Customer Relations Officer

1. PREAMBLE

Mary Immaculate College (MIC) is an autonomous, university-level Catholic College of Education and the Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898 and academically linked with the University of Limerick, MIC is the oldest higher education institution in Limerick.

Significant expansion in recent decades has seen the College broaden its range of educational programmes across two campuses:

• Limerick City
• Thurles, County Tipperary

The College has a diverse student community of more than 5,000 learners, enrolled in:

• Fifteen undergraduate degree programmes
• A wide range of postgraduate programmes, including doctoral level

Academic staff are actively engaged in professional research, which underpins all teaching and learning at the College.

MIC aims to prepare students for professional excellence while nurturing their capacity to lead fulfilling and successful lives.

2. CANDIDATE PROFILE & SCOPE OF THE POSITION

The College wishes to appoint a Customer Relations Officer on a full-time, permanent basis.

The Student and Academic Administration (SAA) Office supports the entire student lifecycle, including:

• Registration
• Examinations
• Graduation
• Providing a central point of contact for students

The successful candidate will provide comprehensive administrative support within the Student and Academic Administration Office.

Essential Qualifications, Experience & Skills

Candidates must satisfy either (a) or (b) below:

(a)

• A qualification at Level 6 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework in Business Administration or a related field; and
• A minimum of 2 years' relevant experience, preferably within a higher education administrative environment.

OR(b)

• A minimum of 3 years' relevant experience, preferably within a higher education administrative environment.

Candidates must also demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding of Student Academic Administration functions.

Experience in diary coordination, minute taking, and secretariat administration.

Strong administrative and organisational skills, including experience in event management or project administration.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication style across a variety of College settings.

Strong IT skills, including:

The ability to supervise and provide guidance to others.

Proven ability to work effectively within an established team while also working independently when required.

Cuirfear fáilte roimh iarratais ó dhaoine go bhfuil dearcadh dearfach acu i leith na Gaeilge.

Applications are welcome from people who have a positive outlook towards the Irish language.

Please note that current Government policy may affect the re-employment of applicants currently receiving a public sector pension.

3. JOB DESCRIPTIONReporting Relationship

The successful candidate will work under the general direction of the Examinations and Academic Events Manager, who will be their first reporting manager and who will oversee the performance of their duties.

The appointee will also report through the Examinations and Academic Events Manager to:

• The Director of Academic Administration
• The College President
• Any other College Officer designated by the President

Reporting arrangements may be reviewed and changed from time to time to meet service requirements and organisational developments.

Duties and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Operate a centralised request system for internal customers.
• Streamline workflows with defined response times.
• Develop reporting systems to improve transparency.
• Identify service gaps.
• Create priority lists to support effective Service Level Agreement (SLA) management.
• Coordinate the secure printing, handling, and storage of examination papers.
• Support examination scheduling and logistics.
• Ensure compliance with security and audit requirements.
• Assist with incident management and contingency planning during examination periods.
• Manage the end-to-end processing of transcript requests by:
• Draft and manage high-quality formal communications.
• Act as a point of contact for complex or escalated enquiries.
• Develop effective working relationships with academic staff and external organisations.
• Assist in administering committees and working groups as directed by the Director of Academic Administration.
• Prepare and maintain committee documentation.
• Assist with the creation and maintenance of the Awards database.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties appropriate to the level of the post.

The duties listed above are not exhaustive. Staff are expected to work flexibly as part of a collaborative team, and the College reserves the right to assign new duties or reassign staff to other areas in response to operational requirements.

4. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENTGeneral

All successful applicants will sign an employment contract containing the relevant terms and conditions.

The job description forms part of the contract documentation.

Place of Work

The normal place of work will be Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

The College reserves the right to require the appointee to work from another location if necessary.

It is a requirement that the successful candidate resides within a reasonable travelling distance of the College.

MIC operates a blended working policy, allowing eligible staff to combine office attendance with remote working, subject to College policy.

