Assistant Staff Officer

QUALIFICATIONS

CHARACTER:

Candidates shall be of good character.

HEALTH:

Each candidate must be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

For the purpose of satisfying the requirement as to health it will be necessary for each successful candidate, before they are appointed, to undergo at their expense a medical examination by a qualified medical practitioner to be nominated by the Local Authority. On taking up employment, the expense of the medical examination will be refunded to the candidate.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE ETC:

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

(i) (a) Have obtained at least 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.

CONFINED COMPETITION:

(iv) Be a serving employee in a local authority, or a regional assembly where applicable and have at least two years satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or analogous post.

Recruitment of the post of Assistant Staff Officer (Grade IV) will now be on the following basis:

Panel A. 50% confined to employees of the sector being all Local Authorities and Regional Assembly (where applicable).

Panel B. 30% open competition.

Panel C. 20% confined to employees of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

More details below at No. 10 (iii).

(v) Hold a valid work permit if required*

*All non EU/EEA citizens must hold a valid work permit prior to and for the duration of their contract. The work permit must allow you to work full time for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. It is the responsibility of individual employees to ensure that you have a valid work permit. If at any stage during your contract you cease to hold a valid work permit you must immediately advise Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and your employment will cease with immediate effect.

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.

The position of Assistant Staff Officer is a first level position in the middle management structure in the Council. An Assistant Staff Officer in the Council is required to be an effective, participative member of a team and may be required to supervise staff, manage the distribution of work and may also be required to provide one to one coaching and training for junior staff members. An Assistant Staff Officer will generally be required to act in a front line post in relation to the provision of customer service. An Assistant Staff Officer would be expected to be computer literate with a good knowledge and understanding of I.T. Systems including Microsoft Office. The person appointed will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

In the context of key duties and responsibilities for the post of Assistant Staff Officer, the ideal candidate will demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and competencies:

• Knowledge of policies in relation to staff matters.

• Experience of preparing reports and correspondence.

• Have the ability to supervise staff.

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

• Have excellent ICT skills and demonstrated experience of using all Microsoft packages.

• Understand the changing environment and be capable of adapting to change in order to deliver quality services to our citizens.

• Have an ability to work effectively within a team to achieve a common goal, ensuring standards are adhered to and maintained.

• Be motivated to achieve maximum performance.

• Demonstrate excellent clerical and administrative experience in an office based environment.

• Have an ability to work on own initiative, in an independent environment and without constant supervision.

• Clear and realistic views of future trends and strategic direction of local government.

JOB SPECIFICATION

The office is wholetime, permanent and pensionable.

SALARY:

€36,113 - €38,240 - €41,259 - €43,241 - €44,975 - €46,653 - €48,917 - €50,557 - €52,239 - €53,829 (1st LSI) - €55,460 (2nd LSI) (rates as at 01/02/2026).

In accordance with Departmental Circular letter EL 02/2011, a person who is not a serving local authority employee on or after 1st January 2011, will enter the scale for the position at the minimum point.

Entry point to this scale will be determined in accordance with Circulars issued by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be determined from time to time. Holders of the office shall pay to the Local Authority any fees or other monies (other than their inclusive salary) payable to or received by them by virtue of their office or in respect of services which they are required by or under any enactment to perform.

SUPERANNUATION CONTRIBUTIONS

Persons who become pensionable officers of a Local Authority who are liable to pay the Class A rate of PRSI contribution will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute to the Local Authority at the rate of 1.5% of their pensionable remuneration plus 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration (i.e. pensionable remuneration less twice the annual rate of social insurance old age contributory pension payable at the maximum rate to a person with no adult dependant or qualified children).

Persons who become pensionable officers of a Local Authority who are liable to pay the Class D rate of PRSI contribution will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute to the Local Authority at the rate of 5% of their pensionable remuneration.

All persons who become pensionable officers of a Local Authority will be required in respect of the Spouses and Children’s Contributory Pension Scheme to contribute to the Local Authority at the rate of 1.5% of their pensionable remuneration in accordance with the terms of the scheme.

