Court Registrar Executive Officer

THE ROLE

The Courts Service is currently seeking people to join their team as Court Registrars within the Family, Criminal, and Civil court offices. Being a Court Registrar offers a unique insight into the running of the Irish courts system. This role presents dynamic and fulfilling challenge where each day brings new experiences.

The role of Court Registrar is key to the efficient running of the court and requires good organisation skills. As the official record keeper for the Court, this includes providing support pre-court, in-court and post-court to the Judge and the parties.

The Registrar is the key link between the Court Office and the Court. The Court Registrar is responsible for communication between all parties, feeding back on issues and working with their office team to ensure the administration of Justice.

Teamwork is a key feature of this role. In this role, you will gain invaluable exposure to court practice and procedure, legislation, litigation, and decision making.

In some offices Court Registrars will manage staff. This will include assigning tasks, probation, performance management and training and development.

The experience gained as a Court Registrar is transferable and beneficial to a fulfilling and rewarding career within the Courts Service.

The post will primarily be located in Naas Court Office and work is performed on site. There is no hybrid or remote working. The post will also require travel to Athy Court office on a roster basis.

Key Responsibilities

·                 Attend court as Registrar and is responsible for all associated court work. Such work includes drawing and perfecting enforceable Court Orders & warrants, making accurate written notes of daily court proceedings in a timely and efficient manner and with a high degree of accuracy.

·                 Networking and liaising with Court stakeholders including, the Judiciary, An Garda Siochana, the Prison Service, members of the legal profession and members of the public in the provision of an efficient user-friendly service.

·                 Provide support to the judiciary in the daily management of a wide variety of lists and hearings.

·                 Maintain the record of Court outcomes. This information is essential for the effective management of court records, to advise court users and to support provision of management information and statistics, which all supports the administration of justice.

·                 Operate all courtroom technology including Videolink, Video Conferencing and Digital Audio Recording (DAR) within the court room when required.

·                 Administer the oath to witnesses, interpreters and juries.

·                 Develop an in-depth knowledge of the Courts Service Modernisation Programme and contribute to its growth. This will include:

                         I.attending workshops,

                       II.being a member of project groups,

                     III. carry out stakeholder engagement, service design, testing.

Note, the above is intended as a guide and is neither definitive nor restrictive.

 Essential Requirements:

On the closing date of 3rd July candidates must have:

·             Be at least 18 years of age on or before the closing date.

·             Fulfil the Citizenship requirements, Health & Character, Garda Vetting & Security Clearance and Reference & Qualification Checks requirements.

·             Ensure that they meet the criteria regarding Public & Civil Service Redundancy/III Health Retirement Schemes.

·             Possess a Leaving Certificate at Level 4 or above; or hold a minimum Level 4 qualification, major or minor award on the National Framework of Qualifications; or

·             Be serving as a Civil Servant with at least two years’ service or

·             Have 3+ years demonstrated experience in a customer facing role in an unrelated field or

·             Have 2+ years in a related field or

·             Have 1+ years experience working in the Courts Service.

·             All roles are onsite.

·             Relevant knowledge and skills to undertake the duties of the position, including a strong command of the English language and the ability to:

·      Take direction/follow instructions.

·      Organise and prioritise work effectively.

·      Work well with the public and colleagues.

·      Be flexible in their approach to work.

·      Be able to communicate effectively in a clear and concise manner.

·      Have a strong work ethic and willingness to learn.

·      Basic level and experience of relevant ICT skills,

The following essential requirements should be demonstrated in your application form

·      Have demonstrated experience in a customer facing role with excellent

communication and interpersonal skills.

·      Have an interest in public administration and the Irish courts system.

·      Good at administration and processing large amounts of data to tight deadlines.

·     Have good organisation skills where you can organise a number of responsibilities and handle difficult situations

·      Results focus and ability to work to tight deadlines.

·       Have a driving licence and access to your own transport is essential as you will be expected to travel to Athy Courthouse on a roster basis and support surrounding court offices on occasion for example Carlow Court Office. The Standard Civil Service travel expenses will be reimbursed.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application should be made by logging into the advertisement link.

The closing date is 12noon on 3rd July. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be accepted.

