Office Administrator

Reporting Relationship

The post holder will report directly to the HSE Children First Lead, under the Office of the Chief Social Worker.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will have a close working relationship with all Training and Development Officers, Children First Committee Members, Governance and Risk National Office, partners within other HSE divisions, as well as external stakeholders.

Purpose of the Post

The function of this position is to ensure the Children First National Office is managed and to contribute to the operation and continued development of Children First requirements across the HSE.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The position of Grade VI, Office Administrator encompasses both managerial and administrative responsibilities which include the following:

National Office Administration:

·        Provide administrative support directly to the Children First Lead to ensure the smooth running of the office on a daily basis.

·        Develop and maintain standard operating procedures for the Children First National Office

·        Devise and maintain office systems, including data management and filing.

·        Manage Children First National Office purchasing and financial administration, and relevant reporting requirements.

·        Manage a perpetual calendar of key regular administrative and HR tasks throughout the year

·        Manage correspondence for Children First National Office - email, letters, phone etc.

·        Diary Management.

·        Organise internal and external meetings.

·        Prepare documentation for and take minutes of relevant meetings as required

·        Liaise with internal and external stakeholders.

·        Provide administrative support, as required, to the Children First National Office Training and Development Officers

·        Manage and deliver on projects of work assigned to support the work of the Children First National Office

·        Contribute to the development of standardised structures and systems to provide data and evidence of the implementation of policy and staff compliance with Children First

·        Contribute to the preparation, oversight, management and implementation of the Annual Programme of Work for the Children First National Office

Communications

·        Maintain the Mission, Vision and Values of the Children First National Office

·        Support upkeep of the HSE Children First Website content

·        Deal with incoming communications (email, and post etc.), and correspond on behalf of the Children First National Office

·        Screen phone calls, enquiries and requests, and handle them when appropriate.

·        Maintain up-to-date contact details for key Children First Committees and HSE Senior Management

·        Liaise with other staff of the HSE to ensure efficient and effective communication

·        Arrange travel and accommodation requirements for the team, as appropriate.

·        Contribute to the investigation of and response to Parliamentary Questions, Press and FOI queries, and complaints relevant to the programme and any delegations in relation to the same.

Human Resources:

·        Provide administrative HR Management of staff in the Children First National Office, including annual and other leave systems updates; new staff set up and staff exits; file maintenance etc.

·        Support a positive working environment among staff members, which contributes to maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships.

·        Where appropriate, arrange for the induction and training for assigned staff, as required to maximise skill resources.

·        Ensure staff resources are managed in accordance with HSE policies and procedures and prevailing employment law.

·        Ensure value for money across all resourcing utilisation, and the optimum use of resources in line with current best practice.

·        Actively participate in meetings and work groups with both internal and external stakeholders. Constructively and positively challenge traditional practices encouraging innovative problem solving amongst multi-disciplinary teams.

·        Demonstrate pro-active commitment to all communications with internal and external stakeholders

·        Provide line management to the other administrators within the Office, where relevant, and delegate appropriate work and tasks.

Education and Training

·        Complete all mandatory training.

·        Maintain continuous personal & professional development and participate in team based development, education, training and learning.

·        Participate in performance achievement, identifying areas for improvement and appropriate plans / measures to achieve them.

·        Where appropriate, provide supervision and assist in the development of knowledge, skills of relevant staff under your supervision.

·        Engage in the HSE performance achievement process in conjunction with your Line Manager and staff as appropriate.

Service Delivery and Service Improvement

• Ensure accurate attention to detail in own work and work of team.
• Maintain a good understanding of internal and external factors that can affect service delivery including awareness of local and national issues that impact on own area.
• Embrace change and adapt local work practices accordingly by finding practical ways to make policies work, ensuring team knows how to action changes.
• Encourage and support staff through change processes.
• Monitor efficiency of service provided by team, identify, and implement changes to the administration of the service where inefficiencies arise.

Standards, Policies, Procedures & Legislation

• Contribute to the development of policies and procedures and ensure consistent adherence to procedures and current standards within area of responsibility.
• Maintain own knowledge of relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and practices to perform the role effectively and to ensure standards are met by own team.
• Maintain own knowledge of relevant regulations and legislation e.g., Financial Regulations, Health & Safety Legislation, Employment Legislation, FOI Acts, GDPR
• Adequately identifies, assesses, manages, and monitors risk within their area of responsibility.
• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
• Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water, and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

·        Pursue continuous professional development in order to develop management expertise and professional knowledge.

