Executive Officer

Context for the Position of Executive Officers - General

The HEA is seeking to fill several permanent and fixed-term contract positions. In addition, we are seeking to create a panel at Executive Officer level, which will be in place for two years. The HEA may appoint individuals on the panel to either permanent or fixed term positions throughout the two years, depending on the recruitment needs of the organisation. These positions may be filled on: (i) a permanent basis; (ii) a fixed term contract basis (1+ years); or (iii) for shorter periods to assist with specific projects (3-12 months). The HEA reserves the right to align successful candidates to appropriate sections in the organisation dependent on their skills and experience.

Executive Officers – General Role

The post of Executive Officer is a junior management position. Postholders report to a Senior Executive Officer (or equivalent) in a section and will be responsible for a wide range of activities including:

• Assisting with implementation of programmes and funding allocations to higher education institutions.

• Assisting with the development of evidence-based analysis and in the development of policy papers and/or reports.

• Preparing material for reply – Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests, etc.

• Representing the HEA at meetings, conferences, etc.

• Assisting with the organisation of meetings, conferences, and other events.

• Drafting of minutes of meetings attended.

• Managing records and files in their section.

• Carrying out other duties appropriate to the grade.

Requirements

• Minimum of a NFQ Level 7 Ordinary Bachelor Degree or higher in a relevant discipline.

• Have at least three years’ relevant professional experience that aligns with the Executive Officer Capabilities Framework.

• Excellent organisational and project management skills.

• Excellent IT skills in Microsoft Office programs, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Excellent verbal and written communication.

• Ability to be a team player who works in an effective manner with other members of a team.

• Excellent time management skills with the capacity to handle various tasks and deadlines.

• Be able to demonstrate a track record of working independently and accepting responsibility for projects.

• Be able to pay close attention to ensure that work is done to a high standard.

For further details on the competency framework requirements at EO grade please see link below:

EO Capability Framework.pdf

Terms of Post

Pay: The Executive Officer standard salary scale for this position is as follows (rates effective from 1st August 2025):

PPC: €37,919, €39,860, €40,956, €43,094, €45,010, €46,864, €48,711, €50,519, €52,366, €54,207, €56,160, €57,469, €59,335¹, €61,216²

PPC (Personal Pension Contribution) scale (for officers who are existing civil or public servants appointed on or after 6th April 1995 or who are new entrants to the civil or public service and who are making a compulsory personal pension contribution).

Different pay and conditions may apply if, prior to appointment, the appointee is an existing civil or public servant appointed prior to 6th April 1995.

Increments may be awarded subject to satisfactory service and to changes in the terms and conditions relating to salary increments in the Civil/Public Service generally.

The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

The appointment will be made on the salary scale at a point in line with current Government Pay Policy. New entrants to the Civil or Public Sector, as defined in Circular 18/2010, will commence on the first point of the salary scale. Different pay and conditions may apply if, immediately prior to appointment, the appointee is a serving civil or public servant.

Annual Leave: Annual Leave will be 23 working days, rising to 24 working days after 5 years, 25 days after 10 years, 26 working days after 12 years and 27 working days after 14 years of employment. This leave is exclusive of public holidays.

Hours of Attendance: Working hours will be in accordance with the standard arrangements for the HEA and will equate to 35 hours (net of rest breaks) per week. No additional payment will be made for extra attendance as the rate of remuneration payable covers any exceptional extra attendance liability that may arise from time to time. The HEA offers flexible working arrangements and a flexi leave scheme. Staff are permitted to work up additional time which may subsequently be taken as time off (flexi leave).

Location: This position is currently based at 3 Shelbourne Buildings, Shelbourne Road, Dublin. A hybrid policy is in place to facilitate blended working.

Tenure: The appointment to the post is subject to a probationary period that will be no greater than 11 months.

Duties: The appointee will be expected to perform all acts, duties and obligations as appropriate to this position (which may be revised from time to time).

Outside Employment: The position is whole-time and the appointee must avoid involvement in outside employment or business interests in conflict or in potential conflict with the business of the Higher Education Authority. Clarification must be sought from management where any doubt arises.

Sick Leave: Sick leave with full pay may be allowed at the discretion of the Higher Education Authority in accordance with established procedures and conditions for the public service generally.