In the online application form you are required to highlight specific key achievements and expertise to demonstrate your suitability for the role across the four EO grade capabilities (maximum 250 words each). The key achievements should provide details and an example under:

·       Building Future Readiness

·       Leading and Empowering

·       Evidence Informed Delivery

·       Communicating & Collaborating

Skills and capabilities

Candidates should demonstrate that they have the ability to carry out successfully the duties of the role, as well as the general skills and capabilities namely:

Building Future Readiness

Digital Focus

• Maximises the use of technology and digital skills to drive efficiencies and support better service delivery

Openness to Change

• Shows interest and openness to change, innovation and new technology or processes, actively exploring the practicalities and providing feedback or suggestions
• Willing to try new approaches, seeking support when needed and openly sharing and learning from mistakes

Innovation & Creative Solutions

• Actively puts forward innovative ideas, creative solutions or helpful suggestions

Upskilling for the Future

• Enthusiastic about development opportunities, demonstrating a positive attitude, openness to feedback and willingness to learn
• Committed to improving knowledge and skills for the future
• Aware of own strengths and development areas

Evidence Informed Delivery

Delivering Excellence

Managing Work Effectively

• Manages, plans and prioritises workload to ensure targets and deadlines are met
• Works in a systematic, organised and efficient manner
• Has good oversight of their teams work and puts procedures in place to track quality and productivity
• Ensures they have a sufficient workload, seeks additional work and uses appropriate initiative to take on other tasks

Delivering Quality Outcomes & Service

• Delivers high quality standards with excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Ensures high quality, professional customer service, resolving complex issues and queries and prioritising customer experience

Attitude, Initiative & Flexibility

• Demonstrates ownership, initiative and responsibility over work, becoming self-sufficient in their own area of responsibility
• Maintains resilience and a ‘can-do’ attitude when learning new skills or working under pressure, seeking support when needed
• Flexible, agile and resilient in the face of challenges or changing demands

Managing Information, Problems and Decisions

Gathering & Processing Information

• Can gather, understand, utilise and analyse information from a range of different sources
• Manages all information and data carefully, particularly with sensitive or confidential matters
• Correctly processes and interprets verbal information, in a timely manner
• Accurately evaluates numerical information and data, in a timely manner

Problem Solving

• Identifies and solves complex problems, with the support of their team if needed
• Escalates issues appropriately, communicating all relevant information and suggesting possible solutions

Informed Judgement & Decision Making

• Makes balanced judgements and decisions, considering the available information, previous learnings and following the relevant procedures or protocol
• Makes appropriate and timely decisions on matters within own remit, seeking support and referring decisions upward, where necessary

Leading & Empowering

Leading, Supporting & Developing

Leading, Developing & Including Others

• Leads, supports and motivates the team to achieve set goals
• Works well with diverse teams, ensuring their colleagues are included, heard, supported and valued
• Offers coaching, guidance and feedback to others to support their development

Empowerment, Trust & Honesty

• Empowers their team and colleagues by delegating tasks and showing trust
• Works with integrity, honesty and accountability

Social & Emotional Awareness

• Prioritises wellbeing for self and others, showing consideration, empathy and support
• Makes an effort to be self-aware and manage own emotions and behaviour, particularly in challenging situations

Leading with Specialist Insight

Specialist Expertise & Professional Development

• Develops specialist expertise and knowledge in their area
• Committed to Continuous Professional Development, engaging in relevant courses and activities to keep knowledge up to date
• Builds their expertise through listening and learning from others

Leading & Knowledge Sharing

• Contributes to discussions and decisions by sharing insights and evidence
• Promotes their own area of expertise and understands the value it brings
• Finds opportunities to share or showcase their specialist knowledge

Working Independently

• Comfortable working independently in their area, but also engages with other groups outside of their direct work or team
• Quickly learns what work needs to be done and how to do it, seeking support or guidance when necessary

Communicating & Collaborating

Collaboration, Teamwork & Building Relationships

• Utilises interpersonal skills to build positive and effective working relationships, even in a blended or hybrid working environment
• Strong collaboration and teamworking skills, plays their part and works well with colleagues within and outside of own team

Effective Communication

• Communicates in a clear and appropriate manner verbally, digitally and in writing, adapting approach to suit the audience
• Shares the appropriate level of detail and communicates information in an accessible and understandable format
• Willing to communicate with colleagues at all levels, openly sharing their views, thoughts and concerns
• Manages difficult conversations with professionalism, respect and sensitivity, seeking support when required

Listening, Consulting & Engaging

• Listens to, consults and engages with relevant stakeholders, keeping them informed as necessary
• Appreciates diversity and makes an active effort to listen, consult and engage with a variety of people

Candidates with Disabilities

The Courts Service has a key role to play in attracting candidates from all sectors of society, ensuring that routes to career opportunities are accessible to all who are interested. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all candidates. If you have a disability or need reasonable accommodation made during the selection process, we strongly encourage you to share this with us so that we can ensure you get the support you need.

Reasonable accommodation in our selection process refers to adjustments and practical changes which would enable a disabled candidate to have an equal opportunity for this competition. Examples of adjustments we provide include the use of assistive technology, extra time, scribes and/or readers or a range of other accommodations.

