Graduate Opportunities - Administrative Officer

The Role The Administrative Officer (AO) is the main graduate recruitment grade for the Civil Service and provides successful candidates with the opportunity to progress to middle management. As an AO, you would have a crucial role in policy and strategy formulation across the spectrum of economic, financial, international, environmental and social issues. Those appointed will have the opportunity to effect real change in the Civil Service and help shape a changing Ireland. You will also have the opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the development and implementation of government policy over a period of time. Assignments may also be made to support functions e.g. Facilities Management and Corporate Affairs. As the business, economic and social environment becomes more complex and demanding, there is an increasing need to ensure that a wider range of skills is available within Government Departments and Offices. publicjobs is looking for people with the potential to take on high level responsibilities in the management of public services and the analysis of public policy issues who possess particular qualifications, skills and capability in the following areas: 1. Human Resources 2. Finance Policy 3. Energy, Environment and Climate 4. Health Policy Analyst

To apply, candidates must satisfy the essential requirements specific to the area for which they are applying. Please see pages 4/5 for further details. In addition to having achieved a high standard of education, effective AO candidates should demonstrate: • excellent communication (oral and written), presentation and interpersonal skills • the capacity to carry out research, analysis and problem solving • experience of effective team-working and the capacity to work in a multidisciplinary environment • the capacity to develop leadership capability and lead in your area of expertise • the capacity to show initiative while working with minimal supervision • evidence of working on projects and producing results within budget and specified deadlines.

It is expected that from the outset, newly recruited AOs will be able to make a substantive contribution to the work of the Civil Service. While training is to a significant extent “on the job”, induction and training courses in specific skills and areas of work will be provided to assist you to become familiar with the public sector. Those appointed will undertake the Graduate Development Programme which will build upon your experience to further develop your expertise, confidence, self-awareness and personal effectiveness to enable you to realise your potential and deliver important outcomes early in your career. It is envisaged that these graduate recruitment opportunities will arise across a range of Departments. Selection for the position of AO involves a structured assessment process that may take place over a period of time. publicjobs will keep applicants informed as they progress through the selection process. Relevant information on each subsequent stage of the selection process will be provided in advance to those candidates who are invited to progress, to ensure they are equipped to perform to the best of their ability. The Administrative Officer Capability Framework (click here to view) will inform the assessment of candidates at all stages. Further information on the Capability Framework for the Administrative Officer role is set out in Appendix 1. In addition, specific requirements for each of the streams being recruited are set out in more detail on pages 4/5 in this booklet. The onus is on the candidate to ensure that they satisfy the essential eligibility requirements for the positions for which they are applying. Candidates are required to confirm at application stage that they hold the required qualifications by the deadline specified. Admission to the competition does not imply acceptance that a candidate is eligible to compete in the competition.

Location The Irish Civil Service is a large complex organisation employing nearly 42,000 people in approximately 40 Government Departments and Offices. If you are successful in this competition, you will be placed on a panel, in order of merit. As vacancies arise in Government Departments/Offices, in an ‘agency’ of a Government Department or in Garda civilian positions in An Garda Síochána, successful candidates will be drawn from the panel in rank order, according to their performance score at the final stage.

Positions requiring specialist Irish language skills The Civil Service is fully committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Official Languages Act. It is intended that any vacancies arising, which require staff to provide a full range of services through the Irish language (Functional Bilinguals), may be filled from this competition. In this regard individuals who have proficiency in the Irish language and who fulfil all other eligibility criteria set out below may indicate their interest on the application form. Candidates who indicate their interest and who are successful at all selection stages will be required to undergo certain assessments though Irish (e.g. interview, written test, etc.) at an external assessment centre, prior to being considered for such a position. They must achieve the required level in the Irish language, i.e. demonstrate a minimum Level B2 on the Europass self-assessment framework.

Summary Conditions of Service Starting Salary: €38,869 (Full salary scale available in the Principal Conditions of Service below) Annual Leave: 25 Days Hours of attendance: 41 hours and 15 minutes gross per week Entry/Eligibility Requirements Qualifications/eligibility may not be confirmed until the final stage of the process, therefore, those candidates who do not possess the essential requirements, by Thursday, 13th March 2025, and proceed with their application are putting themselves to unnecessary effort/expense and will not be offered a position from this competition. Please note that, given the volume of applications, publicjobs is not in a position to consider or offer advice on the qualifications/eligibility of individuals unless they come under consideration. The onus is on the candidate to ensure they fulfil the eligibility requirements as set out. publicjobs reserves the right to deem an applicant ineligible at any stage if it is apparent that the candidate does not hold the required eligibility/qualifications e.g. from the submitted application form. Candidates who come under consideration following the final selection stage will be required to provide documentary evidence of their eligibility, including qualifications. At this stage, candidates will be required to submit full official transcript(s) proving eligibility, including any semesters completed abroad. Further information may be requested from candidates who come under consideration for a position. Candidates who are unable to demonstrate that they hold the required qualifications by the deadline specified may be withdrawn from the competition at any stage. An invitation to tests, interview or any element of the selection process is not acceptance of eligibility. Shortlisting The number of applications received for a position generally exceeds that required to fill existing and future vacancies. While a candidate may meet the eligibility requirements of the competition, if the numbers applying are such that it would not be practical to interview everyone, publicjobs may decide that a smaller number will be invited to the next stage of the selection process. publicjobs provide for the employment of a shortlisting process to select a group who, based on an examination of the application forms, appear to be the most suitable for the position. This is not to suggest that other candidates are necessarily unsuitable or incapable of undertaking the job, rather that there are some candidates, who based on their application, appear to be better qualified and/or have more relevant experience. During shortlisting, an expert board will examine the application forms against agreed shortlisting criteria which are based on the requirements of the position. The standard of content of each application submitted may also be assessed during this process. The shortlisting criteria may include both essential and desirable criteria specified for the position and, it is therefore in your own interest to provide a detailed and accurate account of your qualifications/experience in your application. The onus is on candidates to complete the application form fully and accurately. In the case of competitions that may involve large numbers of candidates, candidates may be ranked on the outcome of their online assessment tests and will be shortlisted in accordance with their ranking. Applicants must successfully compete and be placed highest, to be considered for advancement to the next stage of the multistage selection process. The number to be invited forward at each stage will be determined from time to time by publicjobs.

