Civil Defence Trainers

The Roles

Reporting to an Assistant Principal of the relevant training area, the Civil Defence Trainer will have responsibility for the development and delivery of courses within the Civil Defence College. This training delivery will generally be on a Train the Trainer (TTT) basis, i.e. delivering training to nominated volunteers from each Civil Defence Unit, who will then return to their units and train onwards to volunteers within their unit. Successful candidates will also liaise with third-party service providers on training-related matters.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The key duties and responsibilities of the roles may include some or all of the following:

• Contributing to the development of the Training College Strategy.

• Developing and instructing (both in person and remotely) in designated College courses.

• Procurement of training courses and associated budgeting.

• Building strong stakeholder relationships to ensure that training delivery is appropriate and effective, and that continuous improvement is embedded.

• Preparing periodic reports and statistics on training delivery.

• Representing the College and the Civil Defence as required, including the delivery of presentations to various Stakeholder Groups.

• Maximising the use of technology and varied delivery methods to advance the quality and efficiency of service provision.

• Supporting robust and effective governance, risk management and quality assurance processes in all training delivery.

• Liaising with the Training Administration Team to ensure that all new courses and certifications are configured on the Volunteer & Equipment Management System.

• Engaging and participating in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and undertaking any other course of instruction or training, including academic education, deemed necessary and relevant to the duties of the post.

• The Medical & Governance Trainer role will involve working with the Civil Defence Education and Training Faculty comprised of Civil Defence PHECC Education Award Holders.

Please note:

The above is a general guide to the key duties and responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive description. Other duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role may also be assigned.

Office Location and Vacancies

Successful candidates will be based in either Civil Defence College, Benamore, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, or Phoenix Training Centre based at Ratra House in Phoenix Park, Dublin.

The specific office location assigned will be agreed by the relevant Assistant Principal in consultation with the successful candidates.

There is currently one vacancy for each Trainer post and candidates may apply for one or both of these vacancies on the application form.

Candidates who are successful in this competition will be placed on a corresponding panel in order of merit for their selected role(s). These panels will be used to fill current and any future vacancies that may arise. It is not expected that appointments will be made from this panel after February 2028.

Working Environment

The successful candidates will be expected to work full-time on site for the first three months. Access to remote (blended) working may be considered at that point, having regard to the nature of the work environment and subject to the business needs of the organisation.

Dependent on operational requirements, this role may result in the successful candidates working out of hours from time to time.

Please note that Civil Defence Trainers will be required to deliver some training remotely via a video conferencing platform.

There will be a requirement for regular travel within Ireland to deliver training and attend meetings in regional locations. In addition, successful candidates may be required to travel to the UK or Europe to attend meetings, conferences, workshops, etc. Any such requirement is very infrequent.

Travel and subsistence will be paid in accordance with Civil Service regulations.

Civil Defence Trainers will have access to a vehicle (manual transmission) for official duties. Please note that a current full driving licence (Category B), valid in Ireland without restrictions, is an essential requirement for these roles.

Personal Training and Development

The Department has a range of learning and development supports, including a defence sector-specific micro-credential course provided in conjunction with Maynooth University, and leadership development.

The successful candidate(s) will also be able to avail of unique opportunities, specific to this role, to enhance their professional competencies and skills.

Civil Defence Trainers are given the opportunity to review their development needs through the Department's Performance Management and Development System (PMDS).

Benefits

As well as a rewarding and challenging career, some of the benefits of working with Civil Defence College include:

• Competitive salary with yearly increments for satisfactory performance.

• Public Sector pension.

• 29 days of annual leave per year, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service.

• Access to well-being programmes to support a healthy work-life balance.

Subject to business needs and a satisfactory probationary period:

• Extensive learning and development opportunities, including access to an Educational Support Scheme supporting further third-level studies.

• Access to the Shorter Working Year Scheme.

• Facility to apply for career breaks (subject to relevant service requirements).

• Opportunity to avail of the Cycle to Work Scheme and the Tax Saver Public Transport Pass.

• Opportunity to join the Public Service Credit Union.

• Regular opportunities for promotion through internal, inter-departmental and open competitions.

Salary and Working Hours

Salary Range: From €60,029 to €76,546

Starting Annual Leave: 29 Days

Hours of Attendance: 41 hours and 15 minutes gross per week

ENTRY REQUIREMENTSEssential

Candidates must, on or before 9th July 2026:

Role 1 – Civil Defence Trainer - Medical & Governance

(a) Be a current PHECC Education Award Holder* or a Practitioner who is currently registered, without sanction, with the PHECC.

Role 2 – Civil Defence Trainer - General

(b) Hold a qualification in an area relevant to the role such as:

• Diploma in Small Craft Surveying

• Irish Sailing Association Advanced Powerboat Certificate

• Personal Survival Techniques Training

• Or another relevant qualification.

Candidates for both roles must also have:

A qualification in Training or Education (minimum Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), or NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications equivalent), or a professional qualification such as Training Delivery and Evaluation.

PHECC Education Award Holders are deemed to satisfy this requirement.

A minimum of 2 years' recent (within the last 5 years) relevant practical experience of delivering training, including experience of researching and/or designing and/or developing training material and/or programmes either individually or as part of a team.

Experience in the use of software packages associated with training development and delivery, such as Moodle, Articulate, Microsoft Office products, etc.

Good knowledge and experience of corporate governance and internal control principles and procedures.

Good planning and organisation skills, including flexibility and adaptability, and the ability to work effectively in a changing environment.

Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to handle multiple assignments, changing priorities and meet deadlines.

Excellent interpersonal skills, with an ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver common objectives.

Excellent oral and written communication skills (including presentation skills), with the ability to interpret and present technical information clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences.

High levels of commitment, motivation and the capacity to work independently and/or as part of a team while delivering high-quality customer service.

Strong judgement, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

The ability to collate, analyse and present information from multiple sources.

The ability to actively share information, knowledge and expertise.

Strong IT skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to Continuing Professional Development.

A current full driving licence (Category B), valid in Ireland.

Candidates' driving licence must be valid for both manual and automatic transmission vehicles.

DesirableFor Role 1 – Civil Defence Trainer Medical & Governance

• Experience in dealing with Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Quality Review & Governance Validation Framework audits.

For Role 2 – Civil Defence Trainer - General

• Experience in Marine Search, Rescue and Recovery.

• Experience of Small Craft Surveying.

Desirable for all candidates

• Experience of integrating varying delivery styles to accommodate learners with numeracy and/or literacy challenges.

• Understanding, or the ability to quickly gain an understanding, of the public sector environment and delivering on Government strategy.

• Experience in the procurement of training programmes and/or services.

Please Note

Qualifications and eligibility may not be confirmed until the final stage of the process. Therefore, candidates who do not possess the essential requirements on or by the dates specified and proceed with their application are putting themselves to unnecessary effort and expense and will not be offered a position from this competition.

The onus is on the candidate to ensure they fulfil the eligibility requirements as set out. Publicjobs reserves the right to deem an applicant ineligible at any stage if it is apparent that the candidate does not hold the required eligibility or qualifications, for example from the submitted application form.

Candidates who are unable to demonstrate that they hold, or will hold, the required qualification(s) by the deadline specified may be withdrawn from the competition at any stage.

An invitation to tests, interview or any element of the selection process is not acceptance of eligibility.

Candidates who are placed on a panel and come under consideration for a position will be required to provide documentary evidence of their eligibility, including qualifications.

Please be aware that a transcript of results may be required. Therefore, the onus is on candidates to have this information available if requested by Publicjobs.