Executive Officer

The role of the Executive Officer

The Executive Officer reports to and supports the Higher Executive Officer/Assistant Principal in pursuit of the operating Unit’s stated annual objectives and acts as a link between their area of responsibility and their manager.

The Executive Officer is expected to take ownership of tasks through the effective organisation, allocation and supervision of work. The role is varied and requires the roleholder to be flexible, capable of working to and meeting tight deadlines and committed to delivering quality results.

The general responsibilities of the Executive Officer role can include:

• Assisting the Higher Executive Officer to plan, organise and monitor the work of the Unit.

• Supporting the Authority’s engagement with external regulated entities.

• Conducting pro-active supervisory work including investigations, on and off-site inspections, engagement meetings, thematic reviews and desk-based audits.

• Analysing responses and submissions from regulated entities.

• Drafting reports and procedures.

• Providing Clerical Officers with on-the-job training and support to deliver on their objectives.

• Carrying out detailed research on matters relevant to the work of the Authority and analysing results.

• Analysing and preparing responses to non-routine issues, queries, correspondence, etc.

• Taking ownership of assigned tasks and prioritising competing tasks in order to ensure that they are completed on time and to a high standard.

• Dealing with members of the public, whether in person, on the phone or by email.

Providing high quality customer service to both internal and external customers and consistently setting a good example to others within the team in relation to same.

• Sharing information, knowledge and experience with colleagues with the purpose of assisting the team/organisation to meet its objectives.

• Contributing to and carrying out project work as/when required.

• Contributing to new and more effective ways of ‘how work is done’ and implementing changes to improve efficiency and effectiveness as directed.

• Keeping up to date with the practices and procedures of the Authority and developing and maintaining the technical skills and knowledge required to perform effectively in the role.

• Presenting material (written and oral) in a clear, concise, comprehensive and convincing manner.

• Contributing to the development and implementation of management information systems.

• Complying with any duties that may be assigned from time to time by the Unit Head, Directors or the Pensions Regulator.

The above is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive and is subject to review.

Essential skills, experience and qualifications

Suitable candidates must have:

• Relevant supervisory management experience.

• The ability to work independently and/or cooperatively within a team environment in order to provide a customer-focused service.

• The ability to effectively analyse information from a broad range of sources, to draw accurate conclusions and present findings clearly and concisely.

• A proven track record of delivering results.

• Good project management skills.

• The ability to plan, organise and monitor work and resources in order to meet targets and objectives.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• The ability to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders including members of the public, whether in person, on the phone or by email.

• Excellent ICT skills and proficiency in Excel, Word and Outlook.

• A flexible approach and openness to change.

The successful candidate must be interested in further developing their pensions knowledge. The successful candidate may be required to complete training courses during their probationary period.

Desirable skills, experience and qualifications

The ideal candidate for this post will have experience of working in the pensions, regulation, compliance or financial services industry and/or hold (or be prepared to work towards) a relevant qualification, for example:

• IIPM: Diploma in Pensions Management and Policy.

• IIPM: Certificate in Pensions, Investments and Insurance.

• LCOI: Professional Diploma in Compliance.

• Professional Diploma in Financial Advice.

• Certificate in Retirement Planning Advice.

• QFA.

• Other qualifications relevant to pensions, regulation, compliance or financial services.

Working at the Pensions Authority

The Authority is an equal opportunities employer. Our employees come from varied professional backgrounds in both the private and public sector and include actuaries, lawyers, accountants, regulatory specialists, data analysts, qualified financial advisors, pension administrators, investment managers, customer service support, and software and hardware engineers.

A career in the Authority will give you a unique opportunity to work in pensions regulation and to develop your potential while contributing to the Authority’s vision of achieving a pensions landscape which encourages pensions savings by being secure, well managed and understandable.

Day-to-day work of the Authority

The day-to-day work of the Authority is carried out by our 100+ employees working together across the following Units:

• Supervision and Enforcement comprising:

o Defined Benefit Supervision,

o Master Trust Supervision,

o Defined Contribution Supervision.

