Digital Assistant FTC

OCO’s Communications Team

The OCO is seeking to recruit a Digital Assistant on a three-year fixed term contract who will work with the Communications team to support our digital design, content creation and online communications.

The successful candidate who will be a member of the OCO Communications Unit, will report to the Digital and Events Office and will work closely with the rest of the Communications Team as well as across the Office.

This role will be based at our Offices in Dublin 1. This is a hybrid role with at least two days in the office and more depending on business need. The successful candidate will be required to attend OCO events with occasional weekend work and travel (this will be agreed in advance with time in lieu).

THE ROLE

The OCO invites applications from interested candidates for the position of Digital Assistant.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and schedule engaging content across various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X, BlueSky, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Design visually appealing graphics using tools like Canva to support posts and campaigns.

• Monitor, analyse, and report on social media performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of campaigns and strategies.
• Utilise insights to recommend and implement improvements for increased engagement and reach.

• Respond promptly to comments, messages, and inquiries across social media channels.

• To be able to travel and attend events to capture high-quality photos and videos for real-time and post-event social media sharing.
• Collaborate with the Digital Officer to plan and execute live coverage of events on social media platforms.

• Maintain an organised content calendar to ensure consistent and timely posting.
• Keep records of content assets, permissions, and releases as necessary.
• Assist in coordinating with internal teams and external partners to gather content and information.

• Stay updated with the latest social media trends, tools, and best practices to keep our digital presence current and effective.
• Propose innovative ideas and strategies to enhance audience engagement and brand visibility.

EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL QUALITIES REQUIRED

Essential Requirements

Candidates must have:

·        A qualification at Level 6 or higher on the National Framework of Qualifications in social media, digital marketing, communications, or a related field.

·        Up to one year’s relevant experience, which may include college projects, internships, placements, or freelance work involving social media or digital communications.

Or

·        A minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience (in lieu of qualification)

AND the candidate must be able to demonstrate:

• Proven experience in social media management, content creation, or a related role.
• Proficient in recording good quality content with ability to be creative and collaborate with others.
• Proficiency in graphic design tools, particularly Canva.
• Comfortable recording and editing video content with iPhone.
• Strong understanding of social media platforms, their respective audiences, and best practices.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to analyse data and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Flexibility to attend events outside of standard working hours as needed.

Desirable

·        Proficiency in Irish.

Building Future Readiness

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

·        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.

·        Actively puts forward innovative ideas, creative solutions, or helpful suggestions.

·        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

·        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.

·        Delivers high quality standards with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

·        Ensures high quality, professional customer service, resolving complex issues or queries and prioritising customer experience.

·        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

·        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.

·        Identifies and solves complex problems, with the support of their team if needed.

·        Escalates issues appropriately, communicating all relevant information and suggesting possible solutions.

·        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 and Empowering

Leading, Supporting, and Developing

·        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.

·        Empowers their team and colleagues by delegating tasks and showing trust.

·        Works with integrity, honesty, and accountability.

·        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

·        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.

·        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.

·        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 and Collaborating

·        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.

·        Communicates in a clear and appropriate manner verbally, digitally and in writing, adapting approach to

·        at all levels, openly sharing their views, thoughts, and concerns.

·        Manages difficult conversations with professionalism, respect, and sensitivity, seeking support when required.

·        Listens to, consults, and engages with relevant stakeholders, keeping them informed as necessary. suit the audience.

·        Shares the appropriate level of detail and communicates information in an accessible and understandable format.

·        Willing to communicate with colleagues

·        Appreciates diversity and makes an active effort to listen, consult and engage with a variety of people

More information on the capabilities relevant to the role and grade can be found HERE

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

General:

The appointment is to an Executive Officerpost on a permanent contract and is subject to the Civil Service Regulations Acts 1956 to 2005, the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004, the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 and any other Act for the time being in force relating to the Civil or Public Service.

The selection process will include capability-based interviews.

€37,919 - €61,216 per year Additional Benefits:

Staff of the OCO can avail of a number of other benefits as a member of the OCO staff. These include:

·        Flexi leave: staff can work and avail of up to 11.5 hours flexitime each month;

·        Time off in lieu: staff can avail of time off in lieu for agreed hours worked outside normal working days

·        Bike-to-Work Scheme: staff can apply to avail of this scheme through the OCO

·        Tax Saver Public Transport Card

·        Training and Development: staff can apply to undertake training and development courses related to their role in the office. Where approved, the OCO will pay the reasonable cost of such training and development

·        Well-Being Initiatives: the OCO has a Well-being and Work Culture Committee that organises relevant initiatives and activities for staff. These include health checks, social events and a well-being month involving various well-being and social activities and information sessions.

Citizenship Requirement 

Eligible candidates must be: 

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 has a Stamp 4 vis1a1; 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.  