RETIREMENT:

New Entrants recruited to the Public Service on or after 1 January 2013.

Pensionable public servants (new joiners) recruited to the Public Service for the first time on or after 1 January 2013 (the commencement date of the Single Scheme) will be members of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012.

Pension age:

Minimum pension age is linked to the State Pension age which is currently 66 but may be subject to change.

Compulsory retirement age:

Scheme members must retire at the age of 70.

In all other cases, staff recruited on or after 1 January 2013 who were employed in the Public Service on 31 December 2012 or within a period prior to 31 December 2012 not exceeding 26 weeks will retain their existing pension scheme terms and conditions.

In certain circumstances, e.g. where the public servant was on secondment or approved leave or remains on the same contract of employment, the 26 week rule does not apply.

Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER):

It is a condition of the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER) as set out in Department of Finance Circular 12/09 that retirees under that Scheme are debarred from applying for another position in the same employment or the same sector. Therefore, such retirees may not apply for this position.

DUTIES:

The duties of the post include the following:

• To support the line manager to ensure the section or department work programmes are implemented to deliver on the Council’s Corporate Plan and operational matters.

• To communicate and liaise effectively with employees, supervisors and line managers in other sections, and customers in relation to operational matters for their section or area of work.

• To prepare reports, correspondence and other documents as necessary.

• Use all technology and equipment as required.

• To organise and facilitate internal and external meetings and participate and engage in discussions as appropriate.

• To provide assistance and support in the delivery of projects as required.

• To ensure high levels of customer service, responding to queries and requests for information in a professional, courteous and timely manner.

• To support the line manager to communicate, implement and manage all change management initiatives within the relevant area of responsibility.

• To supervise employees within their team or programmes of work within their area of responsibility, providing support to team members or colleagues as required and through participation in the Performance Management Development System.

• To complete all essential training successfully.

• To participate in corporate activities and responsibilities appropriate to the grade.

• To be in compliance with Health and Safety legislative requirements, policies and procedures and safe systems of work.

• To deputise for the line manager or equivalent.

• To undertake any other duties of a similar level and responsibility, as may be required or assigned, 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 Council.

The duties of the post are to give to the local authority and to:

(a) The local authorities or bodies for which the Chief Executive is Chief Executive, and

(b) To any other local authority or body with which an agreement has been made by the local authority or by any of the authorities or bodies referred to in sub paragraph (a) of this paragraph under the general direction and control of the Chief Executive or of such officers as the Chief Executive may from time to time determine, such appropriate computing, technical, management, administrative, executive, supervisory, advisory and ancillary services as may be required by any local authority or body hereinbefore mentioned in the exercise and performance of any of its powers, functions and duties and to exercise such powers, functions and duties as may be delegated to them by the Chief Executive from time to time including the duty of servicing all committees that may be established by any such local authority or body. The holder of the post will, if required, act for an officer of a higher level.

The duties shall be such as shall be assigned by the local authority from time to time, and shall include the duty of deputising for other officers of the local authority when required. The duties shall also include such duties as may be assigned in relation to the area of any other local authority.

HOURS OF WORK

All new entrants to the Local Authority sector and any individuals on new appointments or promotion will work 35 hours per week.

ANNUAL LEAVE

Annual leave entitlement for the position of Assistant Staff Officer is 30 days per annum in accordance with Department of Environment, Community and Local Government Circular LG(P) 07/2011.

PROBATION:

When a person is not already a permanent officer of a Local Authority in Ireland and is appointed to a permanent office the following provisions shall apply, that is to say:

a) There shall be a period after such appointment takes effect during which such person shall hold office on probation.

b) Such period shall be one year.

c) Such person shall cease to hold such office at the end of the period of probation unless, during such period, the Chief Executive has certified that the service of such person in such office is satisfactory.