Please be assured that having a disability or requiring adjustments will not impact on your progress in the selection process; you will not be at a disadvantage if you disclose your disability or requirements to us. Your disability and/or adjustments will be kept entirely confidential.

InterviewS

Interviews will take place in person in Naas, Co Kildare. Interviews will be structured in format, with candidates asked to provide examples of the capabilities for the role as outlined in Section 6 of this document.

Depending on the number of successful candidates following assessments, interviews will be held in batches.

If a candidate fails to confirm their attendance for interview, their application will be withdrawn.

If a candidate confirms their attendance and fails to show or provide a sufficient reason and timing for not showing, their application will be withdrawn.

It is anticipated the interview will last forty-five minutes.

Panel Formation

To be considered for the panel you must receive 50% or more in all capabilities.

Following the interview process a panel will be formed for the purpose of filling Court Registrar roles in Naas Court Office.

Candidates who successfully pass the interview process may obtain a place on a panel and may, within the life of the panel, be considered for subsequent approved vacancies if they arise for this role.

The candidate who obtains first place on the panel will be the first candidate considered for a position, subject to satisfactory clearances, and so on in order of merit.

The panel will be established for 2 years and appointments may be made from this panel as vacancies arise. If required, this panel may be used to fill vacancies in other locations in the Courts Service.

Candidates who have not been offered a position at the expiry of the panel will have no claim to any further positions thereafter because of having been on the panel.

A candidate will only be offered a position once. If the candidate refuses a position, they will be removed from the panel.

Confidentiality

Candidates can expect that all enquiries, applications and all aspects of the proceedings to the extent that they are managed by the Courts Service are treated as strictly confidential subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014. However, candidates should note that all application material may be made available to the interview board. Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, are extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.

Garda Vetting

Garda vetting will be sought in respect of individuals who come under consideration for appointment. The applicant will be required to complete and return a Garda Vetting form should they come under consideration for appointment.

This form will be forwarded to An Garda Siochána for security checks on all Irish and Northern Irish addresses at which they resided. Enquiries may also be made with the police force of any country in which the applicant under consideration for appointment resided. If the applicant subsequently comes under consideration for another position, they will be required to supply this information again.

Other important information

The Courts Service will not be responsible for refunding any expenses incurred by candidates.

Prior to recommending any candidate for appointment to this position the Courts Service will make all such enquiries that are deemed necessary to determine the suitability of that candidate. Until all stages of the recruitment process have been fully completed a final determination cannot be made nor can it be deemed or inferred that such a determination has been made.

Should the person recommended for appointment decline, or having accepted it, relinquish it, or if an additional vacancy arises the Courts Service may, at its discretion, select and recommend another person for appointment on the results of this selection process.

Review and Complaint Procedures under the Code of Practice for Appointments to Positions in the Civil and Public Service

If a candidate is unhappy following the outcome of any stage of a selection process, they can either:

1.     Request a Review of a decision made during the process Or

2.     Make a Complaint that the selection process followed was unfair

A candidate can follow either one of the two procedures in relation to the same aspect of a selection process, but not both. Where a review of a selection process has taken place under Section 7 (as detailed below), a complainant may not seek a further review of the same process under Section 8, other than in the most exceptional circumstances that will be determined by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) at its sole discretion.

There is no obligation on the Courts Service to suspend an appointment process while a Review or Complaint is being considered. However, the CPSA expects that, where possible, the Courts Service will intervene in cases where it finds an error is likely to have occurred.

Requesting a Review under Section 7

A request for review may be taken by a candidate should they be dissatisfied with an action or decision taken by the Courts Service. The Courts Service will consider requests for review in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 of the Code of Practice for Appointments to Positions in the Civil and Public Service published by the CPSA.

When making a request for a review, the candidate must support their request by outlining the facts they believe show that the action taken or decision reached was wrong. A request for review may be refused if the candidate cannot support their request.

The Informal Review will consist of a desk-based examination of any available information in relation to the recruitment process and the decision taken regarding the candidate’s application. The outcome of the Informal Review Process will be communicated to the requester in writing.

•       A request for Informal Review must be made within 5 working days of notification of the decision and will normally take place between the candidate and a representative of the Courts Service who had played a key role in the administration of the selection process.

•       Where a candidate remains dissatisfied following any such informal discussion, he/she may adopt the formal procedures set out below.

Salary

The salary scale for the position (rates effective from February 2026) is as follows:

Executive Officer - Personal Pension Contribution Salary Scale:

€38,803.00 €40,764.00 €41,871.00 €44,030.00 €45,965.00 €47,838.00 €49,703.00 €51,534.00 €53,419.00 €55,296.00 €57,289.00 €58,624.00 (MAX) €60,527.00 (LSI1) €63,227.00 (LSI2)