Executive Officer

The Organisation

Established under The Heritage Act 1995, The Heritage Council is a public body whose mission is to develop a wide understanding of the vital contribution that our heritage makes to our social, environmental & economic well-being. For further details visit The Heritage Council website

The Heritage Council in Kilkenny has grown significantly in recent years as its role in protecting, promoting, and supporting Ireland’s heritage has expanded. With increasing responsibilities across areas such as conservation, community engagement, research, and heritage education, the organisation has become a central driver of heritage initiatives at both local and national levels. As demand for its programmes and services continues to rise, the need for additional staff has become increasingly important to ensure the Council can effectively manage its growing workload and continue delivering high-quality support to communities and heritage projects throughout the country.

The Heritage Council in delivering a recruitment campaign across several sections within the organisation. This campaign reflects the continued growth and expanding remit of the Heritage Council and aims to attract skilled professionals to support its work in heritage conservation, community engagement, policy development, and programme delivery.

The Position

Background

The Heritage Council operates a diverse grants programme which is central to the delivery of its strategic priorities and statutory functions under the Heritage Act 1995. Through these programmes, the Council provides financial support to a wide range of stakeholders, including community groups, non-governmental organisations, local authorities, educational bodies, and other heritage-focused organisations across Ireland. These grants support projects that protect, conserve, and promote Ireland’s rich and varied heritage, while also contributing to broader objectives such as climate action, biodiversity, community engagement, and heritage education.

In recent years, the scale and scope of the Heritage Council’s grants programme have expanded considerably, reflecting both increased Government investment and growing demand from the sector. The grants programme now encompasses a broad portfolio of funding schemes, ranging from small community-based initiatives to larger strategic partnerships and multi-annual programmes. This expansion has introduced greater complexity in terms of programme management, governance, monitoring, and reporting requirements.

To respond effectively to this growth, the Grants function within the Heritage Council is continuing to evolve and expand. The team plays a critical role in ensuring that funding is administered efficiently, transparently, and in line with public sector requirements. This includes managing application processes, supporting assessment and decision-making, overseeing grant payments, and ensuring appropriate monitoring and compliance throughout the lifecycle of each funded project.

The Role

The Heritage Council is now seeking applications from suitably qualified candidates with relevant experience for the position of Executive Officer - Grants Management. Reporting to one of the Grants Managers, the post-holder will support the delivery and administration of a number of the Heritage Council’s grant programmes. Working as part of the Grants team, the role will involve managing key stages of the grants lifecycle, including application processing, assessment support, grant offers, monitoring, and reporting, while ensuring strong governance, compliance, and customer service in line with public sector requirements. 

Main duties and responsibilities

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

• Assist in the management of the ongoing operations of the Heritage Council grants programmes from the application stage, assessment, grant offers, through to evaluation and review of the completed project and approval of grant payments.

• Monitoring of projects to ensure grant deadlines are met both internally and externally

• Suggest and participate in implementing new systems/processes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery and workload management.

• Preparation of ad hoc reports relating to grant programmes for internal and external stakeholders

• Support strong governance and control over programmes and schemes.

• Act as the first point of contact for grantees, providing timely and effective customer service to all contacts.

• Involvement in workshop delivery for applicants and grantees.

• Work with the Communications Team to increase grant programme awareness and assist in driving applications, including supporting the coordination of Heritage Council’s events and promotional activities.

• Participate in special projects and perform any other duties as required.

Essential Requirements

Applicants should be able to demonstrate relevant experience and competencies that support the effective delivery of grant programmes in a busy public-sector environment. In particular, candidates should have:

• Analytical and organisational skills, with a high level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including the use of formulas, formatting and reporting.

• Demonstrable experience working with grant programmes, funding schemes, or similar structured programmes, including managing deadlines, documentation, and reporting requirements.

• Experience working with CRM or grant management systems, and an ability to quickly adapt to new systems and processes.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a clear ability to engage positively and professionally with a wide range of stakeholders, including applicants, grantees, and internal colleagues.

• A proactive and solutions-focused approach, with an interest in improving systems, processes, and service delivery.

Desired Requirements

The ideal candidate will also have:

• Knowledge of public sector governance/procurement environments and/or experience operating within controlled communications processes.

• General understanding/knowledge of the Irish heritage sector and/or familiarity with the Heritage Council’s functions and policy environment.

• Experience working in a grant-giving organisation or within a funding function in the public service

• 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 or 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.

To qualify, candidates must be eligible by the date of any job offer.

Conditions of Service

Tenure

The post is a full-time, permanent position

Annual Leave

The annual leave entitlement for this role (based on a full-time role) is 23 days per year, rising to 24 days after 5 years’ service, 25 days after 10 years’ service, 26 days after 12 years' service and 27 days after 14 years' service.

Place of Work

The place of work will be The Heritage Council headquarters, Áras na hOidhreachta, Church Lane, Kilkenny.

Blended Working

The Heritage Council is pleased to offer a blended working model that supports both collaboration and flexibility.

Flexible Working

The Heritage Council is committed to providing a supportive and modern working environment and is pleased to offer flexible working arrangements as part of this recruitment campaign. Recognising the importance of work-life balance, the organisation supports a range of flexible options, including blended working, flexible start and finish times.

Hours of Attendance

The standard working week is 35 hours.

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.

Probation

There shall be a period after the 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.

Retirement / Superannuation

The appointee will be offered the appropriate superannuation terms and conditions as prevailing in 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 members of the Single Scheme.