• Legal.

• Policy.

• Strategy and Change Management.

• IT and Data.

• Operations.

Career development

Through our continuous learning and development programme, we provide employees with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge required to efficiently and effectively carry out their roles to serve the public interest. The Authority is committed to investing in the expertise of our employees so they can progress their careers in our organisation and beyond.

Each Unit works collaboratively and plays an important role in delivering the Authority’s objectives. In the delivery of our objectives there are various cross-Unit projects and business as usual activities underway at any one time in a variety of areas such as supervision; compliance and enforcement activity; data management and analysis; policy development; providing legal and technical advice; IT systems development; HR; finance; procurement and communications. Employees have the opportunity to input into and influence how the Authority does its work. These activities enable employees to gain an array of experiences from across the organisation.

Benefits of working at the Pensions Authority

Our modern city centre office, located on Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, is easily accessible by DART, Luas and many bus routes. While employees are contracted to work in our Dublin 2 office, employees can currently avail of our hybrid working arrangement.

Our hybrid working policy requires employees to attend the office for a minimum of two days per week and is subject to change in line with Government guidelines and the business needs of the Authority. All employees must work from the territory and jurisdiction of Ireland while working remotely with the Authority.

Below are just some of the benefits that the Authority has to offer:

• Public sector pay rates, pension benefits and annual leave entitlements.

• Dynamic and interactive work environment.

• Career progression opportunities.

• Personal development opportunities through employer-sponsored academic education, paid study leave and extensive in-house training and development programmes.

• Tax saver tickets, cycle-to-work scheme and bike storage onsite.

• Wellbeing initiatives: lunch and learn sessions on popular topics, mindfulness classes, mental health awareness talks, provision of fresh fruit daily, health initiatives, employee networking initiatives, confidential employee assistance programme.

• An active and inclusive social committee hosting varied activities.

General conditions of employment

Pay

Entry will be at the minimum of the Executive Officer (Standard) Scale, which is €37,919 for persons appointed on or after 6 April 1995. The salary scale for the position, as per Circular 16/2025 is as follows:

For persons appointed to the public service after 6 April 1995:

€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

Long service increments may be payable after three (LSI-1) and six (LSI-2) years of satisfactory service at the maximum of the scale.

Increments are normally awarded annually subject to satisfactory performance; however, payment of increments and/or the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

Tenure

In the event of appointment to a permanent or temporary position with the Authority the appointee must serve a probationary period, which normally will last for nine months. If at any time during this period it appears that the appointee would not be suitable for final appointment, the probation will be terminated.

Panel

As part of this recruitment process, the Authority may establish a panel of successful candidates in order of merit. Any panel created will expire after a designated period from its establishment (usually nine months), or when it has been exhausted, whichever is sooner. The Authority may decide that only a certain number of candidates will be placed on any such panel. Qualification and placement on a panel is not a guarantee of appointment to a position. Candidates not appointed at the expiry of the panel will have no claim to a position thereafter because of having been on the panel.

More detailed information regarding establishment of a panel (if any), duration of any such panel and placement on the panel will be provided to successful candidates.

If you are placed on a panel, and are subsequently offered an assignment, you must be available to take up the post as offered. Vacancies may need to be filled with immediate effect therefore if you are not contactable, the Authority will immediately move on to the next available candidate. Candidates who wish to be considered for positions which may arise must be available for the full duration of the contract offered. Extended holiday plans during this period may affect your possible assignment.

Hours of attendance

Hours of attendance will be fixed from time to time but will amount, on average, to not less than 43 hours and 15 minutes gross or 35 hours net per week. Normal working hours are from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, including lunch. Evening and weekend work may be required from time to time.

Where extra attendance is necessary, payment or time off in lieu may be allowed in accordance with the normal regulations for the grade. Please note that hours of attendance may be subject to change from time to time in line with Government/local policy and practices.