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

a)     Eligible applicants will be those who on the closing date for the competition:  

                  i.          Have satisfactory experience as a Clerical Officer in the HSE, TUSLA, other statutory health agencies, or a body which provides services on behalf of the HSE under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004. 

Or

                ii.          Have obtained a pass (Grade D) in at least five subjects from the approved list of subjects in the Department of Education Leaving Certificate Examination, including Mathematics and English or Irish1. Candidates should have obtained at least Grade C on higher level papers in three subjects in that examination.  

Or

               iii.          Have completed a relevant examination at a comparable standard in any equivalent examination in another jurisdiction.  

Or

               iv.          Hold a comparable and relevant third level qualification of at least level 6 on the National Qualifications Framework maintained by Qualifications and Quality Ireland, (QQI). 

Note1: Candidates must achieve a pass in Ordinary or Higher level papers. A pass in a foundation level paper is not acceptable. Candidates must have achieved these grades on the Leaving Certificate Established programme or the Leaving Certificate Vocational programme. The Leaving Certification Applied Programme does not fulfil the eligibility criteria. 

And

b)     Candidates must possess the requisite knowledge and ability, including a high standard of suitability, for the proper discharge of the office. 

2.      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.  

3.      Character 

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

* View the list of other statutory health agencies

Post Specific Requirements

·        Experience of professional writing including the generation of documents such as letters, reports, etc. as relevant to the role.

·        Experience in managing competing demands and delivering multiple concurrent pieces of work as relevant to the role.

• Experience of working collaboratively with multiple Internal and external stakeholders as relevant to the role.

Other requirements specific to the post

·        Access to appropriate transport 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

·        Demonstrates knowledge and experience relevant to the role as per the duties & responsibilities, eligibility criteria and post specific requirements of the role.

·        Excellent Microsoft Office skills to include, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

·        Knowledge and experience of using an email system effectively e.g. Outlook, Lotus Notes

·        Knowledge of the health service including a basic knowledge of HSE reform

·        Experience in the production of trend reports and illustrative graphs

·        Demonstrate the ability to work in line with relevant policies and procedures.

·        Demonstrate commitment to developing own professional knowledge and expertise.

Communications & Interpersonal Skills

·        Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to present information in a clear, concise and confident manner (verbally and written).

·        Demonstrate the ability to influence people and events and the ability to build and maintain relationships with a variety of stakeholders to assist in performing the role.

·        Demonstrate commitment to regular two-way communication across functions and levels, ensuring that messages are clearly understood.

Planning & Managing Resources

·        Demonstrate the ability to effectively plan and manage own workload and that of others in an effective and methodical manner within strict deadlines, ensuring deadlines are met.

·        Prioritises effectively to manage multiple projects concurrently, structuring and re-organising own workload and that of others as needed.

·        Demonstrates responsibility and accountability for the timely delivery of agreed objectives.

Commitment to a Quality Service

·        Practices and promotes a strong focus on delivering high quality customer service for internal and external customers and an awareness and appreciation of the service user.

·        Proactively identifies areas for improvement and develops practical solutions for their implementation.

·        Embraces and promotes the change agenda, supporting others through change and effectively seeing it through.

·        Demonstrate flexibility and initiative during challenging times and an ability to persevere despite setbacks.

Evaluating Information, Problem Solving & Decision Making

·        Demonstrate numeracy skills, an ability to analyse and evaluate information, considering a range of critical factors in making effective decisions. Recognises when it is appropriate to refer decisions to a higher level of management.

·        Demonstrate initiative in the resolution of complex issues / problem solving and proactively develop new proposals and recommend solutions.

·        Ability to make sound decisions with a well-reasoned rationale and to stand by these as appropriate.

Team working

·        Demonstrate an ability to work as part of the team in establishing a shared sense of purpose and unity.

·        The ability to work with the team to facilitate high performance, developing clear and realistic objectives.

·        Demonstrates leadership; creating a team spirit, leading by example, coaching, and supporting individuals to facilitate high performance and staff development.

Demonstrate a commitment to promoting a culture of involvement and consultation within the team, welcoming contributions from others.

Tenure

The current vacancy available is permanent and part-time (0.50WTE).

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.

Remuneration

The salary scale for the post is: (as at 01/08/2025) (Pro Rata)

€57,325, €58,691, €60,359, €63,491, €65,363, €67,695, €70,034, LSIs

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.

Working Week

The standard weekly working hours of attendance for your grade are 35 hours per week. Your normal weekly working hours are 17.50 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.