Company Description

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries.

Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, we transform together delivering outcomes that improve people's lives. Working in partnership makes it possible to deliver the world's most impactful projects and programmes as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities include programme, project, cost, asset and commercial management, controls and performance, procurement and supply chain, net zero and digital solutions.

We are majority-owned by CBRE Group, Inc., the world's largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with our partners holding a significant minority interest. Turner & Townsend and CBRE work together to provide clients with the premier programme, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Please visit our website: www.turnerandtownsend.com.

Job Description

Role Purpose

To lead the strategic development, implementation, and oversight of the Industrial Relations / Employee Relations (IR/ER) framework for a major railway engineering programme. This role ensures proactive management of workforce relations across a complex, multi-contractor environment, aligning with national agreements, union expectations, and client standards.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership
- Develop and maintain the overarching IR/ER strategy for the programme.
- Lead the implementation of the ER Code of Practice across all Tier 1 contractors and supply chains.
- Ensure alignment with Irish industrial relations frameworks and national agreements (e.g., CIJC, JIB).
Union Engagement
- Coordinate programme-wide union forums (triannual) and site-level representation.
- Foster constructive relationships with key unions including SIPTU, Connect, BATU, OPATSI, UNITE, FÓRSA, and ICTU.
Governance & Assurance
- Oversee the ER Performance Assurance Framework (PAF), including biannual scoring and improvement plans.
- Monitor compliance through audits, reporting cycles, and grievance resolution pathways.
- Manage reputational and contractual risks related to ER non-compliance.
Procurement & Contractor Oversight
- Lead ER assessments during the tender stage, including policy reviews and interviews with proposed ER leads.
- Ensure contractor commitment to PAYE direct employment and living wage compliance.
- Review and approve contractor ER policies and performance reports.
Capability Building
- Design and deliver ER training programmes for client and contractor management teams.
- Promote ER best practices through recognition schemes and benchmarking.

Qualifications

Skills & Experience

Proven experience in industrial relations within large-scale infrastructure or engineering projects.
Strong understanding of Irish employment law, union dynamics, and collective bargaining frameworks.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholder environments, including contractors, unions, and government bodies.
Experience with performance assurance frameworks and ER policy development.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

Additional Information

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance.

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

You can find out more about us at Home | Turner & Townsend.

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SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

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Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.

Head of Industrial Relations & Employee Relations - Transport Infrastructure

Job Description