Administrative Officer

THE JOB

The Administrative Officer is a management position within Dublin City Council and is assigned responsibility for the administration and management of one or more sections within a Department, which handles an area of the Council’s activities, including the management of staff. The post holder is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the section(s) and is a contributor to the strategic and policy-making decisions of the local authority. They will be expected to contribute to the development and implementation of forward-thinking strategies and to work closely with the elected Councillors and senior management in delivering services to the highest standard. The Administrative Officer is expected to carry out their duties with an understanding of the political context of local government and in such a manner that enhances public trust and confidence and ensures impartial decision making. The post holder may represent the local authority on committees and at meetings and may be asked to report on progress in their respective sections at Area Committee meetings, Strategic Policy Committee meetings, etc.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE SHALL

• Be able to work within, and where necessary lead, multi-disciplined teams and have the ability to motivate, empower, and encourage employees to achieve maximum performance.

• Be capable of working closely with the elected Councillors to deliver the full range of quality services and implement policy decisions.

• Demonstrate relevant administrative experience at a sufficiently high level.

• Have a satisfactory knowledge of public service organisation in Ireland.

• Be capable of working in close co-operation with the City Council, the Strategic Policy and Area Committees and other City Council Departments while being able to seek co-operation and consensus from a wide range of bodies and representative groups.

• Have a career record that demonstrates a high level of competence in the management of staff.

• Have strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Be flexible and innovative.

• Have the ability to manage financial resources within a budgetary control framework.

• Have good knowledge and awareness of Health and Safety Legislation and Regulations, their implications for the organisation and the employee, and their application in the workplace.

• Have an understanding of the role and duties of managers in safety management in the workplace.

• Be able to deputise at a senior level.

• Have experience of implementing change initiated in the work environment.

QUALIFICATIONS

Character: Each candidate shall be of good character.

Health: Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Education, Experience, Etc.:

Panel A (Confined to Employees of the Sector)

Panel B (Open Competition)

Panel C (Confined to Employees of Dublin City Council)

Open Competition – Panel B

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed applications:

(i) (a) Have obtained at least a Grade D (or a Pass), in Higher or Ordinary Level, in five subjects (or four subjects if Irish is included) from the approved list of subjects in the Department of Education Established Leaving Certificate Examination or Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme including Irish and/or English and one of the following: Mathematics, Accounting, Business Organisation or Economics, and

(b) Have obtained at least Grade C (or Honours) in higher level (or Honours) papers in three subjects in that examination (or two subjects if Irish and/or one of the following is included: Mathematics, Accounting, Business Organisation or Economics), or

(ii) Have obtained a comparable standard in an equivalent examination, or

(iii) Hold a third level qualification of at least degree standard, and

(iv) Have satisfactory experience in administrative procedures, including adequate practical experience in work of an executive nature, office organisation, and control of staff.

Candidates eligible under Category – Panel B (educational requirements above) are required to upload documentation for the qualification they are claiming eligibility under with their online application. The onus is on the candidate to ensure that the correct documentation is uploaded along with their application form. Non-Irish qualifications must be accompanied by a determination/comparability statement from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to establish their comparability against the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. Overseas qualifications must also be accompanied by a translation document. Candidates who do not submit the required eligibility documentation by closing date/time will be deemed as having an incomplete application and no further consideration will be given to their application.

Confined Competition (Panels A & C)

(v) (a) Be a serving employee in a local authority or a regional assembly and have not less than two years’ satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or analogous post, and

(b) Have satisfactory experience in administrative procedures, including adequate practical experience in work of an executive nature, office organisation and control of staff.

DUTIES

The duties of the post include, but are not limited to, the following:

a) To manage and supervise staff up to the position/grade of Senior Staff Officer or analogous grades and to ensure the training and development of such staff.

b) To implement agreed Council strategies and deliver on its corporate and operational plans to meet and to expand/improve the range, quantity/quality of existing Council services.

c) To identify and agree work programmes, targets and deadlines and ensure their subsequent implementation.

d) To identify opportunities for improvements in service delivery, value for money, and other efficiencies within the relevant areas of responsibility and to use performance indicators effectively as appropriate.

e) To build effective teams, develop motivation and commitment and maintain sound employee relations and morale as relevant, in accordance with good employment practice and relevant legislation.

f) To communicate and liaise effectively with employees, managers, customers, elected representatives, and other stakeholders in relation to operational matters.

g) To research, analyse, and communicate information on specific issues and policies as appropriate, including compiling, preparing, and presenting reports, presentations, correspondence, etc.

h) To represent the Council on committees and at meetings and to report on progress in their respective sections or department as required.

i) To provide support and administrative assistance in the delivery of projects as required.

j) To communicate, implement, and manage change management initiatives within the relevant area of responsibility.

k) To develop and maintain productive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, in accordance with policy and to ensure the agreements to co-ordinate work programmes are implemented.

l) To deputise for the senior officer/line manager as required.

m) To implement the systems necessary and co-ordinate the resources to support the service. This includes systems to manage finance and budgets and ensure value for money, to provide information on the pattern of demand and activity to schedule work programmes, preparation of budgets, and maximising funding opportunities where appropriate.

n) To ensure that department or section operations are in compliance with all Council policies, procedures, practices, and standards and in compliance with the principles of good governance, legislative requirements, and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage circulars and guidance.

o) To participate in corporate management activities and responsibilities appropriate to the grade.

p) To comply with Health and Safety legislative requirements, policies, and procedures and safe systems of work.

q) To deliver change programmes aligned to organisational objectives.

r) To undertake any other such duties of a similar level and responsibilities as may be required from time to time.

