Assistant Staff Officer

The Role:

The position of Assistant Staff Officer is a first-level position in middle management within the structure of the Assembly. An Assistant Staff Officer is required to be an effective, participative member of a team and will be required to supervise staff, manage the distribution of work, and provide one-to-one coaching and training for junior staff members.

The successful candidate will be based in the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly offices in Ballymun, Dublin 9.

Duties

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day workings for the area of responsibility, including administration, finance, and corporate functions.
• Support the line manager to ensure the section or department work programmes are implemented to deliver on the Assembly’s Corporate Plan and operational plans.
• Process transactions in Agresso financial management software and update staff records in CORE HR.
• Assist with the processing of HR functions.
• Assist with the administration of Assembly meetings.
• Prepare reports, correspondence, and other documents as necessary.
• Provide administrative support to the Planning Team and EU Team.
• Assist with the administration of key EMRA projects, including EU-funded projects.
• Carry out other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

The appointee will be required to carry out the duties attached to the post under the general direction of the Senior Staff Officer, to whom they report and are responsible for the performance of these duties.

EligibilityCharacter

Each candidate must be of good character.

Health

Each candidate shall be in a state of health that indicates a reasonable prospect of being able to render regular and efficient service.

Education, Training, Experience, etc.

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:

(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
• 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
• 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 Competitions

Candidates must:

i. Be a serving employee in either the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly or Dublin City Council and have not less than two years’ satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or an analogous post.

or

ii. Be a serving employee in a local authority or a regional assembly and have not less than two years’ satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or an analogous post.

Ideal Candidate Will Demonstrate

• Experience in the use of a Financial Management System.
• Knowledge of financial procedures.
• Knowledge and understanding of regional and local government policies and structures.
• Understanding of the role of an Assistant Staff Officer.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• Experience in managing and motivating staff.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience of preparing reports and correspondence.
• Experience in the use of desktop office products such as Excel, Word, and email.

The Competition

Recruitment arrangements to this grade will be on the following basis:

A. 50% confined to employees of the sector. B. 30% open. C. 20% confined to employees of EMRA and Dublin City Council.

The Regional Assembly will form three separate panels of suitably qualified candidates to meet the nationally agreed ratio of posts confined to the Local Government sector, Open/External candidates, and candidates confined to Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly and Dublin City Council staff.

The order of candidates placed on each of the three panels is determined by where they were placed on the overall Order of Merit List.

Panel A (Confined to Local Authority Sector)

Will comprise 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)

Will comprise all successful applicants in order of merit and may include candidates serving in a local authority, regional assembly, and external applicants.

Panel C (Confined to EMRA and Dublin City Council)

Will comprise all successful applicants in order of merit from within this pool only.

Terms and Conditions1. The Post

The post is whole-time and permanent.

2. Probation

There will be a six-month probation period, which may be extended at the discretion of the Director.

3. Superannuation

If you are pensionable under the Local Government (Superannuation) (Consolidation) Scheme 1998 and are liable to pay Class A PRSI contributions, you will be required in respect of superannuation to make contributions at the rate of:

• 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration, plus
• 1.5% of full pensionable remuneration.

You are also required, in respect of spouses’ and children’s pension benefits, to contribute at the rate of 1.5% of full pensionable remuneration in accordance with the terms of schemes made under the Local Government (Superannuation) (Consolidation) Scheme 1998.

Maximum retirement age: 65.

If the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 applies to your employment, 65 is the minimum age at which your pension may be paid. As a new entrant to the public service, under the terms of this legislation, you will not be required to retire on grounds of age.

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

You may also be required to pay Spouses’ and Children’s/Widows’ and Orphans’ contributions at the rate of 1.5% of gross pay.

Maximum retirement age: 65.

If you are pensionable under the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012, you are required to pay contributions as follows:

• 3% of gross remuneration.
• 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration.

The minimum age at which you may retire is aligned with the State Contributory Pension age (currently 66).

Maximum retirement age: 70.

4. Salary

Salary shall be at Local Government Assistant Staff Officer level:

€36,474 to €56,015 (2nd LSI)

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

Persons who are not serving local authority employees on or after 1 January 2011 will be placed on the minimum of the scale.

5. Hours of Work

• 35 hours per week over 5 days.
• The successful applicant may occasionally be requested to work outside normal office hours, if necessary, without additional remuneration.
• Flexible working arrangements may apply, including hybrid working.

The Assembly reserves the right to alter your hours of work from time to time.

6. Annual Leave

Annual leave entitlement for the position will be 30 days per year, pro rata.

7. Retirement

There is no mandatory retirement age for new entrants to the public service as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004.

Anyone who is not a new entrant to the public service, as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004, is subject to a compulsory retirement age of 65 years.

The maximum retirement age for new entrants as defined by the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 is 70 years.

8. Residence

Post holders shall reside within a reasonable commuting distance of Ballymun, Co. Dublin.

The Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly reserves the right to assign the post holder to any premises, now or in the future, subject to reasonable notice.

9. Start Date

The Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly shall require the successful candidate to take up their appointment within a reasonable period.

Should they fail to take up the appointment within an agreed period, the Assembly may, at its discretion, decide not to appoint them.