Clerical Administrator

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Who will you Work With and What Will The Role Involve?

Reporting to the Director of MEFSS, this important role supports our organisation in delivery of its essential work programmes and the achievement of service group and Marine Institute priorities. This role provides candidates with the opportunity to work in a diverse organisation which invests in and celebrates its people.

The successful candidate will work with the MEFSS team and will provide a range of supports to the MEFSS and the wider Marine Institute. They will assist and support MEFSS staff with administrative queries, procurement and finance matters primarily.

The Marine Institute is currently undertaking a review of organisation structure, which when complete may impact the roles and duties of employees and bring about change. Any impacts or changes will be communicated.

What Will You Be Doing Every Day?

Principal Tasks

Marine Environment & Food Safety Services (MEFSS) focuses on ensuring consumer protection through seafood safety monitoring/testing services; providing monitoring services in support of protection of marine environmental legislation/obligations; and providing advisory services in support of sustainable development and management of the marine environment. This work is delivered via three core functions: Monitoring, Advice and Technical Support, and Research.

The clerical administrator will provide a range of administrative supports to the MEFSS Director and wider MEFSS team to assist in the delivery of our functions. The role will include:

Admin Support to MEFSS Director

• Provide a comprehensive clerical administrative support service to the Director of MEFSS.

• Provide financial reports and summaries to the MEFSS service group.

• Assist with the drafting of correspondence, formatting and proofing of documents, reports and presentations.

• Provide general meeting support and assist in the preparation of agenda and minutes.

• Manage the Director’s travel and accommodation requirements.

• Maintain MEFSS Teams folder for the Director / Section Management team.

• Any other duties relevant to the position and appropriate to the grade as required from time to time.

General Admin Support

• Providing assistance for administrative aspects of Aquaculture Licencing advice.

• Keeping Shellfish Microbiology databases up to date, reviewing and entering lab reports onto database and generating reports.

• Support staff members of MEFSS with communications including drafting social media updates.

• Assist in preparation of material for MEFSS aspects of the Marine Institute Website.

• Assist MEFSS and Quality Manager with admin aspects of quality accreditation.

• Ad hoc clerical projects in support of the Section Managers and Team Leaders and any other duties, as required from time to time.

• Assist with events and conferences - arranging venues, issuing invitations, documents, AV requirements, catering.

• Provide support for design and print requirements.

• Organise foreign travel.

• Provide logistical support for internal and external meetings.

• Assist with procurement and issuing of tenders through engagement with the Corporate Services group.

What do You Need to Have Done to Apply for This role?

(Education, Professional or Technical Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, Aptitudes, Experience and Training)

Essential / Important

• Educated to Leaving Certificate or equivalent.

• Experience working in a busy office environment.

• Experience with financial reporting, budgeting and procurement.

• Highly organised with excellent clerical and organisation skills and attention to detail.

• Effective Communication skills both written and verbal as well as the ability to present with clear messaging to a wide range of audiences.

• Demonstrated experience in the use of standard MS Office packages to include the use of Excel, Word and PowerPoint to a high standard of expertise.

• Experience supporting and organising meetings and events.

• The ability to work unsupervised.

• Effective numerical and literacy skills.

• Demonstrated ability to use initiative.

• Strong interpersonal skills.

• Knowledge of public sector procurement rules.

• A background in working with confidential data and personal information, respecting privacy.

Ideally Nice to Have / Desirable

• Scientific literacy skills.

• Previous experience of working in the public sector.

• Knowledge / experience in public procurement.

• Experience of diary management.

• Knowledge of and interest in the maritime sector.

• Experience with MS Visio or similar graphical software.

• Full driving licence.

What else do you need to know?

(Special personal attributes required for the role)

It is essential that the successful candidate is a good communicator and works well with colleagues. Additionally, this person should be industrious, decisive, have a proven ability to use his/her own initiative while at the same time working well as a team player. An important attribute is the ability to work in an organised, tidy and independent manner.

▪ An ability to work in an organised manner and progress work independently.

▪ Dynamic and reliable.

▪ Self-sufficient, while being a good team player.

▪ Good interpersonal skills.

▪ Proven collaborative skills including team working.

▪ Highly organised and the ability to work under pressure in a dynamic environment.

