Chief Technician

The Chief Technician

The Chief Technician will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and will be expected to be a self-starter, use initiative, and work to a high standard.

The role requires excellent technical, supervisory, interpersonal, communication, research, reporting, budgetary, and timescale management. The post holder will be expected to carry out their duties in a manner that enhances public trust and confidence and ensures impartial decision making.

The position of Chief Technician is a senior technical post within the Council. The successful candidate will work under the direction and management of a Line Manager, as appropriate, and will, from time to time, be required to deputise for senior personnel.

THE DUTIES

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

(a) Such other local authorities or bodies for which the Chief Executive, for the purposes of the City and County Management Acts, is Chief Executive.

(b) 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 mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph, under the direction and supervision of the appropriate officer, such technical and ancillary services of an advisory, supervisory, or executive nature 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, including the duty of assisting the appropriate officer in the supervision of such services of any of the foregoing local authorities or bodies.

The actual duties of the post of Chief Technician will depend on placement of the post, but in general they will include, but are not limited to:

• Providing necessary information to Senior Management relevant to the area of responsibility.
• Management and supervision of staff, and co-ordination of duties of staff under their control.
• Ensuring the efficient delivery of services in their area of responsibility.
• Providing technical services to the area of responsibility to which they have been assigned, e.g. site inspections, site surveying, creation of drawings and graphics, report writing, and such other duties associated with a drawing office.
• Operating the appropriate technology as required to carry out the work to which they have been assigned, including CAD, Graphics, GIS software such as ESRI/ArcGIS, and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
• Liaising with other departments, members of the public, and external agencies in relation to operational aspects of assigned work.
• Functioning as a Team Leader. This includes prioritising work as determined by the Section Head/Director of Services, functioning as a facilitator and co-ordinator between team members and other departments and external agencies, and being responsible for the allocation of work and ensuring task completion.
• Preparation of estimates.
• Preparation of public consultation display material.
• Preparation of design drawings and reports for, and attendance at, meetings.
• Preparation of land registry maps and dealing with the Land Registry Office.
• Mentoring and development of technical staff, including Technicians at Grade I and Grade II, Executive Technicians, and Senior Executive Technicians.
• Contributing to individual staff development, personal development, and team development initiatives.
• Undertaking any course of training organised by Longford County Council which they are designated to attend.
• Providing a high level of service to public representatives, including attendance and presentations at meetings, including at Municipal District level.
• Carrying out all responsibilities in relation to Health and Safety and maintaining, managing, where required, and proactively developing a culture of Health and Safety in the workplace.
• Such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

If appointed to the Environment Section, the duties of the post in general will also include, but are not limited to:

• Scientific report writing and preparation of data for annual environmental reports, measures reports, and attendance at routine meetings with Operations, Uisce Éireann, the HSE, and EPA as required.
• Overseeing the investigation, risk assessment, reporting, enforcement, and close-out of environmental complaints assigned.
• Preparation of environmental pollution cases and provision of expert testimony in court, as required, implementation of plans and measures under the River Basin Management Plans, including liaison with Fisheries bodies, LAWPRO, and EPA as required.
• Oversee the Quality Management System (QMS), including equipment calibration and servicing, internal and external quality audits, method validation, and non-conforming testing.
• Overseeing water body quality testing and reporting programmes.
• Input into the implementation of the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme and the Developer Provided Infrastructure Programme.
• Forward planning/strategic development - provide technical information for development plans on Water and Wastewater treatment plants operated by Uisce Éireann.
• Assessment of planning applications referred to the Environment Section.

If appointed to the Roads Section, the duties of the post in general will also include, but are not limited to:

• Reporting to the Senior Executive Engineer, or such other officer as may be determined from time to time.
• Providing technical support to Engineers in the Roads Section.
• Supervise/direct/assist technicians working in the Road Design team.
• Maintaining and updating the LCC Road Schedule.
• Review of Speed Limits in County Longford.
• Preparation of land transfer maps for CPO or other schemes.
• Advancing relatively small schemes for construction independently.
• Managing ongoing maintenance contracts.
• Preparing documentation for the public procurement and tendering of projects, as well as all documentation required under current Health and Safety legislation.
• Managing and maintaining various online systems like MapRoad PMS, TII Portal, MRL, etc., as requested.
• Any other duties as determined by the Director of Services.
• Ensuring the efficient delivery of services in their area of responsibility.
• Providing technical services to the area of responsibility to which he/she has been assigned, e.g. site inspections, site surveying, creation of drawings and graphics, report writing, and such other duties associated with a drawing office.
• Operating the appropriate technology as required to carry out the work to which he/she has been assigned, including CAD, Graphics, GIS software such as ESRI/ArcGIS, Autodesk AutoCAD, MapRoad PMS, Microsoft Office Suite applications such as Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Agresso.
• Drafting and inputting the roadworks programme on the MapRoad Pavement Management System (PMS).
• Liaison with the Road Management Office.
• Preparing and submitting monthly claims to TII.
• Maintaining and updating the Road Works Schedule.
• Reviewing Speed Limits in County Longford and maintaining the speed limits database on the MapRoad Pavement Management System (PMS).
• Liaising with other departments, members of the public, and external agencies in relation to operational aspects of assigned work.
• Functioning as a Team Leader. This includes prioritising work as determined by the Head of Department/Service, functioning as a facilitator and co-ordinator between team members and other departments and external agencies, and being responsible for the allocation of work and ensuring task completion.
• Preparation of estimates.
• Preparation of public consultation display material.
• Preparation of design drawings, contract documents, supervision of the tender process, and completion of tender assessment reports.
• Preparation of drawings/reports for, and attendance at, meetings.
• Preparation and monitoring of works programmes.
• Have a good knowledge of Public Procurement regulations and standards.
• Preparation of land registry maps, dealing with the Land Registry Office, and assessment of titles, advising on implications of particular title/property dealings.
• Providing technical advice and mapping support regarding the preparation and conclusion of Compulsory Purchase Orders, serving notices, etc.
• Responding to Service in Charge queries regarding public road ownership.
• Preparation and uploading of Performance Indicator data.
• Contributing to individual staff development, personal development, and team development initiatives.
• Carrying out all responsibilities in relation to Health and Safety and maintaining, managing where required, and proactively developing a culture of Health and Safety in the workplace.
• Undertaking any course of training organised by Longford County Council which he/she is designated to attend.
• Keeping up to date with the latest specifications and standards.
• Any other associated duties as may be assigned from time to time.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have good knowledge and experience in public procurement and the public tendering process, particularly for construction projects.
• Have good knowledge and experience of Health and Safety legislation and public Health and Safety policies and procedures in the management of construction projects.
• Be very familiar with Surveying, AutoCAD, MapInfo, GIS, Asset Management Programmes, and similar software.
• Have good experience in mapping and preparing construction drawings.
• Be a good communicator and have good report writing skills.
• Have good negotiation skills.
• Display good technical knowledge.
• Be capable of progressing works on their own initiative.
• Participate and take part in duties as required as part of the organisational response to Climate Action to promote and ensure capacity building, empowering change, and delivering action.
• Undertake such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