The particular duties and responsibilities attached to the post may vary from time to time, without changing the general character of the duties or level of responsibilities entailed. The post holder may therefore be required to perform duties appropriate to the post, other than those detailed above, and to take instructions from and report to an appropriate Officer or such designated Officer as may be assigned from time to time by the City Council.

SELECTION PROCESS

• Posts of Administrative Officer will be filled from this publicly advertised competition. Selection shall be by means of a competition conducted by or on behalf of Dublin City Council.

• Candidates should note that the information provided by them in their application form and assessment questions will form the basis on which eligibility and shortlisting is conducted.

• Dublin City Council reserves the right to undertake eligibility and/or shortlist candidates in the manner it deems most appropriate.

• A candidate whose name is on a panel and who satisfies the Council that they possess the qualifications declared for the post and that they are otherwise suitable for appointment may, within the life of the panel, subject to the appropriate Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage sanction, be appointed as an appropriate vacancy arises.

• The life of the panel shall be for a period of one year from the date of its formation.

• Dublin City Council shall require any person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month, and if they fail to take up appointment within such period, or such longer period as the Council in its absolute discretion may determine, the Council shall not appoint them.

PANEL FORMATION

Panels may be formed on the basis of interviews to fill vacancies that may arise. Recruitment to Clerical Administrative Grades IV to VII will now be on the following basis:

A. 50% confined to employees of the sector*

B. 30% open

C. 20% confined to employees of Dublin City Council

*The sector includes all Local Authorities and Regional Assemblies (where applicable). Staff who are not existing employees of these local authorities or regional assemblies (where applicable) are not eligible to apply for competitions confined to the sector or to the local authorities (i.e. Dublin City Council).

Panel A (Confined to the Local Authority Sector) will comprise successful applicants, in order of merit, from within the Local Authority Sector only, i.e. candidates serving in a Local Authority or Regional Assembly (where applicable).

Panel B (Open Competition) will comprise all successful applicants in order of merit and may include candidates serving in a Local Authority, Regional Assembly, and external candidates.

Panel C (Confined to Dublin City Council) will comprise successful applicants, in order of merit, from within Dublin City Council only.

An employee of an individual local authority or regional assembly may be on all three panels (Panel A, B, C).

An employee of the sector (all local authorities and the regional assemblies) may be on two of the three panels (Panel A, B).

An applicant who is not employed in the sector may be on one panel (Panel B).

The order of candidates placed on each of the three panels is determined by where they were placed on the overall order of merit.

SHORTLISTING

Dublin City Council reserves the right to shortlist candidates, in the manner it deems most appropriate, to proceed to the interview stage of the competition. Shortlisting will be on the basis of information supplied on the application form, in conjunction with the examples given to the assessment questions.

It is therefore in your own interest to provide a detailed and accurate account of your qualifications and experience on the application form. The shortlisting process will provide for the assessment of each applicant’s application form against predetermined criteria that reflect the skills and depth of experience considered to be essential for a position at this level.

INTERVIEW

Selection, from shortlisted candidates, shall be by means of a competition based on an interview conducted by Dublin City Council. The interview will be competency-based, and marks will be awarded under the following skill sets identified for the position of Administrative Officer:

• Management and Change

• Delivering Results

• Performance through People

• Personal Effectiveness

• Local Authority Knowledge and Experience

Please see page 10 of the Candidate Information Booklet for more details.

SALARY

The salary scale for the position of Administrative Officer is:

€60,011; €61,480; €63,194; €64,914; €66,634; €68,170; €69,745; €71,269; €72,790 (Maximum); €75,395 (1st LSI) (after 3 years’ satisfactory service on the Maximum); €78,015 (2nd LSI) (after 3 years’ satisfactory service on the 1st LSI).

Entry point to this scale will be determined in accordance with Circulars issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. In accordance with Departmental Circular letter EL 02/2011, a person who is not a serving public service employee on or after 1st January 2011 will enter the scale for the position at the minimum point.

Rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government Policy. Under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013, the working hours for newly appointed/promoted staff are 35 hours per week.

All applicants must refer to the Additional Candidate Information Booklet which can be found at https://careers.dublincity.ie

for additional relevant information pertaining to the salary scale and the recruitment process.

PARTICULARS OF POSITION

(a) The post is permanent, whole time, and pensionable.

(b) Dublin City Council reserves the right to, at any time, assign an employee to any Department now or in the future.

(c) A period of one year’s probation applies where a person is permanently appointed to Dublin City Council.

CITIZENSHIP

Candidates must, by the date of application, be:

a) A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, or

b) A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK), or

c) A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons, or

d) A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA, UK, or Swiss citizen and has a Stamp 4 visa, or

e) A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a Stamp 4 visa, or

f) A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA Member State or the UK or Switzerland and has a Stamp 4 visa.

Dublin City Council welcomes all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds to join its diverse workforce and reserves the sole discretion to vary the above requirements from time to time subject to business needs and staffing requirements.