Important notice for existing civil servants Existing eligible civil servants that apply for and are successful in this competition should note that in the event that they decide to accept an offer of assignment as an Administrative Officer from a panel established under this or any other competition that they will no longer be eligible to compete in, or be placed from, an internal or interdepartmental promotional civil service competition for the grade of Higher Executive Officer or equivalent grade. Review and Complaint Procedures under the Code of Practice for Appointments to Positions in the Civil and Public Service

If a candidate is unhappy following the outcome of any stage of a selection process, they can either: 1. Request a Review of a decision made during the process Or 2. Make a Complaint that the selection process followed was unfair A candidate can follow either one of the two procedures in relation to the same aspect of a selection process, but not both. Where a review of a selection process has taken place under Section 7 (as detailed below), a complainant may not seek a further review of the same process under Section 8, other than in the most exceptional circumstances that will be determined by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA) at its sole discretion. There is no obligation on publicjobs to suspend an appointment process while a Review or Complaint is being considered. However, the CPSA expects that, where possible, publicjobs will intervene in cases where it finds an error is likely to have occurred.

Requesting a Review under Section 7 A request for review may be taken by a candidate should they be dissatisfied with an action or decision taken by publicjobs. publicjobs will consider requests for review in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 of the Code of Practice for Appointments to Positions in the Civil and Public Service published by the CPSA. When making a request for a review, the candidate must support their request by outlining the facts they believe show that the action taken or decision reached was wrong. A request for review may be refused if the candidate cannot support their request. The Informal Review will consist of a desk-based examination of any available information in relation to the recruitment process and the decision taken regarding the candidate’s application. The outcome of the Informal Review Process will be communicated to the requester in writing. • A request for Informal Review must be made within 5 working days of notification of the decision, and will normally take place between the candidate and a representative of publicjobs who had played a key role in the administration of the selection process. • Where a candidate remains dissatisfied following any such informal communication, they may adopt the formal procedures set out below. A request for Formal Review must be made within 5 working days of either the notification of the selection decision, or the notification of the outcome of the Informal Review process. Any extension of these time limits will only be granted in the most exceptional of circumstances and will be at the sole discretion of the Chief Executive. • The candidate must address their concerns in relation to the process in writing to the Chief Executive (via email to ceomailbox@publicjobs.ie, or in writing to Chief Executive Officer, publicjobs, Chapter House, 26/30 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1), outlining the facts that they believe show an action taken or decision reached was wrong. • The Formal Review will be conducted by a person who is completely independent of the selection process • The outcome of the Formal Review must generally be notified to the candidate within 25 working days of receipt of the request for review. If the investigation does not produce a decision within this time, publicjobs must keep the candidate informed of the status of the review and the reasons for the delay.

Making a Complaint under Section 8 A candidate may believe there was a breach of the Commission’s Code of Practice by publicjobs that may have compromised the integrity of the decision reached in the appointment process. The complaints process enables candidates to make a complaint under Section 8 to publicjobs in the first instance, and to the Commission for Public Service Appointments subsequently on appeal if they remain dissatisfied. On foot of a Section 8 Complaint process, either publicjobs or the CPSA may find that the recruitment and selection process in question has not adhered to the standard set out in the Code of Practice. In such cases, publicjobs and the CPSA may make recommendations in order to prevent such issues from reoccurring again in the future. The CPSA cannot instruct publicjobs to reverse a decision taken in the course of an appointment process. Any candidate wishing for an investigation into the decision taken regarding their application as part of a selection process should request a Review under Section 7, as outlined above. The complainant must outline the facts that they believe show that the process followed was wrong. The complainant must also identify the aspect of the Code they believe has been infringed and enclose any relevant documentation that may support the allegation. A complaint may be dismissed if they the complainant cannot support their allegations by setting out how publicjobs has fallen short of the principles of this Code. The Informal Complaint will consist of a desk-based examination of any available information in relation to the recruitment process. The outcome of the Informal Complaint will be communicated to the requester in writing. • An Informal Complaint must be made within 5 working days of notification of the decision, and will normally take place between the candidate and a representative of publicjobs who had played a key role in the administration of the selection process. • Where a candidate remains dissatisfied following any such informal communication, they may adopt the formal procedures set out below. A Formal Complaint must be made within 5 working days of either the notification of the selection decision, or the notification of the outcome of the Informal Complaint. Any extension of these time limits will only be granted in the most exceptional of circumstances and will be at the sole discretion of the Chief Executive. • The candidate must address their concerns in relation to the process in writing to the Chief Executive (via email to ceomailbox@publicjobs.ie, or in writing to Chief Executive Officer, publicjobs, Chapter House, 26/30 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1), outlining the facts that they believe show an action taken or decision reached was wrong. • The Formal Complaint will be investigated by a person who is completely independent of the selection process. • The outcome of the Formal Complaint must generally be notified to the candidate within 25 working days of receipt of the request for review. If the investigation does not produce a decision within this time, publicjobs must keep the candidate informed of the status of the review and the reasons for the delay.