Assistant Scientist

JOB DESCRIPTION The Assistant Scientist provides scientific and managerial support across several local authority service areas and is required to liaise with external agencies and support the democratic process.

Reporting to the Executive Scientist, Executive Engineer or Senior Executive Engineer, Environment, the Assistant Scientist will be responsible for the efficient management of their prescribed work area and will fulfil the duties of the office in accordance with Clare County Council’s Occupational Health & Safety Management System. ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE The ideal candidate for the position shall: • understand Local Authority services and structures in Ireland; • have the ability to provide scientific advice and reports for other sections in the Local Authority e.g., Planning and Rural Water Services Sections and for stakeholder organisations and the public; • have good knowledge of relevant Water, Air, Noise, Waste and Wastewater Legislation; • have good knowledge of the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC and a good understanding of how the assessment of biological and environmental data obtained from monitoring programmes are used to classify the five different water categories, river lakes, canals, groundwater, estuaries, and coastal waters; • have good knowledge of plans such as the Water Action Plan, National Inspection Plan, Waste Management Plan, County Council Development Plan; • be familiar with the role of the EPA in Public Authority Enforcement and Local Authority Environmental Enforcement Performance Framework. • have a focus on the customer and on service improvement including taking ownership and resolving issues arising from, complaints, EPA audits, non-compliances etc. • have excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills; • Other duties as may be assigned

Competencies for the Post This is a competency-based competition, and the interviews will be competency based. The competencies listed below are the Local Authority competencies for this post. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate sufficient evidence within their application form of competence under each of these. Management and Change • Displays the ability to think and act strategically when managing environmental (water, waste, and air) incidents, enforcement activity. • Political awareness, have clear understanding of political reality and context of the organisation. • Develops and maintains positive, productive, and beneficial working relationships with all stakeholders. • Effectively manages the introduction of change, fosters a culture of creativity in employees and overcomes resistance to change, demonstrates flexibility and an openness to change. Delivering Results: • Makes timely informed and effective decisions and shows good judgement and balance in making decisions or recommendations of a scientific nature either internally or for external bodies. • Contributes to the development of scientific operational plans and to the development of specific scientific team plans. • Demonstrates ability to manage resources to ensure they are used effectively to deliver quality outcomes in line with scientific operational and team plans. • Ensures compliance with council and external agency procedures and protocols. Performance through people: • Leads, motivates, and engages employees to achieve quality results and to deliver on operational plans. • Demonstrates ability to effectively manage performance, including conflict resolution. • Has highly effective verbal and written communication skills. Personal Effectiveness: • Is self-motivated and maintains a positive constructive and enthusiastic attitude to their role. • Manages time and workload effectively. • Demonstrates the required specialist knowledge, understanding and training for the role. • Personal Motivation, Initiative and Achievement; is enthusiastic about the role and sets challenging goals to achieve high quality outcomes. • Behaves in an honest, trustworthy, and respectful manner and is transparent, fair, and consistent in dealing with others. Duties • To contribute to the development and implementation of the annual Recommended Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspection (RMCEI) plan. • To undertake Odour, Noise, Air, Water & Waste inspections as required. • To undertake site inspections, farm inspections, septic tanks inspections, and any other environmental inspections as directed.

• To manage inspections as a result of pollution complaints to ensure that all are recorded and responded to in a timely fashion. • Under take water, air, noise sampling as required. • ensure the effective co-ordination and consistency in the implementation of environmental enforcement activity. This includes but is not limited to licensing/permitting of facilities, auditing, and inspections of licensed facilities, issuing enforcement notices, on- site wastewater treatment plant inspections, site suitability planning inspections, farm inspections and dealing with environmental pollution complaints. • To manage inspections as a result of pollution complaints to ensure that all are recorded and responded to in a timely fashion. • To provide relevant reports as required both internally or by external bodies, e.g. EPA, HSE SRWMO, WERLA, DECC, Inland Fisheries etc. • Other duties as may be assigned

Other Desirable Skills • manage finance and budgets and ensuring value for money • have knowledge of Discharge Licences and enforcement required to ensure compliance with the Water Pollution Act 1977 as amended. • Be familiar with the Good Agricultural Practice regulations and undertake inspections to assess compliance with same. • be familiar with and be able to demonstrate capability of working in close consultation with key stakeholders, e.g., EPA, Inland Fisheries Ireland, Irish Water, SE-APT and regional offices such as LAWPRO, Regional Waste Management Office and the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority. • be experienced in meeting regularly with stakeholders, providing updates, presentations, and reports, taking customer feedback, and ensuring any learning from same is used to enhance the operations of the organisation; • demonstrate satisfactory experience related to enforcement action in the areas of water and waste legislation; • have experience in data management, and necessary GIS skills; • have experience in using the online web portal called EDEN which has been developed by the EPA for local authorities and licence holders to communicate with the agency; • have experience of producing annual team plans, holding team meetings, planning, and delegating work effectively; • have experience of participating in multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and cross functional teams. • can motivate, empower, encourage, and achieve maximum efficiency and value for money from the personnel and processes under his / her control; • have experience of completing Annual Environmental Reports (AER’s) for local authority licenced facilities and annual RMCEI returns and plans.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA 1. Character Each candidate must be of good character. 2. Health Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service. 3. Education, Training, Experience, etc. Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms: (a) Hold an honours degree (Level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications) in Science, and (b) Have at least 2 years satisfactory experience of scientific work, and (c) Possess a high standard of technical training and experience.

Failure to input and upload proof of essential educational qualifications in your application form will deem you ineligible for this competition.

*Non-Irish Qualifications must be accompanied by a determination 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. 4. Age Each candidate must be under 70 years of age on the latest date for receipt of completed Application Forms for the office if they are deemed not to be new entrants to the Public Service as defined by the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004. However, the age restriction of 70 years does not apply to "new entrants" to the Public Service as defined by the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004.

5. Driving Licence Each candidate must hold a current full Class B driving licence free from endorsements. When required to do so, holders of this office shall drive a motor car in the course of their duties and for this purpose provide and maintain a car to the satisfaction of the local authority. 6. 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.

PARTICULARS OF POST Salary: The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be as determined from time to time. Holders of the post will be paid at the appropriate point on the salary scale in accordance with the relevant Department Circular. Where the appointee has been serving elsewhere in the public service in an analogous grade and pay-scale and will be moving without break to another part of the public sector at an analogous grade, the appointment may be made at the appointee’s current point of scale. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Starting pay for new entrants to the sector will be at the minimum of the scale. The current salary scale applicable to the post is

€46,802 - €49,444 - €51,392 - €53,414 - €55,485 - €57,590 - €59,715 - €61,840 - €63,964 - €66,092 - €68,232 - €70,419 (1st LSI) - €72,609 (2nd LSI) (March 2025)

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