Exclusivity of Service and Outside Work

The successful candidate must devote their full working time and abilities to their College duties and always act in the best interests of the College.

Without prior written approval from the Vice President Administration and Finance (VPAF), the appointee may not:

• Be involved directly or indirectly in another business that conflicts with College interests.
• Undertake paid work outside the College.

Where permission is granted:

• Written approval from the VPAF must be obtained before commencing outside work.
• The external organisation must be informed that the work is undertaken in a private capacity.
• Mary Immaculate College accepts no responsibility for such work.

Probationary Period

The appointment is subject to satisfactory completion of a 6-month probationary period.

The College may extend probation, where necessary, up to a maximum of 11 months.

Absences during probation will extend the probationary period.

Performance and conduct will be monitored through formal assessment meetings.

The College may terminate employment during probation at its discretion.

Where an employee has less than 12 months' service, the College's disciplinary procedures will not apply to dismissal during probation.

Hours of Attendance

The normal full-time working week is 35 hours.

Standard working hours are:

Monday to Thursday

• 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
• One-hour unpaid lunch break

Friday

• 9:00 am – 4:45 pm
• 45-minute unpaid lunch break

The post holder may occasionally be required to work evenings or weekends to meet operational needs.

Subject to College policy, staff may receive:

• Time Off In Lieu (TOIL), or
• Overtime

where hours worked exceed contractual hours.

The College reserves the right to amend working hours or working days to meet service requirements.

Salary

The salary scale has been approved by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority, in accordance with Government public sector pay policy.

Salary may be adjusted in line with future Government pay agreements.

Appointments will be made on the appropriate point of the salary scale under current Government pay policy.

New entrants to the Civil or Public Service (as defined in Circular 18/2010) will normally commence on the first point of the salary scale.

Executive Officer Salary Scale (New Entrant – Grossed Up)

Effective 1 June 2026:

• €36,569
• €38,803
• €39,595
• €41,870
• €44,030
• €45,966
• €47,838
• €49,703
• €51,534
• €53,418
• €55,297
• €57,288
• €58,625
• €60,529 (LSI 1)
• €62,444 (LSI 2)

Executive Officer Salary Scale (Non-New Entrant – Grossed Up)

Effective 1 June 2026:

• €39,595
• €41,870
• €44,030
• €44,966
• €47,838
• €49,703
• €51,534
• €53,418
• €55,297
• €57,288
• €58,625
• €60,529 (LSI 1)
• €62,444 (LSI 2)

Salary increments are awarded in accordance with national pay agreements.

Salary is paid monthly, on the 25th of each month, or on the previous Friday where the 25th falls on a weekend, through the Paypath payroll system.

Statutory deductions include:

• PAYE (Income Tax)
• Superannuation Contributions
• PRSI
• Universal Social Charge (USC)

Superannuation

New entrants to the Public Service are required to join the Single Public Service Pension Scheme and pay pension contributions in accordance with the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012.

Other eligible appointees are automatically enrolled in the Colleges of Education Pension Scheme, with pension contributions of 6.5% deducted from salary.

Employees are also required to pay the Additional Superannuation Contribution (ASC) under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017.

Employees who entered the Public Service between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012, without a break in service exceeding six months, have no mandatory retirement age.

All other appointees have a mandatory retirement age of 70 years.

Pension Abatement

Applicants previously employed in the Civil or Public Service who are receiving, or become entitled to receive, a public service pension during re-employment will be subject to pension abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012.

By applying for this position, applicants acknowledge that these abatement provisions, where applicable, will apply.

The College does not anticipate supporting applications for an abatement waiver for appointments to this position.

Annual Leave

Annual leave entitlement for this grade is 25 working days per leave year.

Annual leave should normally be taken during periods when students are not on campus and must receive prior approval from the relevant Line Manager.

Public holidays are granted in accordance with the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.