Irish Officer

Mayo County Council offers a fulfilling career in a supportive and inclusive workplace where employees are valued and empowered to grow professionally. With flexible working arrangements the Council promotes a healthy work-life balance. Employees enjoy competitive salaries, a pension scheme, and family-friendly initiatives. Career progression is a key focus, with opportunities for promotion, continuous training, and educational support. Mayo County Council also prioritizes employee well-being through its Employee Assistance Programme, and additional benefits like the Cycle to Work Scheme. Working with Mayo County Council means advancing your career while making a positive impact on the local community.

County Mayo is a unique place to live and work, offering the perfect blend of natural beauty, community spirit, and professional opportunity. Home to vibrant towns like Castlebar, Westport, and Ballina, Mayo boasts excellent schools, modern healthcare facilities, and a growing range of cultural and sporting amenities. The county’s stunning coastline, including Achill Island and the Wild Atlantic Way, along with Croagh Patrick, the Great Western Greenway, and countless lakes and forests, make it ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and families alike. With affordable living, shorter commute times, and strong investment in infrastructure and digital connectivity, Mayo offers a lifestyle that supports both career progression and personal wellbeing.

Candidates shall be of good character.

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

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

a)   (i) have obtained at least Grade D (or a pass), in Higher or Ordinary Level in five subjects (or four subjects if Irish is included) from the approved list of subjects in the Department of Education Established Leaving Certificate Examination or Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme including Irish and/or English and one of the following: Mathematics, Accounting, Business Organisation or Economics,

and

b)   (ii) have obtained at least Grade C (or Honours) in higher level (or Honours) papers in three subjects in that examination (or two subjects if Irish and/or one of the following is included Mathematics, Accounting, Business Organisation or Economics, or

c)    Have obtained a comparable standard in an equivalent examination, or

d)   Hold a third level qualification of at least degree standard.

e)     Be a competent and experienced Irish speaker. The successful candidate must have sufficient proficiency in the Irish language both verbal and written to allow them to carry out their role in the Irish language.

Candidates will be required to sit a written proficiency Irish exam. In addition, the interview will be conducted through Irish.

In the event that an offer of employment is made, the candidate will be required to submit all relevant Educational Qualifications to meet the requirements above.

Non-Irish Qualifications must be accompanied by a determination from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to establish their comparability against the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, overseas qualifications must also be accompanied by a translation document. 

It is desirable that the successful candidate demonstrates the following through the completion of their application form and at interview,

a)     Must have a good standard of education. A relevant third level degree is desirable but not essential.

b)     Must have proficient competency in the use of the Irish Language in carrying out day to day duties.

c)      Must have a firm commitment to the promotion of the Irish Language.

d)     Excellent communication skills, both in Irish and English, along with proven organisational ability.

e)     A minimum of one year experience working in a Government body, voluntary organisation or other relevant body in the promotion and development of the Irish language or equivalent relevant experience would be desirable.

f)      Knowledge of the Official Languages Act, 2003 and Official Languages (Amendment) Act, 2021.

g)     Understanding of the linguistic and social profile of County Mayo, in particular with regard to the Mayo Gaeltachtaí.

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.

A panel will be formed from qualified candidates from which permanent and temporary appointments may be made. This is a pensionable whole-time position on the basis of a 35-hour 5-day week. The position may from time to time require work to be conducted/completed outside of normal office hours.    

The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be as determined from time to time. The holder of the position shall pay to the Local Authority any fees or other monies (other than inclusive salary) payable to or received by such holder by virtue of the position or in respect of services, which are required by or under any enactment to perform.

SALARY SCALE:

€51,722, €53,266, €54,844, €56,454, €58,076 (maximum), €59,967 (after 3 years satisfactory service at maximum) €61,865 (after 6 years satisfactory service at maximum). The starting pay for new entrants will be at the minimum of the scale and the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

The duties of the post are to give to the local authority, and 

a)       such other local authorities or bodies for which the Chief Executive, for the purposes of the Local Government Acts 2001 and 2014, is Chief Executive, and

b)     to any other local authority or body with which an agreement has been made by the local authority, or by any of the authorities or bodies mentioned in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph under the general direction and supervision of the Chief Executive or such other employee as the Chief Executive may from time to time determine, such appropriate services of an executive, administrative or management nature as may be required by any local authority or body hereinbefore mentioned in the exercise and performance of any of its powers, functions and duties to exercise such powers, functions and duties as may be delegated to him / her by the Chief Executive from time to time, including the duty of servicing all committees that may be established by any such local authority or body. The post holder will, if required, act for an employee of a higher level if qualified to do so.

