Clerical Officer

The Position

The Role

The Clerical Officer – Corporate Services will provide high-quality corporate support to all areas of The Heritage Council in all aspects of administration, including but not limited to: Human Resources (HR), Data Protection, Freedom of Information (FOI), Procurement, and Records Management. The Clerical Officer will be responsible for assisting in the administration of the Human Resources function of The Heritage Council and ensuring that it complies with all relevant statutory requirements and guidelines. The Officer will also be responsible for providing high-quality customer services to members of the public and the diverse range of stakeholders of The Heritage Council.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties of the role include but are not limited to:

• To provide a comprehensive administrative and clerical service as required.

• General HR Administration.

• Recruitment, Candidate Selection & Onboarding support.

• Recording and maintaining accurate information on all staff absences, including sick leave, annual leave, maternity/paternity leave, and other types of leave.

• Coordinating logistics for staff training, workshops, and induction programmes (e.g., scheduling venues, invitations, attendance lists).

• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date training records and databases.

• Providing administrative and clerical support in the areas of Data Protection and Freedom of Information (FOI).

• General clerical duties such as typing, filing, dealing with correspondence, photocopying, making and answering telephone calls, responding to and forwarding emails, attending and taking minutes of meetings, report writing, and proofreading.

• Coordinating room bookings, meetings, and professional telephone queries.

• Working as part of a team in delivering the services of The Heritage Council.

• And other duties as may be assigned by the line manager or Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The responsibilities outlined in this job description should not be regarded as comprehensive in scope and may be added to or altered as required, in line with the requirements of The Heritage Council.

Education, Training, Experience, etc.

Essential Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate in their cover letter and CV that they meet all the below essential criteria. Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms, have:

• A minimum qualification of a Leaving Certificate/equivalent (National Framework of Qualifications – NFQ Level 5) or higher; or a minimum of 2 years’ relevant experience.

• Relevant office administration experience including provision of secretarial support, drafting reports, minute taking, proofreading, etc.

• Excellent IT skills (including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access).

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• Excellent organisational skills and an ability to undertake work requiring accuracy and attention to detail.

• The ability to take direction and follow instructions.

• The ability to work on his/her own initiative and as part of a team.

• The ability to organise work and prioritise tasks.

• Be flexible in their approach to their work.

• Work well with the public and with others.

• Ability to work well in a collaborative team environment, with the ability to be self-motivated and able to manage own workload.

• A commitment to high standards of public service.

• Full unendorsed category B driving licence and full-time access to a car or, for candidates who are unable to drive, full-time access to transport.

It is also desirable, but not essential, that candidates will have:

• A qualification in Office Administration or a relevant third-level qualification.

• Experience in HR, Data Protection & FOI.

• 2 years (or more) of relevant office administration experience.

• Previous experience of working in administration within a public service setting.

• The ability to communicate through the Irish language, both verbal and written.

Citizenship Requirements

Eligible candidates must be, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:

(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 or the UK or Switzerland and has a stamp 4 visa.

Reporting

The Clerical Officer – Corporate Services will report to the Corporate Services Officer or any other person as may be determined from time to time by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Competencies for the Role

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate that they possess the requisite competencies required for this position. The required competencies are set out in Appendix 1.

Conditions of Service

Tenure

The post is whole-time, permanent, and pensionable. Secondment will be considered from serving public servants.

Salary

The position of Clerical Officer – Corporate Services is analogous to the Civil Service Grade of Clerical Officer. The (PPC) salary scale, including the required pension contribution, is set out below:

Point 1 €596.11; Point 2 €629.46; Point 3 €637.94; Point 4 €654.47; Point 5 €678.87; Point 6 €703.22; Point 7 €727.55; Point 8 €745.29; Point 9 €765.40; Point 10 €788.74; Point 11 €805.15; Point 12 €828.27; Point 13 €851.22; Point 14 €887.05;

*Long Service Increment 1: €915.19; *Long Service Increment 2: €928.12

(After three years’ service at Point 14. **After three years’ service at Long Service Increment 1. Pay scale as of 1st August 2025.)

Candidates should note that entry will be at the minimum of the salary scale and the rate of remuneration, including incremental progression, will not be subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Different terms and conditions may apply if you are currently a serving civil or public servant. The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be as determined from time to time. Holders of the post shall pay to The Heritage Council any fees or other monies (other than their inclusive salary) payable to or received by them by virtue of their employment or in respect of services which they are required by or under any enactment to perform. An allowance may also be payable in respect of travel expenses and subsistence.

It is the individual responsibility of former public or civil servant candidates to ensure their eligibility to apply. In particular, potential candidates who participated in a voluntary severance/redundancy or early retirement program, received a redundancy payment, or are in receipt of a public sector pension should familiarise themselves with their individual conditions pertaining to public sector re-employment and declare same if applying.

Annual Leave

The annual leave entitlement for this role (based on a full-time role) is 22 days per year, rising to 23 days after 5 years’ service, 24 days after 10 years’ service, 25 days after 12 years’ service, and 26 days after 14 years’ service.

Place of Work

The place of work will be The Heritage Council headquarters, Áras na hOidhreachta, Church Lane, Kilkenny. However, the successful candidate may occasionally be requested to work remotely in line with Public Health Restrictions.

Please note: Subject to request and approval, successful candidates may be eligible for remote or blended working arrangements. Any such arrangements will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the business needs of the organisation and in line with The Heritage Council’s Blended Working Policy. The Heritage Council reserves the right, at its discretion, to review and revise working arrangements at any time.

Hours of Attendance

Hours of attendance will be fixed from time to time but will amount to not less than 43 hours 30 minutes gross per week. The standard working week is 37.5 hours, 09:00 – 17:30 Monday to Friday. The successful candidate will be required to work additional hours from time to time as may be reasonable and necessary for the proper performance of his/her duties, subject to the limits set down in the working time regulations.

Retirement / Superannuation

The appointee will be offered the appropriate superannuation terms and conditions as prevailing at the time of being offered an appointment. Effective from 1st 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. All new entrants to pensionable public service employment on or after 1 January 2013 are, in general, members of the Single Scheme. Retirement age will be determined by the terms of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004. The Act introduces new retirement provisions for new entrants to the public service appointed on or after 1 April 2004.

Probation

There shall be a period after appointment takes effect during which the appointed person shall hold such employment on probation. Such period shall be six months, but the Chief Executive may, at her discretion, extend such period. A person may cease to hold such employment at the end of this period at the discretion of the CEO.

The above represents the principal conditions of employment and is not intended to be the comprehensive list of all terms and conditions of employment, which will be set out in a detailed employment contract to be agreed with the successful candidate.