventure-based life skills and positive mentoring to help young people heal, grow and thrive.
Our Values Safety – safe homes, safe care, safe relationships Quality – trauma-informed, evidence-based, outcome-led Trust – built through honest communication and consistency Empowerment – giving young people and staff the tools to succeed Inclusion – equity and belonging for all Impact – measurable difference for young people, staff, communities & planet Accessibility & Sustainability Odyssey Social Care is committed to encouraging a culture of diversity and inclusion across our organisation. As a Certified B Corp, we also believe in providing care sustainably, measuring our impact across our people, our communities, and the planet.
Our benefits
On joining Odyssey, you’ll be supported every step of the way. Competitive salary & incremental pay progression Flexible rostering that supports work-life balance Accredited training & continuous development Education assistance grants Health & life insurance supports Social events & wellbeing supports Real career progression – 80%+ of our leaders Have grown from within We believe in caring for our staff with the same commitment we bring to the young people in our homes. For more details, visit About Us
Flexible schedule
Employee development programs
A diversity program
Cycle to work
Referral bonus
Company retreats
Life insurance
Employee Assistance Scheme
Social Opportunities
Culture of recognition
On the job learning
Long service awards
HR Director
Odyssey Social Care is a children’s residential care provider. We support young people by providing secure and safe homes and by building trusting and meaningful relationships with our teams. We work therapeutically with our young people to support them through past hurts and traumas. We go on the journey with our young people, empowering them to be the best version of themselves.