The following are among the principal duties envisaged:

a)     Support and facilitate compliance within Mayo County Council with the obligations of the Official Languages Act, 2003 and the Official Languages (Amendment) Act, 2021 and other relevant legislation.

b)     Work as part of the Communications Office to provide media and communication services (as Gaeilge) for the organisation and staff including speech writing and press release writing and support implementation of the Social Media policy and Web-site policy (as Gaeilge).

c)     Maintain relations and co-operate with voluntary organisations and public bodies in relation to the Irish language, including relevant Government Departments, an Coimisinéir Teanga, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Irish language organisations across Mayo. Gaeltacht

d)     Work with Language Planning Officers, lead organisations and other stakeholders to support the language planning process within Mayo Gaeltacht areas.

e)     Carry out/co-ordinate translations of documents, signage and correspondence where required by individual Departments.

f)      Assisting in the naming of new streets, housing estates and buildings.

g)     Manage content updates on the Irish sections of Mayo County Council website.

h)     Arrange for the procurement and management of Irish Language translation services for larger documents and website.

i)       To advise management and staff on obligations and policy developments of relevance to the Irish Language and the Gaeltacht and propose strategies for compliance.

j)       In conjunction with the relevant Head of Function/Director/or nominee, to develop an Action Plan for the promotion and development of the use of Irish language in the organisation.

k)     To advise staff members on the use of Irish and liaise with customers when required.

l)       Promote the use of Irish among staff and organisation of events to encourage the use of Irish among staff.

m)   In conjunction with the Training Section, to organise Irish language training for staff and Councillors.

n)     Provide service as may be required for the promotion and development of the use of the Irish Language with various Irish Language Groups/Organisations in Mayo.

o)     Organise initiatives and events to encourage engagement with the Irish language and to promote the linguistic heritage of the Mayo Gaeltacht areas.

p)     To carry out such duties as may be assigned from time to time within the Communications Section.

q)     Budgetary planning and management

r)      Present at Municipal District and Strategic Policy Committee meetings as required

The above 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 him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Candidates for the post must demonstrate that they have competency and skills in the following areas. Application forms should include two practical examples which demonstrates these competencies. Interviews will be competency based, and marks will be awarded under these skills sets.

Delivering Results

·       Contribute to the development of operational plans and lead the development of team plans.

·       Plan and prioritise work and resources effectively.

·       Establish high quality service and customer care standards.

·       Make timely, informed and effective decisions and show good judgement and balance in making decisions or recommendations.

·       Critically evaluates outcomes and processes used to achieve them.

Performance Through People

·       Motivate and engage employees to achieve quality results and to deliver on operational plans.

·       Lead by example in terms of commitment, flexibility and a strong service ethos.

·       Have effective verbal and written communications skills and present ideas clearly and effectively to individuals and groups.

·       Establish and maintain productive working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Personal Effectiveness and Change

·       Take initiative and seek opportunities to exceed goals.

·       Manage time and workload effectively and operate in an environment with significant complexity and pace.

·       Remain calm under pressure and maintain a positive, constructive and enthusiastic attitude to their role.

·       Be proactive in keeping up to date on issues and key developments that may impact on own area, the department and/or wider public service.

·       Review own performance and set self-challenging goals and targets.

·       Demonstrate flexibility and openness to change.

Candidates will also be assessed at interview on the basis of how they demonstrate their Relevant Knowledge and Experience.

PLEASE NOTE INTERVIEWS FOR THIS POSITION WILL BE CONDUCTED THROUGH IRISH.

Understanding Purpose, Specialist Knowledge, Expertise and Development

·       Knowledge and understanding of the role of Irish Officer.

·       Clearly understanding one’s role in the delivery of organisational objectives and targets.

·       Relevant experience to date.

·       Knowledge and awareness of key topical and priority issues.

·       Understanding of political reality / context of issues.

·       Understanding compliance standards, policies, procedures and legislation.