Tenure:

This is a 3-year fixed term contract role. The appointee will be required to serve a 3-month probationary period.

Location:

The appointee for this role will be based in the Ombudsman for Children’s Office at 52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin.

When absent from home and place of employment on official duty, the appointee will be paid appropriate travelling expenses and subsistence allowances, subject to normal civil service regulations/public sector regulations.

Hours of attendance:

Hours of attendance will amount to not less than 35 hours gross. The appointee will be required to work such additional hours from time to time as may be reasonable and necessary for the proper performance of their duties subject to the limits set down in the working time regulations.

Rest Periods:

The terms of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 will apply to this appointment.

Annual Leave:

In addition to the standard 10 public holidays and Good Friday, the annual leave for this position is 23 days per annum.

Sick Leave:

Pay during properly certified sick absence, provided there is no evidence of permanent disability for service, will apply on a pro-rata basis, in accordance with the provisions of the sick leave circulars.

PRSI:

Officers who will be paying Class A rate of PRSI will be required to sign a mandate authorising the Department of Social Protection to pay any benefits due under the Social Welfare Acts directly to the OCO. Payment during illness will be subject to the officer making the necessary claims for social insurance benefit to the Department of Social Protection within the required time limits.

Superannuation and Retirement:

The successful candidate will be offered the appropriate superannuation terms and conditions as prevailing in the OCO at the time of being offered an appointment. In general, and except for candidates who have worked in a pensionable (non-single scheme terms) public service job in the 26 weeks prior to appointment (see paragraph d below), this means being offered appointment based on membership of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme (“Single Scheme”).

Key provisions attaching to membership of the Single Scheme are as follows:

Pensionable Age:

The minimum age at which pension is payable is 66 (rising to 67 and 68) in line with State Pension age changes.

a)     Retirement Age: will be determined in accordance with the relevant government Departmental circulars.

b)     Pension Abatement

o   If the appointee was previously employed in the Civil Service or in the Public Service please note that the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 includes a provision which extends abatement of pension for all Civil and Public Servants who are re-employed where a Public Service pension is in payment. This provision to apply abatement across the wider public service came into effect on 1 November 2012.

o   This may have pension implications for any person appointed to this position that is currently in receipt of a Civil or Public Service pension or has a preserved Civil or Public Service pension which will come into payment during their employment in this position.

Department of Education and Skills Early Retirement Scheme for Teachers Circular 102/2007

o   The Department of Education and Skills introduced an Early Retirement Scheme for Teachers. It is a condition of the Early Retirement Scheme that with the exception of the situations set out in paragraphs 10.2 and 10.3 of the relevant circular documentation, and with those exceptions only, if a teacher accepts early retirement under Strands 1, 2 or 3 of this scheme and is subsequently employed in any capacity in any area of the public sector, payment of pension to that person under the scheme will immediately cease. Pension payments will, however, be resumed on the ceasing of such employment or on the person’s 60th birthday, whichever is the later, but on resumption, the pension will be based on the person’s actual reckonable service as a teacher (i.e. the added years previously granted will not be taken into account in the calculation of the pension payment).

Ill-Health Retirement

o   Please note that where an individual has retired from a Civil/Public Service body on the grounds of ill-health their pension from that employment may be subject to review in accordance with the rules of ill-health retirement within the pension scheme of that employment.

c)      Prior Public Servants

While the default pension terms, as set out in the preceding paragraphs, consist of Single Scheme membership, this may not apply to certain appointees. Full details of the conditions governing whether or not a public servant is a Single Scheme member are given in the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012. However, the key exception case (in the context of this competition and generally) is that a successful candidate who has worked in a pensionable (non-single scheme terms) capacity in the public service within 26 weeks of taking up appointment, would in general not become a member of the Single Scheme. In this case such a candidate would instead be offered membership of the pension scheme for non-established civil servants (“Non-Established State Employee Scheme”). This would mean that the abatement provisions at (c) above would apply, and in addition there are implications in respect of pension accrual as outlined below:

d)     Pension Accrual

A 40-year limit on total service that can be counted towards pension where a person has been a member of more than one existing public service pension scheme would apply. This 40-year limit, which is provided for in the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012 came into effect on 28 July 2012. This may have implications for any appointee who has acquired pension rights in a previous public service employment.

e)     Additional Superannuation Contributions (ASC)

ASC was introduced on 1 January 2019 replacing Pension Related Deduction (PRD), which had been in existence since 1 March 2009. ASC is provided for under Part 4 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017. Whereas PRD was a temporary emergency measure, ASC is a permanent pension contribution payable in addition to existing pension contributions and attracting tax relief at the marginal rate. In general, ASC liabilities are lower than the previous PRD liabilities.

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