Assistant Principal Officer

The SFPA is seeking an Assistant Principal Officer as Executive Manager, Corporate Affairs.

This senior leadership position is a rewarding and challenging role for an individual who can demonstrate the ability to lead and manage the Corporate Governance arrangements of the Authority and the Corporate Affairs unit to achieve its intended outcomes and deliver a range of key services including compliance with data protection legislation, governance obligations, communications, business & strategy reporting, risk management, FOI/AIE requests and parliamentary questions.

The post holder will be the SFPA's Data Protection Officer and, as well as this, ensure that the SFPA's governance measures are undertaken to the highest standards of probity and according to legislative and code requirements. They will manage procedures and develop policies for the sound corporate governance of SFPA and will advise the SFPA Authority and Management Board on related matters.

The position offers an opportunity for an ambitious, enthusiastic and committed professional with a strong commitment to serving the public interest, to influence and contribute to the development of the SFPA and support it in its role in protecting and conserving fisheries resources for long-term use.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the preparation of the Annual Report for submission and publication.
• Proactively engage with the SFPA Internal Audit function and oversee the operation, administration, and implementation of the SFPA Central Audit Tracker.
• The role holder will support the Chief Risk Officer in the effective implementation of SFPA Risk Management policy.
• Support the refinement of business continuity practices within the SFPA.
• Ensure SFPA compliance with key statutory obligations including data protection, freedom of information, sustainability reporting, Official Languages Act and protected disclosures.
• Ensure that corporate policies and procedures are documented, updated and aligned with best practice and communicated to others.
• Support the Executive Chair fulfilling their Accountable Officer responsibilities with respect to good governance and to maintain the highest standards of prudence, propriety and regularity.
• Act as the Data Protection Officer (DPO) and support the organisation in managing its data protection framework.
• Proactively manage compliance with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and other relevant legislative and statutory requirements.
• Lead on the execution, oversight and reporting on the SFPA Strategy.
• Provide leadership to all staff within their area of responsibility to ensure delivery of targets and objectives set out in the Business Plan and SFPA Strategy by promoting teamwork and developing the capability of the team through mentoring and coaching.
• Support the work of the SFPA Audit & Risk Committee.
• Provide the Authority and the Management Board with information and reports on corporate affairs related areas as appropriate and any other such reports as may be required from time to time to facilitate executive decision making.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

In addition to the duties outlined above, an Executive Manager Corporate Affairs carries out any other relevant duties which may be assigned to him/her by the Authority Members, or other authorised officers, from time to time.

Note: This job description should be regarded as an outline of the major areas of accountability at AP Grade at the present time and will be reviewed and assessed on an ongoing basis. The duties and responsibilities may change as the role evolves.

• Monitor changes to the legal framework within which the SFPA operates and provide guidance to the Authority, Management Board and Senior Management Team to ensure continued compliance with that framework.
• Report to the SFPA Authority and Management Board on the implementation and delivery of its Oversight and Performance and Delivery Agreement.
• Manage internal staff and external suppliers to design, develop and deliver the SFPA's communications strategy.
• Report periodically on the implementation and effectiveness of the SFPA's communications strategy.
• Oversee national promotional and awareness campaigns of SFPA through the provision of effective communication campaigns across a variety of channels.
• Represent SFPA as required and develop effective partnerships with external stakeholders.
• Manage presence at outreach events, such as at trade shows and industry information sessions.

Essential Requirements

• Possess a Business, Legal or Corporate Governance related Third Level qualification (minimum Level 8).
• Possess post-qualification professional experience in a Data Protection or related field role.
• Possess at least five years' post-qualification professional experience in a Corporate Affairs, Corporate Governance, Communications or related field role.
• Knowledge of the 2016 Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, Data Protection Legislation, Freedom of Information Act, AIE Regulations, Official Languages Act, Ethics Acts, and the Protected Disclosures Act.
• Supervisory management and people management capability.
• The ability to deliver projects, utilising all available resources and securing the best outcomes based on strategic objectives.
• Proven leadership and motivation skills together with the ability to allocate work to team members, set performance standards, evaluate work outputs from the team, foster accountability and address any issues of underperformance arising in relation to staff.
• In addition to the minimum qualification entry requirements candidates must also have:

Pay

The basic salary for the position (rates effective from 1st June 2026) is the Assistant Principal Officer PPC scale of:

€83,113 – €103,576 per annum