GIS Technician

The Position

Meath County Council invites applications from suitably qualified persons who wish to be considered for inclusion on a panel from which permanent and fixed-term contract vacancies for the position of IS Technical Support Officer – Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Projects shall be drawn. The successful candidate will be a member of the Council’s GIS Team, which is a key pillar of the Council’s Information Systems (IS) Department. The GIS Team is responsible for managing the Council’s leading edge enterprise GIS Platform, and associated spatial data infrastructure, supporting a user base of 1,100 staff, various external groups and organisations, as well as, members of the public. The Council is now looking to add to its GIS Team in line with its expanding workload. This is an excellent opportunity to apply and build on existing knowledge and skills and to be part of an ambitious and dynamic team working with leading edge spatial technologies to define and deliver varied internal and external facing solutions of value to all the operational Directorates of the Council.

Purpose, Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the post of the GIS Technician include, but are not limited to:

• Maintain and update, on an ongoing basis, existing mapping and GIS datasets as required in relation to the functions of the Planning Department.

• Creation, updating and maintenance of Planning GIS databases specific to the preparation, monitoring and review of the Development and Local Area plans.

• Graphic production of a wide range of maps and diagrams to be published as part of the Development and Local Area plans (e.g., land use zoning, spatially defined objectives etc.)

• Data collection and research for development plans.

• Digitizing or sourcing of data required for mapping purposes.

• Creation, updating and maintenance of the planning registers; planning applications, exempted developments, Part 8 developments, by ensuring that data entry.

• Preparation of public consultation display material and assistance at public consultation.

• Manage work flows and produce regular progress reports on all aspects of area of responsibility.

• Provide training and support in GIS related software and systems to council staff;

• Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation;

• Develop the use of FME software for daily tasks and innovative data translations;

• Proactively monitor emerging tools, skills, techniques and technologies;

• Build the capacity of the Council’s GIS Platform and Spatial Data Infrastructure to maximise opportunities presented through best practice GIS implementation and Geographical Information management;

• Act as a champion by promoting GIS and associated spatial technology use within the Council for the purpose of improving decision making and introducing efficiencies;

• Other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time.

Qualifications for the Post

Character

Each candidate must be of good character.

Health

Each candidate must be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Education and Experience

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:

(a) (i) A qualification at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards (i.e. honours degree) or higher in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) plus 2 years directly relevant, recent experience.

Or

(ii) A qualification at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards (i.e. ordinary degree) or higher in Geographic Information Systems plus 3 years directly relevant, recent experience

Or

(iii) A qualification at Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major awards (i.e. ordinary degree) or higher in Geographic Information Systems plus 3 years directly relevant, recent experience.

Or

(iv) A qualification at Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major award in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) plus at least 4 years directly relevant, recent experience.

And

(b) Have a satisfactory knowledge of public service organisation or the ability to acquire such knowledge.

(c) Hold a current clean full drivers licence (minimum Class B),

Requirements, Knowledge and Skills

It is desirable that candidates, through their application form and at the interview stage, demonstrate significant experience of a number of the following:

• Management of GIS Projects from inception to delivery;

• Requirements analysis and business process analysis.

• GIS principles and mapping concepts, for e.g. grids, projections, transformations, generalisation, accuracy, precision etc.;

• Hands-on experience with ArcPro, ArcGIS Online components, in particular, but not limited to:

o User account administration

o WebApp Builder.

o Field Maps / Survey123.

o Operations Dashboard

• Working knowledge and experience with Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) tools, in particular FME;

• Experience with a database management system such as Microsoft SQL Server or equivalent;

• Data Governance and familiarity with Open Data concepts.

• Spatial analysis and reports;

• Processing, cleaning, creation and maintenance of spatial datasets;

• Geospatial data storage and management;

Desirable, Knowledge and Skills

Candidates must demonstrate, through their application form, and at the interview, that they have:

• Strong presentation, reporting and communication skills.

• Technical proficiency, and hands-on experience required for the role.

• Ability to deliver results on time and to a high standard.

• Strong sense of ownership of their work and attention to detail;

• Ability to be proactive, take ownership, a self-starter, follow through without supervision.

• Committement to self-development and be enthusiastic about acquiring new skills and embracing new technologies.

• Good interpersonal skills and able to establish positive relationships with staff of the Council, Councillors, partners, external agencies and suppliers etc.

• Well-developed presentation and negotiation skills: able to communicate clearly and confidently with staff and stakeholders both orally and in writing.

• Ability to meet day-to-day and project targets.

• Excellent analytic and organisational skills.

Miscellaneous Provisions

Salary

Salary scale: €51,722 - €61,865 per annum (EL 07/25), analogous to the Staff Officer grade. Payment of increments is dependent on satisfactory performance. Entry point of this scale will be determined in accordance with the appropriate Department Circulars.

Hours of Work

The normal working hours will be 35 hours per week. Duties may require the successful applicant to work outside of normal working hours i.e. attendance at evening/weekend, training duties etc. as part of normal working hours without additional remuneration. All hours worked will be subject to the provision of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 as amended. You may be required to complete a time-sheet in accordance with the Organisation of Working Time Regulations, 2001.

Start Date

Meath County Council shall require a person to whom an offer of employment is made to take up an appointment within a reasonable period of time, usually two months from date of offer, to meet the organisational requirements of the Council. Meath County Council reserves the right to withdraw its offer in the event that an appointment is not taken up within such a period.

Leave

30 days per annum

Sick Leave

The terms of the Public Service Sick Pay Scheme will prevail.

Probation

The following provisions will apply:

(a) there shall be a period after such appointments take effect during which such persons shall hold the position on probation,

(b) such period shall be 9 months but the Chief Executive may at his or her discretion extend such period,

(c) such persons shall cease to hold the position at end of the period of probation unless during such period, the Chief Executive has certified that the service of such persons is satisfactory.

Travel

It is desirable that holders of the post should hold a full driving licence for class B vehicles and shall be required to drive a motor car in the course of their duties and for this purpose, provide and maintain a car to the satisfaction of the local authority. Travelling expenses and subsistence expenses necessarily incurred in the course of official duties will be refunded in accordance with appropriate rates in line with the relevant Department Circulars and Local Authority Travel and Subsistence Policy. Meath County Council, as employer, must be indemnified on your insurance policy. If during your employment, your licence is revoked, even temporarily, or if you receive endorsements on your licence, which may affect your duties, you are obliged to notify the Council immediately.

Residence

The person holding the office must reside in, or at an address convenient to performing the role/function as approved by the Chief Executive.

Citizenship

Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, 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 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

Safety and Welfare

The holder of the post shall co-operate with the terms of Meath County Council’s Safety Statement and Major Emergency Plan. They shall familiarise themselves with the safety rules and procedures and make proper use of all safety, clothing and equipment.

Training

It is a condition of employment that successful candidates will be required to participate in training programmes relevant to the skills necessary for the performance of the duties attaching to the post.

Garda Vetting

Successful candidates may be subject to Garda Vetting in advance of appointment to the position.

Outside Employment

The officer may not engage in private practice, or be connected with any outside business, which would interfere with the performance of official duties.