·       Knowledge of Government policy in relation to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht including the Official Languages Act, the language planning process and relevant topical issues.

·       A clear understanding of Health and Safety Policy and Procedures

Holders of the position shall reside in the district in which his/her duties are to be performed or within a reasonable distance thereof.

Annual leave entitlement is 30 days per year.

Mayo County Council reserves the right to provide a vehicle to enable you to carry out your duties. The provision of a vehicle will be at the discretion of the Chief Executive.

Normally the number of applications received for a position exceeds that required to fill existing and future vacancies to the position. While candidates may meet the eligibility requirements of the competition, if the numbers applying for the position are such that it would not be practical to interview everyone, Mayo County Council may decide that a number only will be called to interview. A shortlisting process will apply whereby a group of applicants will be selected for interview who, based on an examination of the documents provided by each applicant, 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 are, prima facie, better qualified and/or have more relevant experience.

In the event of a shortlisting exercise being employed, the shortlisting process can take the form of: -

·       Shortlisting of candidates on the basis of information contained in their application form (It is therefore in the interests of each candidate to provide a detailed and accurate account of his/her qualifications/ experience on the application form).

·       Other written, oral or practical tests appropriate to the position.

·       Preliminary interviews to reduce the number of candidates to a more manageable number for the final Interview Board or

·       Preliminary interviews to determine qualified candidates, after which a selected number of qualified candidates are called back for final interview.

Mayo County Council is committed to offering meaningful feedback to candidates who request it, and to dealing with such requests in a timely and efficient manner, in accordance with Mayo County Council Interview and Selection Review Procedure. Please see our website for full details of procedure www.mayo.ie/careers/current-vacancies.

Candidates whose names are on a panel and who satisfy the Local Authority that they possess the qualifications declared for the position and that they are otherwise suitable for employment may within the life of the panel be employed as relevant vacancies arise. The life of the panel will be one year from the date of its establishment.

The local authority shall require a person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month and if he/she fails to take up the appointment within such period or such longer period as the local authority in its absolute discretion may determine, the local authority shall not appoint him/her.

Each candidate will be required to submit as references the names and addresses of two responsible persons to whom they are well known but not related. Candidates will be required to submit documentary evidence to the Local Authority in support of their application.

As an employee of Mayo County Council, you will be assessed in terms of which Pension Scheme is applicable to you. You will become a member and contribute to the relevant scheme as outlined below:

1)     Persons who become pensionable employees of a local authority under the Single Public Service Pension Scheme will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration and 3% of pensionable remuneration.

2)     Persons who become pensionable employees of a local authority under the Local Government (superannuation) (consolidation) scheme, 1998 and who are liable to pay class A rate of PRSI contribution will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute to the local authority at the rate of 1.5% of their pensionable remuneration plus 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration (i.e. pensionable remuneration less twice the annual rate of State Pension Contributory payable at the maximum rate to a person with no adult dependant or qualified children).

3)     Persons who become pensionable employees of a local authority under the Local Government (superannuation) (consolidation) scheme, 1998 and who are liable to pay class D rate of PRSI contribution will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute to the local authority at the rate of 5% of their pensionable remuneration.

Persons who become pensionable employees of a local authority under the Local Government (superannuation) (consolidation) scheme, 1998 may be required to contribute to the Dependants Pension Scheme.

In order, to qualify for a pension, they must have served a minimum of two years (24 months) employment in an approved public body.

CLASS A PRSI

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012:

The compulsory retirement age for new entrants as defined by the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 is 70 years. Minimum pension age of 66 years, rising to 67 years and 68 years in line with State Pension age changes, is applicable.

Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004:

There is no mandatory retirement age for ‘New Entrants’ (from 1st April, 2004 and before January 2013) to the Public service as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004. The minimum age at which a person may retire is 65. As a ‘New Entrant’ to the public service, under the terms of this legislation, new entrants will not be required to retire on grounds of age.

Anyone who is not a New Entrant to the public service, as defined in the Public Service Superannuation (miscellaneous provisions) Act 2004, who has joined before 1st April 2004, is subject to a compulsory retirement age of 70 as per CLS2/2019 but can retire from 60 years of age.

CLASS D PRSI

Minimum retirement age will be 60 years with compulsory retirement age of 70 years.