People & Talent Manager in Maghera

People & Talent Manager

About Specialist Group

Specialist Group is a leading provider of bespoke joinery, fit-out, glass, metal and specialist interior solutions, delivering complex projects for clients across the UK, Ireland and internationally.

As the Group continues to grow and develop, we are seeking to appoint a People & Talent Manager who will take ownership of the people function and help ensure we have the people, capability, culture and processes required to support the next stage of our growth.

This is a broad, influential and highly visible role within the business. Working closely with the Board, Directors, department heads and managers across the Group, the People & Talent Manager will lead our approach to attracting, developing, engaging and retaining great people.

This is a standalone role, supported by external specialist partners where appropriate, and offers significant scope to shape how the people function develops as the organisation grows.

Job Purpose

The People & Talent Manager will have responsibility for the effective delivery and continued development of the people function across Specialist Group.

The role encompasses the complete employee lifecycle, including workforce planning, recruitment and resourcing, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, learning and development, early careers, employee engagement, succession planning and people reporting.

A major focus will be developing the structures, processes and management capability that allow Specialist Group to continue scaling while maintaining a positive, high-performance culture.

The People & Talent Manager will also play an important role in developing future talent pipelines through our THRIVE Apprenticeship Programme, Higher Level Apprenticeship pathways, STRIVE schools programme and partnerships with schools, colleges and universities.

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership & Employee Relations

• Act as the key point of contact for employees, managers and Directors across all people-related matters, providing practical, commercially focused HR advice and guidance.
• Coach, develop and support managers in effectively managing their people, building greater management capability and ownership across the business.
• Provide guidance and support across employee relations matters including absence management, return-to-work processes, probation, grievances, investigations, disciplinary processes and performance improvement.
• Ensure employees receive a positive and consistent employee experience throughout their employment with Specialist Group.
• Maintain appropriate HR policies, processes and documentation, ensuring the business continues to operate in line with current employment legislation and good practice.

Workforce Planning, Recruitment & Resourcing

• Work with department heads, Finance and the Board to develop and maintain an annual workforce and resource plan aligned with the Group’s growth strategy and operational requirements.
• Oversee the full recruitment lifecycle across the Group, including advertising, sourcing, shortlisting, interviewing, selection, offers and onboarding.
• Ensure recruitment activity is delivered effectively and within agreed budgets while providing an excellent candidate experience.
• Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders and selected recruitment partners to ensure Specialist Group can access the skills and talent required by the business.
• Manage and coordinate international recruitment where local skills shortages exist, maintaining awareness of relevant immigration, visa and compliance requirements.
• Manage relationships with international recruitment partners and coordinate the internal selection, documentation and mobilisation process.
• Work closely with Finance and other stakeholders regarding visa costs, travel arrangements, accommodation and arrival dates for international employees.

Early Careers & Future Talent

• Develop a strong and sustainable pipeline of future talent through schools, Further Education colleges, universities and other educational partners.
• Continue to develop Specialist Group’s relationships with its network of primary and secondary schools through factory visits, work experience, interview preparation, careers events and other engagement activities.
• Develop opportunities for young people to experience Specialist Group and gain meaningful exposure to careers within manufacturing, construction, design and associated disciplines.
• Lead and further develop initiatives including the THRIVE Apprenticeship Programme, Higher Level Apprenticeship pathways and STRIVE schools programme.
• Strengthen relationships with universities and Further Education institutions, including Ulster University and Atlantic Technological University, to increase awareness of Specialist Group and create graduate and placement pipelines.
• Represent Specialist Group at careers fairs, recruitment events and open evenings and coordinate Specialist Group’s own recruitment and careers events.

Learning, Development & Career Pathways

• Develop and implement a Group-wide learning and development strategy aligned with business requirements and future capability needs.
• Manage the annual training and development budget and coordinate training requests and delivery across the organisation.
• Identify and maximise available external funding opportunities, including Invest NI training and development support.
• Work with managers and Directors to identify critical skills, succession requirements and future leadership capability.
• Develop clearer career pathways across Specialist Group, enabling employees to understand the opportunities available to them and what is required to progress.
• Support succession planning and career development initiatives that enable Specialist Group to develop and promote more talent from within.

