Director of Talent Acquisition

The Director of Talent Acquisition will report directly to the Executive Director, People & Development. This is a newly created role, responsible for designing, and leading on, the Talent Acquisition strategic action plan for An Garda Síochána. Responding to market insights, and organisational need, the Director of Talent Acquisition will: deliver a modern sourcing and selection approach; invest in talent acquisition and selection; communicate an attractive employee value proposition; and enhance the candidate experience through to onboarding

Main Duties of the job:

• Developing the strategies, approaches and plans to position An Garda Síochána as an employer of choice in the market, attracting diverse talent from Ireland and internationally to meet our current and future needs;
• Developing and implementing short to long term talent acquisition plans, growing the organisation at scale, and meeting the commitments of the HR Strategy;
• Attracting and recruiting Garda members and Garda reserves to meet the current and future needs of the organisation, ensuring that the candidates are effectively engaged and supported through the full life-cycle of the recruitment experience, from application, through vetting to commencing their training programme;
• Attracting and recruiting people with specialist skills from the external market, ensuring active engagement with management to understand the unique needs, and subsequently crafting the recruitment plan to optimise success in the market;
• Managing internal selection competitions with best class processes that are; fair, transparent and effective in delivering organisational needs;

Essential: Professional Qualifications, Experience, Requirements, Skills

The suitable candidate must have a third level qualification (minimum Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications) in a relevant discipline(s) commensurate with the role.

AND

Significant progressive leadership experience in a Senior Human Resources role, in a large and complex organisation, with experience of leading on Talent Acquisition.

The successful candidate must also have:

• Professional credibility as a Talent Acquisition leader, with a proven ability to deliver on complex and innovative resourcing solutions;
• Track record of proactive leadership of a large Talent Acquisition/Recruitment Team, with evidence of delivery against key performance indicators;
• Demonstrated experience of developing and implementing a talent acquisition strategy/ action plan;
• Political awareness necessary to deal with sensitive, resourcing related, policy and operational issues;
• Ability to work in a fast paced, and sometimes ambiguous environment, identifying key priorities and driving just in time solutions;

Information about the Organisation

An Garda Síochána is the national police and security service of Ireland, comprised of approximately 14,300 Garda Members, 3,600 Garda Staff and 300 Garda Reserves. An Garda Síochána is a community focused organisation with a mission of 'Keeping People Safe'. With a dual role and responsibility for the provision of policing services, and protecting the security of the State, An Garda Síochána is committed to delivering a responsive, effective and efficient service, that meet the needs of our communities.

Selection Process Details

Further information on this significant opportunity including a full list of essential and desirable requirements and details on how to apply, is available on

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday 8th January 2026.

If you feel you would benefit from a confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Sinead Coleman at

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.