Customs Officer – Shift Work (Clerical Officer)

The Role

Successful candidates will work as an important part of a busy team, involved in a wide range of interesting and challenging work, which includes facilitating legitimate trade (imports and exports) through ports, airports, and mail and parcel distribution centres, including examining and clearing import/export documentation and physical checks of goods.

Additionally, successful candidates may be involved in frontier controls which include risk profiling and intelligence gathering; anti-smuggling measures leading to the detection of drugs and contraband; identifying tax and duty evasion and working in Customs Channels in the ports and airports and on the eCustoms Helpdesk (Rosslare).

This role requires attendance on site on a 24/7 (Dublin & Rosslare) or 16/7 (Portarlington & Athlone) rostered basis for which a shift premium is payable. Rosters include night and weekend shifts. Shifts are 7/9 hours in length on a 24/7 basis. Each officer will be rostered to cover various shifts commencing morning (3am/5am), afternoon (1pm/3pm), evening (5pm / 6pm), or night (9pm/11pm) over the period of the rota. The roster rota is generally in place for 4, 6 or 9 weeks. See Appendix 1 for a selection of example rosters. Your particular roster will be discussed when you are assigned to an operational area.

Over time, successful candidates may have the opportunity to compete for other customs roles which are also an integral part of Revenue’s overall frontline tax and customs trade facilitation and compliance management framework, such as Revenue Dog Handler, a member of one of Revenue’s Customs Cutter crews or opportunities in the wider Revenue.

The work is varied, personally rewarding, challenging, and sometimes physically demanding, with a combination of indoor and outdoor duties, including driving (as applicable), carried out at Revenue premises and other premises.

Enforcement and/or Trade Facilitation duties, for which appropriate training, mentoring and management and supervisory support will be provided, may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Engaging with customs clearance agents, express carriers and members of the public, especially those using our ports and airports.

• Carrying out documentary checks and other controls as a result of EU or national risk profiles, discharging the declaration on Revenue systems and carrying out physical examinations of consignments at Revenue premises, or at agents’ premises.

• Detecting smuggling efforts, seizing illicit and untaxed goods, conducting interviews, preparing statements and giving evidence in court in support of prosecution cases.

• Liaising with other Government Departments and Agencies including, for example, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and An Garda Síochána.

• Detection and investigation of suspected Customs and Revenue offences involving a broad range of liaison, enforcement, investigative and intelligence-gathering support duties.

• Physical searches of vehicles including trucks for the presence of illicit goods and seizing those goods where appropriate.

• Working on the eCustoms Helpdesk (Rosslare) – this is primarily a phone service. Dealing with correspondence from multiple parties including Revenue Trade Facilitation Staff, Express Carriers, the general public and clearance agents. Examining customs declarations and identifying issues preventing the movement of goods.

• Participation in operations aimed at tackling fraud and combating shadow economy activity.

Applicants must demonstrate that they possess the skills/competencies identified as necessary for the role. A successful applicant will be required to display sound judgement in pressurised situations, good interpersonal skills, flexibility, integrity, and the capacity to work effectively as part of a team.

They will possess or show that they have the ability to acquire the skill, knowledge and attributes required for the role of Customs Officer – Shift Work (Clerical Officer), including:

Applicants should set out why they are interested in the role of Customs Officer – Shift Work (Clerical Officer) and how they have the capacity to quickly acquire the skills and knowledge required for this role. A description of the Public Jobs competency framework is set out in Appendix 2.

Please select your location preference when completing the application form. You may only select a location where you would be prepared to take up a position and you may only select a maximum of two locations. Changes to your location choices will not be permitted after the closing date.

It is anticipated that during the lifetime of this panel, Customs Shift Work Clerical Officer posts may arise in the following locations:

• Athlone

• Dublin

• Portarlington

• Rosslare – Frontier Management

• Rosslare – eCustoms Helpdesk

Candidates should be aware that vacancies may not arise in all of the above locations while this panel is active.

A full valid manual driving licence (minimum class B) is desirable for this role. Candidates who do not have a full class B licence may be limited to the duties and roles to which they can be assigned.

Candidates should:

• Be capable and competent of fulfilling the role to a high standard

• Have a good level of education

Candidates must:

• Be at least 17 years of age on or before 15 August 2025, i.e., have been born on or before 15 August 2008

• Fulfil Citizenship and Health and Character requirements

• Successfully complete Garda Vetting checks

There are some restrictions on eligibility and appointments. Please see section 17.

Appointment to the Customs role will normally be for a period of five years subject to:

• An initial probation period of one year. During this period there will be formal 3-monthly reviews of your performance, to assess suitability for the role

• You continuing to fulfil the requirements of the job, i.e., satisfactory attendance, performance in the role, health, fitness etc., and observance of the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour

• If an officer is deemed unsuitable for the role during the probation period, the matter will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant probation guidelines or disciplinary guidelines

• For business continuity reasons and in keeping with the Civil Service Mobility Scheme and the Revenue internal EOI Process, you must agree to serve a minimum of 2 years in this role and assigned location

At the end of the five-year contract period, officers will be assigned to the ordinary duties of their grade within Revenue in the geographical location to which they were assigned from this competition. Officers may compete for subsequent Revenue Customs and general competitions.

Staff appointed to Customs Shift Work, in addition to basic pay, will receive a shift premium for attendance on a shift roster. Refer to section 18.2 for further details on additional shift premium payment.

The salary scale for the position of Clerical Officer in Revenue, as of 1 March 2025, is as follows:

Personal Pension Contribution (PPC): €590.21, €623.23, €631.62, €647.99, €672.15, €696.26, €720.35, €737.91, €757.82, €780.93, €797.18, €820.07, €842.79, €878.27, €906.13 (LSI 1), €918.93 (LSI 2)

The PPC pay rate applies when the individual is required to pay a Personal Pension Contribution (main scheme contribution) in accordance with the rules of their superannuation scheme. This is different from a contribution to the Spouses’ and Children’s scheme or the Additional Superannuation Contributions (ASC).

A different rate will apply where the appointee is not required to make a Personal Pension Contribution. Long service increments may be payable after 3 (LSI 1) and 6 (LSI 2) years of satisfactory service at the maximum of the scale.