Retirement and Superannuation: The appointee will be offered public service pension terms and retirement age conditions in accordance with pension arrangements in the Higher Education Authority depending on the status of the successful appointee:

a) In general, an individual who has no prior pensionable Public Service history in the 26 weeks prior to appointment will be a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme (Single Scheme) which commenced from 1 January 2013 as per Section 10 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012.

b) An individual who is on secondment will remain a member of the pension scheme of the employer they are seconded from, and their pensionable remuneration will be based on his or her substantive grade, that is the grade at which the individual is employed in the organisation he or she is seconded from.

c) An individual who was a member of a pre-existing public service pension scheme as construed by the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 and who does not qualify for membership of the Single Scheme will be a member of the HEA’s Staff Superannuation Scheme and Associated Spouses and Children’s Scheme.

d) At the time of being offered an appointment, the Higher Education Authority, in consultation with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform if necessary, will, in the light of the appointee’s previous Public Service and or other employment history, determine the appropriate pension terms and conditions to apply for the duration of the appointment. Appointees will be required to disclose their full public service history. Details of the appropriate superannuation provisions will be provided upon determination of appointee’s status.

e) Retirement age shall be subject to relevant superannuation scheme provision and the statutory provisions set out in the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 and the Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act 2018.

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 will 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.

Pension Abatement: The Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 extended pension abatement so that a retiree’s public service pension is liable to abatement on re-entering public service employment, even where the new employment is in a different area of the public service. However, if the appointee was previously employed in the Civil Service and awarded a pension under voluntary early retirement arrangements (other than the Incentivised Scheme of Early Retirement (ISER) or the Health Service Executive VER or VRS which render a person ineligible for the competition), the entitlement to payment of that pension will cease with effect from the date of reappointment. Special arrangements will, however, be made for the reckoning of previous service given by the appointee for the purpose of any future superannuation award for which the appointee may be eligible.

Ill-Health Retirement: Please note that where an individual has retired from a Civil or Public Service body on the grounds of ill-health, his or her 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.

Eligibility Criteria

Please ensure that you fulfil the eligibility requirements for this competition as outlined below before applying.

Candidates must be authorised to work in the State at the time of application and for the term of the role advertised. Candidates must, by date of any job offer, be residing on the island of Ireland to be considered for this role.

Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, fall within one of the following categories:

A citizen of the European Economic Area. The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or

A UK citizen; or

A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or

A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA or Swiss citizen and has a stamp 4 visa; or

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

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 Switzerland and has a stamp 4 visa.

Applications from candidates not falling within categories 1-6 above will not be considered. The HEA reserves the right to request proof of authorisation to work in the State prior to interview and or acceptance.

Other Eligibility Criteria

Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER): It is a condition of the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER) as set out in Department of Finance Circular 12/09 that retirees under that Scheme are debarred from applying for another position in the same employment or the same sector. Therefore, such retirees may not apply for this position.

Department of Health and Children Circular (7/2010): The Department of Health Circular 7/2010 dated 1st November 2010 introduced a Targeted Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) Scheme and Voluntary Redundancy Schemes (VRS). It is a condition of the VER scheme that persons availing of the scheme will not be eligible for re-employment in the public health sector or in the wider public service or in a body wholly or mainly funded from public moneys. The same prohibition on re-employment applies under the VRS, except that the prohibition is for a period of 7 years, after which time any re-employment will require the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. People who availed of either of these schemes are not eligible to compete in this competition.

Collective Agreement - Redundancy Payments to Public Servants: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform letter dated 28th June 2012 to Personnel Officers introduced, with effect from 1st June 2012, a Collective Agreement which had been reached between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Public Services Committee of the ICTU in relation to ex-gratia Redundancy Payments to Public Servants. It is a condition of the Collective Agreement that persons availing of the agreement will not be eligible for re-employment in the public service by any public service body for a period of 2 years from termination of the employment. Thereafter, the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will be required prior to re-employment. People who availed of this scheme and who may be successful in this competition will have to prove their eligibility and the Minister’s consent will have to be secured prior to employment by any public service body.

Change in eligibility criteria: Applicants are required to notify the HEA immediately if there is a change in their eligibility to work in the State at any stage in the application process or should they be placed on a Panel during the period that they are on that Panel.

The HEA reserves the right to remove a candidate from the application process or any relevant recruitment Panel should the candidate no longer have lawful authority to work in the State.