LOCATION AND RESIDENCE

Holders of the office shall reside in the district in which their duties are to be performed or within a reasonable distance thereof. Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council reserves the right to assign Employees to any premises in use by the Council, now or in the future subject to reasonable notice.

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 the parent of a dependent Irish citizen child and has been granted residence permission (usually Stamp 4).

RECRUITMENT:

Pursuant to Article 8 of the Local Government (Appointment of Officers) Regulation, 1974, the Minister has given directions as follows:

i. Selection of candidates for appointment shall be by means of a competition based on an interview conducted by or on behalf of the Local Authority. The interview will be competency based and marks will be awarded under the competency skill sets identified for the position of Assistant Staff Officer as outlined above. Candidates will also be required to demonstrate knowledge of the key duties and responsibilities for this role. Please note that the interview may be held in person or online.

ii. DLRCC reserves its right to shortlist candidates, in the manner it deems most appropriate, to proceed to the interview stage of the competition. Following receipt of all applications, job applicants may be shortlisted for assessment based on the extent to which they meet the criteria from the job description and or where it would not be practical to interview all applicants. Aptitude Testing may in some circumstances be used to facilitate the shortlisting process. If required, the testing will be performed through a 3rd party provider and submission of an application for employment is regarded as consent to share your information for the purposes of short listing and recruitment. Your information will be provided for the sole purpose of shortlisting suitable candidates and for no other purpose. Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council will ensure any 3rd party fully complies with GDPR and Data Protection legislation. It is therefore in your own interest to provide a detailed and accurate account of your relevant qualifications and experience on the application form and also to demonstrate sufficient evidence of the competencies required for this position under each competency heading which are detailed above. Short listing does not suggest that candidates are necessarily unsuitable or incapable of undertaking the job, rather that there are some candidates who based on their application appear to be better qualified and or have more relevant experience. Short listing may take the form of Desk top Short listing, Aptitude Test and or Preliminary Interview or combinations thereof.

iii. If a candidate wishes to appeal either a short listing or interview board decision, they must do so within five working days of being notified of this decision. The appeal must clearly state the grounds of appeal which must be emailed to The Appeals Officer recruitment@dlrcoco.ie

. The HR Department will evaluate the grounds of the appeal. If grounds for an appeal are not upheld, HR Management will notify the candidate in writing of this outcome and no further action will be taken. If the grounds upon which the appeal is made are upheld, the HR Department will notify the candidate of this outcome and corrective action will be taken. The decision of the HR Department on the appeal is final.

Panels may be formed on the basis of such interviews. Candidates whose names are on a panel and who satisfy the Local Authority that they are otherwise suitable for appointment may within the life of the panel be appointed as appropriate vacancies arise. The life of the panel will not be more than one year reckoned from the date of the formation of the panel unless extended.

Recruitment of the post of Assistant Staff Officer (Grade IV) will now be on the following basis:

A. 50% confined to employees of the sector.

B. 30% open.

C. 20% confined to employees of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

The sector includes all Local Authorities and Regional Assembly (where applicable). Staff who are not existing employees of these local authorities or regional assembly (where applicable) are not eligible to apply for competitions confined to the sector or to the local authorities, i.e. Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Panel A (Confined to the Local Authority Sector) will comprise of 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 of all successful applicants in order of merit and may include candidates serving in a Local Authority, Regional Assembly (where applicable), and external candidates.

Please Note: All Candidates applying for inclusion on Panel B must include full details of their educational qualifications (subjects taken and grades achieved).

Panel C (Confined to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council) will comprise of successful applicants, in order of merit, from within Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council only.

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

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

v. The Local Authority 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 appointments within such period or such longer period as the Local Authority in its absolute discretion may determine, the Local Authority shall not appoint them.

vi. An applicant who withdraws their application at any stage of the competition will not be permitted to re enter the competition at a later stage.

ADDITIONAL RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 to 2016 came into effect on 29th April 2016. The Act places a statutory obligation on DLRCC to ensure that any work or activity which is carried out by a person, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of a person having access to or contact with children or vulnerable persons will be subject of Garda Vetting.