Human Resources

Busy! My day can range from linking in with potential candidates for Jigsaw roles, giving successful candidates good news, to asking our youth advisory panel members to participate in interviews, and ensuring our staff are up to date with trainings.

I manage the on-boarding process of all our new starters. This ranges from confirming their start date with Garda vetting to issuing contracts. I’ll usually be the person guiding them along the interview and on-boarding processes, before handing them over to our service hubs.

My background is in luxury hotels. In search of a better work-life balance, I moved into admin 5 years ago.

I started as an admin temp with Jigsaw in September 2020, while studying HR part time. This led to a full-time position on the HR team and an excellent opportunity to learn from an experienced and knowledgeable (and very patient!) team.

I was familiar with Jigsaw having seen them march at Pride each year. A friend had a family member who was a service user, so I knew the great work Jigsaw does, both through individual cases and in the community.

As someone new to a HR role, it’s great having the opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues in a supportive environment. The fast-paced nature of our work and department keeps me motivated.

There are flexible working and generous leave policies that ensure a healthy balance between work, study and downtime too.

The organisation has a start-up mentality, always thinking of new and innovative ideas to improve the employee and young person experience.

It is busy. But, you are recognised for your work and see real benefits at the local level.

I came from retail HR which is very different. Working for a non-for-profit organisation allows you to put meaning into your day to support the services which matter. These make a real impact on the young people across Ireland.

The culture of collaboration within the organisation is amazing. I have worked with Finance, Services, Communications and Fundraising on a number of projects. This has expanded my own experience of working collaboratively across multiple functions.

As the HR Manager here, what strikes me is the commitment of colleagues across the organisation to supporting young people’s mental health. An emphasis on the quality of service delivery, as well as the people, focus within the organisation, are huge unique selling points.

In the last year, we have experienced some of the toughest challenges. However, these challenges have brought out the best in our teams who are genuinely living and breathing the Jigsaw values.

Working as a team, we are making the organisation stronger for the future.