Grade VIII Accountant

Remuneration

The salary scale for the post as of 01/08/2025: €82,258 - €82,997 - €86,243 - €89,502 - €92,736 - €95,983 - €99,213

New appointees to any grade start at the minimum point of the scale. Incremental credit will be applied for recognised relevant service in Ireland and abroad (Department of Health Circular 2/2011). Incremental credit is normally granted on appointment, in respect of previous experience in the Civil Service, Local Authorities, Health Service and other Public Service Bodies and Statutory Agencies.

Details of Service

HSE Dublin and Midlands provides health and social care services to Dublin South City and West and Dublin South West, Kildare, West Wicklow, Laois, Offally, Longford and Westmeath.

The HSE Dublin and Midlands health regions is divided into 4 healthcare areas: HSE Dublin South City and West, HSE Dublin South West, HSE Kildare West Wicklow, HSE Midlands.

Community Healthcare Services are the broad range of services in a non-acute hospital setting, delivered as close as possible to people’s homes at the right time, in the right place, by the right team.

• The region is served by 8 hospitals along with Children’s Health Ireland and the services delivered include inpatient-scheduled care, unscheduled/emergency care, maternity services, and outpatient and diagnostic services.

Reporting Relationship

The Grade VIII Accountant will report directly to the General Manager – Financial Planning & Performance within the Dublin and Midlands Health region.

Key Working Relationships

As part of the Finance Team, the GVIII Accountant will work collaboratively with the following:

• Regional Finance colleagues

• Regional Service colleagues

• Finance staff/Business partners – National Divisional level

• Business Support Functions (Human Resources, Corporate Support Services, HBS)

Purpose of the Post

To support the General Manager in ensuring the Region operates an effective financial planning and monthly financial performance management process ensuring the Region can deliver the maximum amount of safe service while operating with the limits of the budget made available.

To provide analytics to support in co-ordinating efforts to assess, establish, monitor and continuously improve the system of internal financial controls within the Region.

To provide high quality analysis in order to safely reduce costs and secure appropriate additional investment in services, including by linking inputs to outputs/outcomes and demonstrating value for money.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Duties will include, but are not limited to:

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Eligibility Criteria

Qualifications and/ or experience

Candidates must have at the latest date of application:

• Membership of a recognised or prescribed accountancy body such as ACCA, CPA, ACMA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent.

• Record of achievement in a financial analysis/reporting role within a large complex organisation.

• High-level user experience of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) financial system software in a large organisation.

• Strong Experience of strategic financial management and financial planning, as relevant to this role.

• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.

Essential

Applicants must demonstrate all of the criteria listed below:

• Member/passed finalist of a recognised or prescribed accountancy body such as ACCA, CPA, ACMA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent.

• Understanding & experience of finance and budgeting systems in a large computerised organisation.

• Experience of financial management and financial planning, as relevant to this role.

• A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Other requirements specific to the post

• Access to appropriate transport to fulfil the requirements of the role.

• Flexibility in relation to working hours to fulfil the requirements of the role.

Additional eligibility requirements

Citizenship Requirements

Eligible candidates must be:

(i) EEA, Swiss, or British citizens OR (ii) Non-European Economic Area citizens with permission to reside and work in the State.

Read Appendix 2 of the Additional Campaign Information for further information on accepted Stamps for Non-EEA citizens resident in the State, including those with refugee status.

To qualify candidates must be eligible by the closing date of the campaign.

Skills, competencies and/or knowledge

Professional Knowledge & Experience

• Relevant financial knowledge together with the demonstrable ability to apply this knowledge in problem resolution.

• Knowledge / experience in annual Budgeting.

• Knowledge / experience in accurate Forecasting.

• Highly proficiency in MS Excel with high level working knowledge of financial spreadsheets to enable analysis, interpretation of data and data extraction from multiple data sources.

• High standards of accuracy and precision with excellent organisational skills.

• Knowledge and experience of dealing with complex data in a large organisation and working independently.

Planning & Organising

• Demonstrate excellent organisational and time management skills to meet objectives within agreed timeframes and achieve quality results.

• Demonstrate evidence of effective planning and organisational skills including an awareness of resource management and the importance of value for money.

• Demonstrate the ability to improve efficiency within the working environment ability and the ability to evolve and adapt to a rapid changing environment.

• Demonstrate the ability to work to tight deadlines and operate effectively with multiple competing priorities.

Evaluating Information and Decision Making

• Display excellent analytical skills to enable analysis, interpretation of data and data extraction from multiple data sources.

• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate complex information from a variety of sources and make effective decisions.

• Demonstrate an effective problem solving approach to work, in particular, ability to apply technical knowledge to new or unusual situations.

Leadership, Direction & Team working

Demonstrates:

• Effective leadership in a challenging and busy environment including a track record of innovation/ improvements.

• Flexibility and adaptability to meet the requirements of the role.

• Champions measurement on delivery of results and is willing to take personal responsibility to initiate activities and drive objectives through to a conclusion.

• Ability to lead, organise and motivate teams to the confident delivery of excellent services and service outcomes.

• Evidence of being a positive agent of change and performance improvement.

• Ability to work with multi-disciplinary team members and other stakeholders to facilitate high performance, developing and achieving clear and realistic objectives.

• An ability to influence and negotiate effectively in furthering the objectives of the role.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

Demonstrates:

• The ability to interact in a professional manner with other staff, business managers and other key stakeholders.

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills to facilitate work with a wide range of individuals and groups.

• The ability to present information clearly, concisely, and confidently when speaking and in writing tailoring to meet the needs of the audience.

• Excellent presentation skills.

• Excellent written communication skills including significant track record of producing professional reports.

• Excellent people skills and the ability to achieve “buy-in” from major stakeholders.

• Strong negotiation/influencing skills.

Tenure

The current vacancy available is Permanent and Whole time. The post is pensionable. A panel may be created from which permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full or part time duration may be filled. The tenure of these posts will be indicated at “expression of interest” stage.

Appointment as an employee of the Health Service Executive is governed by the Health Act 2004 and the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 and Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Amendment Act 2013.

Working Week

The standard weekly working hours of attendance for your grade are 35 hours per week. Your normal weekly working hours are 35 hours. Contracted hours that are less than the standard weekly working hours for your grade will be paid pro rata to the full time equivalent.

You are required to work agreed roster/on-call arrangements advised by your Reporting Manager. Your contracted hours are liable to change between the hours of 8.00am and 8.00pm over seven days to meet the requirements for extended day services in accordance with the terms of collective agreements and HSE Circulars.

Annual Leave

The annual leave associated with the post will be confirmed at Contracting stage.

Superannuation

This is a pensionable position with the HSE. The successful candidate will upon appointment become a member of the appropriate pension scheme. Pension scheme membership will be notified within the contract of employment. Members of pre-existing pension schemes who transferred to the HSE on the 01st January 2005 pursuant to Section 60 of the Health Act 2004 are entitled to superannuation benefit terms under the HSE Scheme which are no less favourable to those which they were entitled to at 31st December 2004.

Age

The Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act, 2018* set 70 years as the compulsory retirement age for public servants.

Public Servants not affected by this legislation: Public servants joining the public service or re-joining the public service with a 26 week break in service, between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012 (new entrants) have no compulsory retirement age. Public servants, joining the public service or re-joining the public service after a 26 week break, after 1 January 2013 are members of the Single Pension Scheme and have a compulsory retirement age of 70.

Probation

Every appointment of a person who is not already a permanent officer of the Health Service Executive or of a Local Authority shall be subject to a probationary period of 12 months as stipulated in the Department of Health Circular No.10/71.