The above specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and, consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

The 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 Longford County Council.

QUALIFICATIONS1. Character

Each candidate must be of good character.

2. 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.

3. 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, 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, the UK, or Switzerland, and has a Stamp 4 visa.

4. Education, Training, Experience, etc.

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

(a) Have satisfactory experience in a Technician post at Grade I or higher level, or in an analogous post under a local authority or health board in the State.

(b) Have at least nine years' satisfactory relevant experience in a Technician post at Grade II or higher level, or an analogous post.

(c) Have a thorough knowledge of all the technical aspects of local authority work and also a deeper knowledge of at least one relevant section of the work, and possess such training or experience as would enable them to take charge of such a section of the work.

(d) Have adequate experience in dealing with other departments within their own organisations and with other bodies.

(e) Have adequate experience in the direction, supervision, and control of staff.

(f) Possess technical training and experience of a high standard and adequate administrative ability.

(g) Candidates should be holders of a full Category B driving licence, free from endorsement, and provide their own vehicle for use in carrying out their Council duties. Their motor insurance policy must indemnify the Council.

Candidates must demonstrate in their application form that they possess the above.

Failure to do so may result in being deemed ineligible for the competition.

PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYMENT1. The Post

The post is whole-time (35 hours per week) and appointment may be permanent or temporary.

2. Location

Longford County Council reserves the right to assign the successful candidates to any premises in use by the Council, now or in the future.

The person appointed will be required to report to their place of work by their own means of transport and at their own expense.

3. Commencement

Longford County Council shall require a person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month and, if they fail to take up the appointment within such period, or such other longer period as the Council in its absolute discretion may determine, Longford County Council shall not appoint them.

4. Working Hours

The current working hours are 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. A flexible working system is in operation. Longford County Council reserves the right to alter the hours of work from time to time.

All hours worked are subject to and recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997, and the Organisation of Working Time Regulations, 2001.

Longford County Council requires employees to record their hours using a clocking system.

5. Reporting Arrangements

Chief Technicians report directly to the appropriate supervisor in the Section or to any other employee of Longford County Council as designated for this purpose.

A system of regular appraisal will be operated during employment, which will involve discussions between the employee and the line manager regarding performance and conduct.

6. Probationary Period of Employment

There shall be a period after appointment during which the appointee will hold the position on probation. The period of probation will be prescribed by the Chief Executive.

Employment may be terminated during the probationary period should service be deemed by the Chief Executive to be unsatisfactory.

Employment may be terminated at the end of the probationary period unless the Chief Executive has certified that the employee had satisfactory service. Tenure of employment following probation will be subject to satisfactory service.

7. Remuneration

The current scale for the post of Chief Technician is €58,026 - €75,233 (LSI2) gross per annum (Circular EL 04/2026). The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government Circulars.

On appointment, successful candidates will be placed on the first point of the salary scale. Appointment to a higher point of the salary scale may apply to candidates employed elsewhere in the public service, subject to verification of service history.

Remuneration is paid fortnightly by PayPath directly to the employee's nominated bank account. The current wage pay cycle may be revised during the period of employment.

Remuneration is subject to all statutory deductions, e.g. P.A.Y.E. and P.R.S.I.

Increments are paid annually, subject to satisfactory attendance, conduct, performance, and national agreements. Increments may be withheld if performance, attendance, and/or conduct are not satisfactory.

8. Superannuation & Retirement

A person who becomes a pensionable employee of the County Council will be required, in respect of their superannuation, to contribute to the Local Authority at the appropriate rate.

The terms of the Local Government Superannuation (Consolidation) Scheme 1998, as amended, or the Public Services Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004, or the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme & Other Provisions) Act 2012 will apply as appropriate on appointment.

Retirement age for employees is dependent on their relevant contract of employment, with due consideration being given to the rules of the Superannuation Scheme to which they belong.

• For appointees who are deemed not to be "new entrants" as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, retirement is compulsory on reaching 65 years of age.
• The minimum retirement age for "new entrants" to the public service, as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004, is 65. There is no mandatory retirement age.
• Effective from 1 January 2013, the Single Public Service Scheme applies to all first-time new entrants to the public service, as well as to former public servants returning to the public service after a break of more than 26 weeks: