Administrative Assistant

Who Will You Work With and What Will the Role Involve?

This important role supports the organisation in the delivery of its essential work programmes. It provides candidates with the opportunity to work in a diverse organisation that invests in and celebrates its people.

The successful candidate will work from the Marine Institute Headquarters in Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway, and will report directly to the Research Funding and System Accountant.

The successful candidate will be responsible for providing financial and administrative support for externally funded projects across the Marine Institute. This support will primarily relate to OCIS and FEAS on the Acclimatise project. Support may also extend to other EU-funded projects across the Institute as required.

EU-funded projects include:

• Interreg Peace Plus
• Interreg Atlantic Area
• Interreg Northwest Europe
• Horizon Europe
• CINEA
• EMFAF
• Other European funding streams

The post holder will be responsible for preparing and submitting claims on externally funded projects and will work closely with staff across the Institute, including:

• Project Leaders
• Research Accountant
• Research Funding Office
• Research Coordination and Support Team
• Finance Department
• Human Resources Department

The successful candidate will also be required to build relationships with external funding agencies, auditors, and other stakeholders as required.

The nature of the work is largely project-driven and therefore requires flexibility in planning. Teamwork is also essential, as the post holder will work with colleagues to ensure reporting deadlines across all Marine Institute projects are met.

The Marine Institute recently completed reviews of its organisation and strategic achievements. The outcomes of these reviews may affect the roles and duties of employees and bring about organisational changes. Any such impacts or changes will be communicated.

What Will You Be Doing Every Day?Principal Tasks

• Provide administrative support to Marine Institute Project Leads and act as the primary point of contact for research reporting, research team members, and the Research Accountant in managing externally EU-funded projects.
• Review and ensure that project expenditures are eligible and supported by appropriate documentation, including purchase orders and invoices.
• Review time recorded on the Time Management System to ensure all recorded time is eligible.
• Prepare timesheets in accordance with funder requirements.
• Liaise with Finance and HR regarding salary costing information.
• Prepare financial claims for review by the Research Accountant in a timely manner.
• Ensure all claims comply with regulatory, financial, system, statutory, and Marine Institute policy requirements.
• Track and review project expenditure and provide updates to management as required.
• Upload all supporting claim documentation to the Marine Institute SharePoint Online system.
• Upload claims to relevant grant management portals.
• Liaise with external funders and stakeholders regarding financial reports.
• Track and review claim expenditure against budgets.
• Ensure technical reports are received on time for submission.
• Prepare sample information required for audits.
• Provide support for meetings, workshops, and conferences as required.
• Assist in ensuring project outputs and reports are received, disseminated, and published.
• Assist with the centralisation of project deliverables and reports and liaise with the Marine Institute Library to publish material on the Marine Institute Online Access Repository.
• Carry out any other duties suitable to the role and grade as assigned from time to time.

What Do You Need to Have Done to Apply for This Role?Education, Professional or Technical Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, Aptitudes, Experience and TrainingEssential / Important

• A suitable qualification in a relevant discipline.
• At least 18 months of work experience in a busy office environment.
• Demonstrated experience in project support within an accounts or financial administration setting.
• Knowledge of public sector procurement rules.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to work to deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability in project reporting and record keeping, ideally including financial records.
• High level of computer skills, including Microsoft Office and SharePoint Online.
• Experience supporting meetings, conferences, and events.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience working with confidential data and personal information while respecting privacy requirements.

Ideally Nice to Have / Desirable

• Accounts Technician qualification or a third-level Finance qualification.
• Experience with financial reporting requirements.
• Experience supporting audits.
• Public sector experience, including grant funding.
• Intermediate Excel skills, including formulas, VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, and related functions.
• Knowledge of data protection and GDPR as it applies to personnel data.

What Else Do You Need to Know?Special Personal Attributes Required for the Role

• Ability to work in an organised manner and progress work independently.
• Demonstrates energy and a positive attitude.
• Brings solutions, initiative, and ideas.
• Reliable and flexible, with the ability to support colleagues in the research team and other service areas when reporting deadlines need to be met.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and respond quickly to changing demands.
• Ability to prioritise multiple outputs effectively and manage time to deliver work according to schedule, including multiple equally important deliverables.
• Approaches work carefully and methodically, maintaining accuracy even when carrying out routine and repetitive tasks.
• Continuously seeks to improve process efficiency.
• Willingness to develop specialist knowledge and expertise relevant to the role. Training, both formal and informal, will be encouraged and supported where required.

Description of Service Group and the Wider Team

Corporate Services includes:

• Finance
• Human Resources
• Facilities and Services
• Communications
• Library and Information Services
• Corporate Governance
• Procurement
• Tendering and Contracts Management
• Oversight and responsibility for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The Corporate Services team provides vital support to Marine Institute staff throughout Ireland, helping maintain a consistent and high-quality service aligned with the Institute's strategic objectives and priorities.

The successful candidate will initially support externally funded projects in the following service areas:

Oceans, Climate and Information Services (OCIS)

OCIS provides support for:

• National and international marine monitoring.
• Research and development.
• Information Technology infrastructure.
• Information management.

Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services (FEAS)

FEAS:

• Conducts research on marine fisheries resources.
• Assesses and advises on the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources in Irish waters.
• Examines the impacts of fisheries on marine ecosystems.

Who Will You Report To / Who Will Manage and Support You?

The successful candidate will be based at the Marine Institute Headquarters in Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway, and will report to the Research Funding Accountant.

What We Offer

The Marine Institute values its staff and their contribution to the organisation's work. In return, it offers benefits that promote work-life balance and professional development, including:

• Personal and career development opportunities.
• Work-life balance policies.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Bike to Work Scheme.
• Staff medicals.
• Annual flu vaccination.

Training

A full range of training will be provided as required, both on the job and through appropriate courses.

Training needs will be identified through the Marine Institute Performance Management Development System (PMDS).

ContactsWithin the Marine Institute

The role will liaise closely with:

• The Research Coordination and Support Team in PIRS.
• The Research and Systems Accountant in Corporate Services.
• Other team leaders across the Marine Institute as required for reporting purposes.

External Contacts

• Funding agencies.
• Researchers based in Higher Education Institutions.
• Project officers, where relevant.
• Project coordinators.

Salary

Remuneration is in accordance with the Public Sector Department of Finance approved salary scale for Administrative Assistant (Executive Officer Grade).

Salary Scale (June 2026):

€38,803 - €63,227 per annum, pro-rated for time worked.

The successful candidate will commence at the first point of the scale and become a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme unless currently, or within the last six months, a member of another Public Sector Pension Scheme.

Annual Leave

Annual leave entitlement for an Executive Officer is 23 days per annum.

This entitlement is exclusive of Public Holidays and is managed through the Time and Leave Management System operated by the organisation.

All leave must be approved in advance by the line manager or their authorised representative and must comply with Marine Institute leave policies.

Duration of Contract

This is a temporary specified-purpose contract of employment for a period of up to 30 June 2029.

The successful candidate will be subject to a six-month probationary period at the commencement of the contract.