HR People Partner
Founded in 1913, Glennon Brothers is a leading timber processing Group operating across Ireland and the UK, with over a century of experience and a strong, well‑established growth story. Today, the Group operates through a portfolio of respected brands including Glennon Brothers, Balcas, DTE, Alexanders Timber Design and, most recently, Pontrilas, reflecting both its scale and strategic expansion.
As a recognised leader within the Green Tech and sustainable construction sectors, the Group is dynamic, innovative and firmly focused on long‑term, responsible growth. Across its brands, Glennon Brothers supplies a wide range of timber products to the Irish and UK markets, serving the construction, pallet wood and fencing industries. The Group also manufactures timber frame homes and engineered roof trusses for the housebuilding sector and operates several combined heat and power (CHP) and wood pellet manufacturing facilities.
Following the acquisition of Pontrilas in January 2026, the Group has significantly increased its turnover and expanded its workforce to over 1,400 colleagues. This growth has been driven by a strong commitment to its people, a customer‑focused service ethos, and continued investment in advanced technology and operational capability. Glennon Brothers operates a multi‑site footprint across Longford, Fermoy, Enniskillen, Troon, Irvine, Windymains and Invergordon, providing a diverse and collaborative working environment across its Group brands and functions.
Principle Objective
Reporting to the HR Manager, the HR People Partner is a site‑based, end‑to‑end HR generalist with full responsibility for the colleague lifecycle at their assigned sawmill site. The role provides visible, trusted and commercially grounded HR leadership on site, ensuring colleagues are supported, managers are coached effectively, and all people practices align with Group standards, values and employment legislation.
In addition to site accountability, the HR People Partner actively contributes to the wider Group HR team, supporting cross‑site projects, policy development and continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen capability, consistency and colleague experience across the Group. This role operates at the intersection of people, performance and operational delivery, requiring strong judgement, resilience and the ability to influence in a fast‑paced, manufacturing environment.
Knowledge & Experience
* Experience in a generalist HR role within an operational, manufacturing or multi‑site environment.
* Strong working knowledge of UK employment legislation
* Proven experience advising managers on employee relations and people management issues.
* Comfortable operating in a hands‑on, site‑based role.
* Experience using HR systems and maintaining accurate people data.
* CIPD qualification (or working towards) desirable but not essential.
* Willingness to travel occasionally to other Group sites.
1. Key Responsibilities
* Act as the primary HR point of contact for all site colleagues and managers, owning the full colleague lifecycle from attraction to exit.
* Partner with site leadership to embed fair, consistent and people‑focused practices aligned to Group values.
* Provide proactive, pragmatic advice on employee relations matters, ensuring early resolution and legal compliance.
* Support performance management, absence management, probation, disciplinary and grievance processes on site.
* Lead site‑based recruitment and onboarding in line with operational workforce needs.
* Ensure colleague wellbeing, engagement and dignity at work are actively promoted and supported.
* Manage and oversee colleague accommodation arrangements for site‑based employees where applicable.
* Ensure accommodation standards support wellbeing, safety, compliance and inclusion.
* Act as a point of escalation for accommodation‑related issues, working collaboratively with site management and external providers as required.
* Contribute to the ongoing development of consistent accommodation standards and governance across the Group.
* Coach and support managers to build confidence and capability in people management.
* Support delivery of engagement, wellbeing, learning and culture initiatives on site.
* Champion Group values and contribute to a positive, respectful and inclusive working environment.
* Contribute to Group‑wide HR projects, policy reviews and process improvements.
* Share site insights and best practice to support consistency and continuous improvement across locations.
* Maintain accurate HR system data and provide insights to support decision‑making.
* Support payroll accuracy through timely and accurate information flow.
Essential Competencies
* Colleague Focus – Builds trust, acts with fairness and promotes dignity and respect.
* Commercial & Operational Awareness – Understands site priorities and aligns HR activity accordingly.
* Coaching & Influencing – Develops management capability through clear, credible guidance.
* Collaboration – Works effectively with site leaders and the wider HR team.
* Planning & Organisation – Manages competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
* Systems & Process Discipline – Ensures accuracy, consistency and continuous improvement.
* Resilience & Adaptability – Responds constructively to change and operational pressure.
Key Performance Measures
* Effective and timely resolution of site HR and ER matters.
* Positive feedback from site management and colleagues.
* Accuracy and integrity of HR data and payroll inputs.
* Contribution to engagement, retention and wellbeing outcomes.
* Delivery of site and Group HR initiatives.
* Compliance with employment legislation, policy and accommodation standards.
Key Relationships
* HR Manager – alignment, escalation and project delivery.
* Plant Manager and Supervisors – operational partnership and coaching.
* Payroll – data accuracy and information flow.
* HR Team – shared initiatives and best practice.
* Colleagues – support, wellbeing and engagement.
* External partners – training providers, occupational health, accommodation providers.
Contract
Contract Type - Permanent
Hours - Full time, 40 hours per week - Monday to Friday
Benefits
* Competitive Basic Salary
* Pension Scheme
* Colleague Savings Scheme
* EAP
* Educational Assistance
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies show that some candidates are less likely to apply unless they meet every requirement. At Glennon Brothers we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Disclaimer: Glennon Brothers reserves the right at any time to change, delete, or add to any of the provisions of this Role Profile at its sole discretion and it is the colleagues responsibility to familiarise themselves with these changes. Furthermore, the provisions of this Role Profile are designed by Glennon Brothers to serve as guidelines rather than absolute responsibilities and duties.