Performance Management & Onboarding

• Own and continually improve the Group’s performance management framework.
• Coordinate the probation process, including structured 1, 3 and 5-month reviews prior to confirmation of permanent employment.
• Develop managers’ capability and accountability for conducting effective performance conversations, probation reviews and development discussions.
• Support managers with performance improvement plans where required.
• Lead the development of a consistent onboarding framework across Specialist Group.
• Coordinate inductions for new employees alongside Health & Safety, Finance, IT and the relevant hiring manager.
• Develop department and role-specific onboarding frameworks, with clear ownership placed on hiring managers for successfully integrating new employees into their teams.

Employee Engagement & Culture

• Support the continued development of a positive, progressive and high-performance culture aligned with Specialist Group’s values and strategic objectives.
• Develop effective mechanisms for employee communication, engagement and feedback.
• Facilitate initiatives including employee surveys, focus groups, one-to-one discussions, suggestion programmes and other employee listening activities.
• Identify themes from employee feedback and work with managers and Directors to translate these into meaningful actions.
• Support initiatives that improve employee experience, engagement and retention across the Group.

People Systems, Processes & Data

• Continue to improve and professionalise people processes and systems across Specialist Group.
• Support the implementation and effective utilisation of the North Time & Data system and ensure appropriate processes are embedded across the organisation.
• Ensure accurate and compliant employee records are maintained, including contracts, employee documentation, new starter information and leaver documentation.
• Ensure people information and documentation is managed appropriately and in accordance with GDPR requirements.
• Produce regular people reports and analyse workforce data to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Translate people data into meaningful recommendations and actions for management and the Board.

Reward, Progression & Internal Movement

• Establish and maintain an annual compensation and benefits benchmarking process.
• Build relationships with comparable local employers and relevant national businesses to maintain awareness of market salaries, benefits and employment trends.
• Provide appropriate salary and market information to support workforce planning, recruitment and retention decisions.
• Coordinate and maintain appropriate processes around employee promotions and internal transfers.
• Help establish greater structure, consistency and transparency around career progression and internal movement across the Group.

Leadership & Business Partnership

• Represent the People & Talent function at fortnightly Management meetings.
• Prepare and provide relevant people updates, insights and recommendations for quarterly Board meetings.
• Work with external HR, recruitment, coaching and organisational development partners where specialist expertise or additional resource is required.
• Challenge existing approaches constructively and identify opportunities to improve how Specialist Group attracts, manages, develops and retains its people.
• Undertake other reasonable responsibilities associated with the continued development of the People & Talent function.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant HR, business or people-management qualification, or equivalent professional experience.
• CIPD Level 5 qualified or currently working towards this level.

Desirable

• CIPD Level 7 qualification.
• Degree in HR, Business, Management or another relevant discipline.

Experience

• Minimum of three years’ experience within a broad HR, People or Talent role.
• Experience providing practical HR advice and guidance to managers.
• Experience supporting employee relations and performance management processes.
• Experience managing or overseeing recruitment and resourcing activities.
• Experience developing and implementing people processes, systems or initiatives.
• Demonstrable experience working independently and taking ownership of projects and priorities.

Experience within manufacturing, construction, engineering, fit-out or another operational environment would be advantageous but is not essential.

Skills & Capabilities

The successful individual will demonstrate:

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels of an organisation.
• The confidence and credibility to advise, coach and appropriately challenge managers and senior leaders.
• Strong organisational and planning capability, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• A practical and commercially minded approach to people management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to influence colleagues and drive change outside their own direct area of responsibility.
• Strong attention to detail and an appreciation of the importance of accurate people processes and documentation.
• The ability to interpret people data, identify trends and translate information into practical recommendations.
• A track record of identifying opportunities for improvement and successfully implementing new processes or ways of working.
• The ability to balance the needs of employees with the commercial and operational requirements of the business.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for someone who is:

• Proactive, energetic and comfortable taking ownership.
• Approachable and capable of building trust across the organisation.
• Commercially aware and solutions focused.
• Highly organised and dependable.
• Comfortable working autonomously within a standalone people role.
• Resilient and capable of operating effectively in a busy, growing organisation.
• Curious and continually looking for better ways of doing things.
• Comfortable challenging established ways of working where improvement is required.
• Collaborative and willing to work closely with teams across the Group.
• Passionate about developing people and creating opportunities for others to progress.
• Adaptable and comfortable working within an evolving business environment.

Additional Requirements

• Eligibility to work in the UK.
• Flexibility around working hours where business requirements dictate.
• Willingness to travel occasionally for careers events, educational partnerships and other Group activities.

Specialist Group is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.

The Company reserves the right to apply desirable criteria during the shortlisting process.