Assistant Planner

The Competition

The purpose of this recruitment campaign is to form a panel from which permanent or temporary positions may be filled.

The successful candidate will be assigned to the Planning Department of Cavan County Council and will work under the control and supervision of the Senior Planner or other designated officer.

Qualifications For The Post

Character:

Candidates must be of good character.

Citizenship:

Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, 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 or 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

Health:

Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service. Successful candidates will be required to undergo a medical examination carried out by the Council’s Occupational Medical advisor prior to appointment.

Education, Training, Experience, etc.

Candidates shall:

a)    hold an honours degree (level 8 in the National framework of Qualifications) in Planning;

b)    have at least two years satisfactory experience of planning work;

c)     possess a high standard of technical training and experience;

On the date of appointment, the successful candidate must possess a current unendorsed full driving licence (Category A1, A and/or B) as he/she may be required to drive in the course of his/her duties.

 

DETAILS AND PARTICULARS

Duties & Responsibilities

The Assistant Planner will be expected to:

• Assess planning applications, pre-planning, validation and compliance
• Assist in forward planning projects
• Represent the Council at meetings with staff, elected members, community/general interest groups, businesses and residents
• Prepare reports for these meetings as required
• Reply in a timely manner to all correspondence and requests for reports
• Liaise with and respond to other local authorities, government departments and statutory agencies
• Conform to Health & Safety standards with the Local Authority
• Any other duties that may be assigned from time to time

Notwithstanding the requirements of the post successful applicants may be assigned to any service area/role within the Local Authority at an analogous level by the Chief Executive at any time.

Probation

The successful candidate shall be required to be on probation for an initial period, as determined by the Council. This period may be extended at the discretion of the Council.

Salary

Remuneration will be at the Assistant Planner Scale of the national wage scales. The present minimum scale is €47,770 increasing to €74,068 per annum (including LSIs) with annual increments subject to satisfactory performance via PMDS. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

Garda Vetting/Child Protection

Successful candidates will be subject to the Garda Vetting Procedures.

Annual Leave

The annual leave entitlement for this post will be 30 days per annum.

Granting of annual leave, payment for annual leave and arrangement from public holidays will be governed by the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.

Working Hours

The post entails a wide range of duties which require maximum flexibility and will be based on a 35 hour week, involving regular evening and weekend attendance where necessary. The Council reserves the right to alter the hours of work from time to time.

Pension:

The Local Government Superannuation Scheme applies.

Acceptance of Offer of Employment

Cavan County Council shall require persons to whom appointments are offered to take Up such appointments within a period of not more than one month and if they fail to take up the appointment within such period or such longer period as the local authority in its absolute discretion may determine, Cavan County Council shall not appoint them

COMMUNICATIONS:

Cavan County Council will contact you when necessary at each stage of the competition by phone, post or email. It is strongly recommended that you do not change your email address or mobile phone number in the course of this recruitment competition, as any email will be sent to the email address originally supplied on your application form.

It is important to note that the email address you provide when applying must be one that you can access at all times. The onus is on the applicant to inform the Human Resources Department of any change in postal address throughout the recruitment and selection campaign. This can be done by emailing:

The onus is also on each applicant to ensure that she/he is in receipt of all communication from the Cavan County Council. Cavan County Council does not accept responsibility for communications not accessed or received by an applicant.

Stage 1: Closing Date for Submission of Application Form

-        Applications together with scanned copies of relevant qualifications and driving licence should be emailed directly to no later than 5pm on Thursday 9th April, 2026.

-        Failure to submit all of the required documentation with your application will result in your application being invalid and you will not be permitted to proceed any further in the selection process.

-        Application forms, once submitted, will be checked to ensure that they meet the required minimum criteria for the position.

-        If your application form does not meet the minimum qualifications for the post as set out in this booklet then your application will be deemed invalid and you will not be permitted to proceed any further in the selection process.

Stage 2:

Cavan County Council reserves the right to shortlist applications. The shortlisting process may take the form of either a desktop shortlisting process based on the information contained in the application forms or a shortlisting interview. You will be contacted in relation to any interview dates and times.

Stage 3: Final Interview

Interviews will be conducted by an Interview Board set up by Cavan County Council. The Interview Board will assess the merits of candidates. Only candidates who reach such a standard as the Interview Board consider satisfactory in the competitive interview will be considered for selection.

Competency Framework & Requirements

A Requirement and Competency Framework has been developed for the position of Assistant Planner. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate sufficient evidence within their application form of their knowledge, experience, skills and competencies under each of these headings:

Requirements:

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

·        Knowledge and understanding of the structure and functions of local government.

·        Knowledge of current local government issues, priorities and concerns and the strategic direction of local government.

·        Forward Planning experience to include development plans, local area plans, and urban and rural regeneration.

·        Knowledge of Enforcement and Development Management

·        Understanding of the role of an Assistant Planner.

• Understanding of health & safety

·        Relevant planning experience at a sufficiently high level.

·        Experience of compiling, preparing and presenting reports, presentations, correspondence etc.

·        Analyses issues in a logical and rational manner taking into account all relevant information, policies and procedures including legislation.

·        Knowledge and experience of operating GIS systems.

Competencies:

Management and Change

·        Displays the ability to think and act strategically

·        Develops and maintains positive, productive and beneficial working relationships

·        Effectively manages the introduction of change, demonstrates flexibility and openness to change.

Delivering Results

• Contributes to the development of operational plans and leads the development of team plans
• Plans and prioritises work and resources effectively and establishes high quality service and customer care standards
• Makes timely, informed and effective decisions and shows good judgement and balance in making decision or recommendations
• Demonstrates an ability to show initiative

Performance Through People

·        Engages colleagues to achieve quality results and to deliver on individual and team workplans.

·        Has highly effective verbal and written communication skills.

·        Demonstrates strong customer service such as engagement with elected members, general public and other stakeholders.

Personal Effectiveness

·        Is self-motivated and maintains a positive constructive and enthusiastic attitude to their role.

·        Manages time and workload effectively and operates in an environment with significant complexity and pace

·        Recognises the value of and requirement to communicate effectively.

·        Has good interpersonal skills.

ADDITIONAL RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

• An applicant who is found to be ineligible at any stage of the competition will not be further considered. Provision of inaccurate, untrue or misleading information will lead to disqualification from the competition, withdrawal of employment offer or dismissal.

• Information provided by a candidate in their application form will be used for the purpose of the Assistant Planner Competition. By applying for this post, the applicant is consenting to their information being used for this purpose.

·       General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on the 25th May 2018, replacing the existing data protection framework under the EU Data Protection Directive.

When you register with Cavan County Council or submit an application for a competition, we create a computer record in your name. Information submitted with a job application is used in processing your application. Where the services of a third party are used in processing your application, it may be required to provide them with information, however all necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the security of your data.