Assistant Principal Officer - SUSI

Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons for the following position:

Assistant Principal Officer (APO) - SUSI

1916 Bursary Co-ordinator

(Specific Purpose Contract)

Ref: APOSSPB25

City of Dublin Education and Training Board (City of Dublin ETB) was established on 1st July 2013 under the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013. City of Dublin ETB has 3,000 employees and an annual budget of €580m. It is the state education and training authority for Dublin city and serves the area covered by Dublin City Council. This provision is delivered to over 48,000 learners (20,000 full-time and 28,000 part-time) and is supported by a range of services including a psychological service, a curriculum development unit, a buildings maintenance unit and Head Office staff in Ballsbridge. It also has statutory responsibility for supporting the provision, coordination, administration and assessment of youth work services in Dublin city and is the lead partner for Music Generation Dublin City.

Support City of Dublin ETB is also responsible for the national awarding authority for student grants in Ireland, Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is a unit of City of Dublin ETB which is designated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as the single Irish national awarding authority for student grants in further and higher education. SUSI is a dynamic workplace based in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 and features a challenging balance of day-to-day operations and strategic development projects. The core work of SUSI involves the annual processing of large numbers of online grant applications within short timeframes to determine eligibility under the criteria of the Student Grant Scheme. Approximately 100,000 grant applications are received on an annual basis. SUSI has also broadened its functions in recent years and now provides services relating to the 1916 Bursary, the International Protection Student Scheme , the PLC Bursary for Displaced Persons (Ukraine), the National Tertiary Office Programmes and the All-Ireland Scholarship.

The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) was established by the Department of Education and Skills in 2016 to support the implementation of the National Plan for Equity of Access (NAP). The second of the PATH strands (PATH 2, also known as the 1916 Bursary Fund) was first announced by the Minister for Education and Skills on 30 December 2017.

The 1916 Bursary is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and aims to encourage participation and success by students who are most socio-economically disadvantaged and from groups most under-represented in higher education.

To be eligible for a 1916 Bursary, all applicants must meet, Financial, Priority Group and College Entry eligibility criteria. This fund is allocated on a competitive basis to the six regional clusters of higher education institutions, which include all publicly funded HEIs. Each participating college has a limited number of bursaries which are awarded to the eligible applicants that present the greatest need through using a points-based system for applicants eligible to receive the Bursary.

Proposed Timeframe: Shortlisting will take place week commencing: 18th August 2025

Interviews will commence week beginning: 25th August 2025

*All dates are subject to change and are for guidance only

Salary: For persons entering public service for the first time, starting pay will be at the minimum point of the APO salary scale, €82,698. This is not negotiable. An incremental salary scale applies thereafter.

Previous public sector experience may be eligible for incremental credit, to be determined upon appointment.

Annual Leave: 30 working days per annum (pro rata).

Hours of Work: 35 hours per week.

Location of Position: The position will be based in SUSI, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4.

Summary of Position: Reporting to SUSI’s Director of Services, the Co-Ordinator will be responsible for both delivering on the current and future administration of the Bursary while working to fully integrate it into SUSI.

Working closely with all key stakeholders such as the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority, the Co-Ordinator will work to achieve the necessary policy changes for SUSI as an awarding authority to fully administer the operations of the 1916 Bursary.

The Co-Ordinator will act as a representative for the 1916 Bursary Cluster Leads and SUSI, representing them and their views at various working groups, high-level meetings and workshops ensuring clear communication between all parties.

The Co-Ordinator will be responsible for the co-ordination of the 1916 Bursary and working with all SUSI units to deliver the ICT, Assessment, QA, Appeals, Training, Payments and Communications requirements.

The Co-Ordinator is also responsible for managing the budget and procuring all goods and services required to deliver the service. They will ensure all required funding is transferred to SUSI in a timely manner to ensure the service and payment of the Bursary is met within the timelines of the program of work. 

Declaration: Applicants will be required to declare whether they have previously availed of a Public Service scheme of incentivised early retirement, including schemes not specifically mentioned above. Applicants will also be required to declare any entitlements to a Public Service pension benefit (in payment or preserved) from any other Public Service employment and/or where they have received a payment-in-lieu in respect of service in any Public Service employment.

Referees: Candidates must supply details of two referees on their application form, please note that these referees should have knowledge of you and your work to whom professional reference can be made. One of which should be your current or most recent employer.

Referees may be contacted pre or post interview directly by City of Dublin ETB at its convenience and without further notice to candidates.

Please see Information Guide for further details.