Description of Service Group and the Wider Team

Marine Environment & Food Safety Services

Marine Environment & Food Safety Services (MEFSS) is a service area of the Marine Institute that plays a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of seafood, preserving environmental health, providing a variety of policy supports and safeguarding fish health. Operating as an integral part of the Institute, MEFSS undertakes multifaceted responsibilities primarily through the execution of scientific monitoring and research programs, coupled with offering expert scientific interpretation and regulatory guidance to government.

MEFSS collaborates with various departments and agencies, including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Environmental Protection Authority, Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. This collaborative approach underscores the organisation's commitment to ensuring comprehensive and effective support across diverse domains. MEFSS ensures the highest quality standards with our laboratories accredited under EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for food safety, environmental monitoring, and fish health work.

Furthermore, the Fish Health Competent Authority is ISO 9001:2015 certified, emphasising the organisation's commitment to excellence.

Who Will You Report to / Who will Manage and Support You?

The CA will report to the Director of MEFSS and will work closely and under the direction of section managers within MEFSS.

What we offer

We value our staff, and we value their contribution to the work of the Marine Institute. In return for this, we provide benefits that promote a healthy work-life balance and which we hope will help them to develop professionally. These include personal and career development, work/life balance policies, an employee assistance programme, “Bike to Work” Scheme, staff medicals and annual flu vaccination.

Training

A full range of training will be provided as required, on the job and through appropriate courses. Training needs will be identified through the MI Performance Management Development System (PMDS).

Contacts

Within the Marine Institute: Director of MEFSS, Managers and staff of MEFSS, Management and Staff of the Institute.

External: State Agencies; Media; Representative Organisations; External Suppliers and enquiries from the general public.

Salary

Remuneration is in accordance with the Public Sector, Department of Finance approved Salary Scale for a Clerical Assistant Grade which runs from €31,604 - €49,535 on a full-time basis per annum prorated with time worked. You will commence on the first point of the scale €31,604 and become a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme unless you are currently or have worked in the Public Sector in the past 6 months and are a member of another Public Sector Scheme.

Annual Leave

Annual leave entitlement for a Clerical Administrator Grade is 22 working days per annum pro-rated to reflect time worked. Annual leave entitlements are exclusive of Public Holidays. All leave must be approved in advance in line with Marine Institute leave policies and using time and leave management system in place, by your manager or their authorised representative.

Duration of Contract

This is a Contract of Indefinite Duration. The successful candidate will be on probation for the first six months of this contract.

Who is the Marine Institute?

The Marine Institute is a non-commercial semi-state body, which was formally established by statute (Marine Institute Act, 1991) in October 1992.

Under the Act, the Marine Institute was given the responsibility:

“to undertake, to co-ordinate, to promote and to assist in marine research and development and to provide such services related to marine research and development, that in the opinion of the Institute will promote economic development and create employment and protect the marine environment”.

The Marine Institute is Ireland’s scientific agency responsible for supporting the sustainable development of the state’s maritime area and resources. We do this through conducting applied research and providing scientific knowledge, advice and services to government, industry and other stakeholders and users. This policy advice capacity, our broad mandate, and the research programmes we fund and undertake, give us a unique insight into the science-policy interface and make us an exemplar in the provision of integrated ocean knowledge.

The Marine Institute provides a broad range of essential scientific support to its parent department, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). There is an increasing demand from Government for the data and evidence that are essential to inform national policy and to underpin the state’s governance of our maritime area. Through laboratory, field and seagoing work, the Institute carries out statutory environmental, fisheries and aquaculture surveys, seafood testing and other monitoring programmes assigned by government. The Institute plays an important role in supporting the state’s response to the impacts of our changing seas and oceans, through working with the national and international scientific community to observe, study and understand our changing oceans. This essential scientific advice supports industry, protects consumers and underpins legislative and other obligations aimed at the protection and management of the marine environment.

Our vision - The Marine Institute is a national and international leader in ocean knowledge that benefits people, policy and planet.

Our Mission - The Marine Institute provides scientific, research and development services to government, agencies, industry and society that support the sustainable use of our maritime area, the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems, and promote a shared understanding of the ocean.

There are 6 broad service areas within the Marine Institute; (1) Ocean, Climate and Information Services, (2) Marine Environment & Food Safety Services, (3) Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services, (4) Irish Maritime Development Office, (5) Policy, Information and Research Services and (6) Corporate Services.