Job Description

Our ability to positively impact patients and customers across Ireland depends on the integrity, knowledge, resilience, and teamwork of people like you. As the HR Site Lead in Carlow, you will lead a team of highly skilled HR professionals and drive the development and execution of an HR strategy that enables us to achieve our business and organizational goals.

We aspire to fuel the growth and success of both our business and our people through strategic partnership, deep business insight, and a connected, results-driven, and future-fit HR team that delivers with passion, purpose, and impact.

About the Role

As a key member of the Site Leadership Team (SLT) in Carlow and the Ireland HR Leadership Team (HRLT), you will collaborate with talented, diverse thinkers and continue to expand your leadership capabilities. This is a pivotal HR Business Partner role where your influence, strategic planning, coaching & development, and emotional intelligence skills will be essential to shaping the future of our site and organization.

What You Will Do

As a trusted partner to our business leaders, you will deeply understand the site’s business and organizational needs and align our people strategy accordingly. You will bring energy, innovation, and partner with our leaders to:

Develop and execute the site strategy and long-term business development plans.Build the organization, attracting and retaining a highly talented and diverse workforce with right skills and capabilitiesEnable and execute transformation and workforce plans to meet evolving business demands.Foster a strong, inclusive company culture led by leaders who embody our values, ways of working, and purpose.Empower talent by identifying potential, nurturing growth, and creating inclusive opportunities for all employees.Deliver with excellence by consistently executing commitments with agility and a future-focused mindset.Provide expert HR guidance and strategic planning to your client group, leveraging the network of HR COEs and HR OperationsCoach senior management on employee relations, conflict resolution, and cultivating a positive work environment.Lead the HR function at in Carlow by setting ambitious goals, maintaining focus, and ensuring accountability.Coach and develop the HR team, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and growth opportunities.Champion Ireland HR priorities and initiatives as an active member of the HR Leadership Team, inspiring HR colleagues and nurturing the next generation of HR talent.Oversee the Plant Occupational Health Function to ensure comprehensive and effective delivery of site Occupational Health services.

What skills you will need:

In order to excel in this role, you will more than likely have:

A Bachelor’s degree in related fields.Proven experience partnering directly with senior leadership in a complex business environment, building trust and driving commitment to action.Experience working in a large multinational organization, preferably within a manufacturing organization.Strong knowledge of Irish and European employment law, with a track record of effectively managing complex employee relations issues.Demonstrated ability to inspire, coach, and develop a high-performing HR team.Learning agility and passion for self-developmentProven track record of delivering high performance results through consulting & coaching for all leadership levels within a business.Ability to prioritise and manage initiatives through to successful delivery.Experience leading and evolving a culture of direct engagement as a strategic business priority.

We keep the patient at the very heart of all that we do and strive to find solutions and treatments for some of the world's most challenging healthcare needs.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. Please don't hesitate to contact the Talent Acquisition Advisor assigned to this role should you need any support during our recruitment process.

We are committed to flexible working where possible, and this is why our Company has introduced a new hybrid working model for office-based colleagues around the world.

Please feel free to speak to us about what flexibility means to you during your application.

So, if you are ready to:

Invent solutions to meet unmet healthcare needs, please apply today.

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Required Skills:

Benefits Administration, Change Management, Compensation Strategies, Confidential Data Handling, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Employee Development, Employee Relationships, Global HR Leadership, Headcount Forecasting, HR Due Diligence, HR Strategy, Human Capital Planning, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management, Human Resources (HR) Technology, Human Resources Analytics, Recruiting Processes, Strategic Planning, Succession Planning, Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning

 Preferred Skills:

Job Posting End Date:

07/26/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R356958