Receptionist /General Operative

OPW Areas of Responsibility

The OPW’s areas of responsibility include sustainably managing the State's property portfolio. The OPW Property Maintenance Services manages statutory and general building maintenance for over 2,200 properties, including government offices and Garda facilities. Services include the delivery of capital programmes, fabric upgrades and planned preventative maintenance across the national portfolio.

The Furniture Branch is the central contracting authority for the procurement of furniture. It has a number of areas of responsibility within the OPW, including the supply of furniture, office space planning, reactive services for special events such as State Exams and Elections, collection, storage and redistribution of redundant furniture, while also commissioning bespoke furniture.

Essential Eligibility Requirements

• A clear copy of your Employment Permit, if applicable (a non-EEA national, unless exempted, requires an employment permit to work in Ireland).

Eligible candidates must be:

• A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or
• A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or
• A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or
• A non-EEA citizen who has a Stamp 4¹ or a Stamp 5 visa.

¹ Please note that a 50 TEU visa, which is a replacement for Stamp 4EUFAM after Brexit, is acceptable as a Stamp 4 equivalent.

To qualify, candidates must be eligible by the date of any job offer.

Desirable Requirements

• A current full, clean manual driving licence, Category B & W.*

Note:

(1) If your Irish driving licence is restricted to driving cars with an automatic transmission only (denoted by code 78 appearing on the licence), you are not eligible.

(2) From 1 January 2021, if you are resident in Ireland and hold a UK/NI driving licence, it is no longer valid to drive in Ireland. It must be exchanged for an Irish driving licence. Further information is available on .

• Excellent ICT skills.
• Experience in office administration.
• Experience/training as a Fire Marshal.
• Experience/training as a First Aider.
• A current Safe Pass card.

Note: Where a current Safe Pass card is not available, it will be a requirement of this role that the successful candidate successfully completes a Safe Pass Course immediately after appointment.

Failure to supply copies of the requested documentary evidence, as detailed above, with your application will deem your application invalid and it will therefore be disqualified. Do not forward original documents with your application form. Original documents will be required if you are invited to interview.

Candidates should note that admission to a competition does not imply that the Office of Public Works is satisfied that they fulfil the essential entry requirements. Therefore, the onus is on candidates to ensure that they meet these requirements prior to submitting their applications.

Pay

€669.60 – €812.20 per week

Benefits

As well as a rewarding and challenging career, some of the benefits of working in the Office of Public Works include:

• Competitive pay with yearly increments for satisfactory performance.
• Public Sector pension.
• Up to 25 days of annual leave.
• Access to wellbeing programmes to support a healthy work-life balance.
• Opportunity to avail of the Cycle to Work Scheme and the TaxSaver Public Transport Pass.
• Opportunity to join the Public Service Credit Union.
• Access to the Shorter Working Year Scheme.
• Facility to apply for career breaks.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Opportunities for promotion through internal and open competitions.

Leave Arrangements

• Full paid maternity leave.
• Parental leave.
• Paternity leave.
• Parents leave.
• Adoptive leave.
• Paid force majeure leave.
• Paid bereavement leave.
• Carer's leave.
• Paid study and exam leave.

Annual Leave and Public Holidays

Annual leave is granted in accordance with the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.

Currently, the maximum allowance is 25 days per annum. Annual leave allowance for staff working less than full-time is calculated on a pro-rata basis to that of a full-time equivalent. Good Friday is a fixed day of annual leave.

Public holidays will be granted in accordance with the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997.

Specific Duties Relevant to Furniture Branch

• Answer telephones, take detailed notes and pass them on to the relevant colleague.
• Carry out receptionist duties, greet and monitor visitors, chaperone visitors to their place of work or to a relevant colleague, issue, record and track keys/fobs as required, grant access where necessary and ensure areas are secured and locked after use.
• Receive business deliveries, notify staff of deliveries and distribute post throughout the building.
• Close doors and windows at the end of the day.
• Report any issue on site to the line manager.
• Direct members of the public who are on site without permission to leave via intercom and loudspeaker.
• Monitor, activate and deactivate the fire control system.
• Apply strong interpersonal skills to support smooth working relationships with colleagues and visitors.
• Utilise internal communication tools such as 8x8, Microsoft Teams and messaging platforms.
• Log, update and track daily service requests, visitor logs or queries using standard computer applications.
• Provide occasional operational backup to the wider Furniture Branch team by coordinating on-site assets or assisting with the relocation of furniture items as required.

Requirements and Principal Duties of a General Operative Band 3 (Receptionist) (Dublin)

Note: The following list, which is not exhaustive, sets out the broad range of duties that may be required of a General Operative Band 3 (Dublin). Variances in the requirements of individual posts will reflect the management and operational requirements of individual sites and areas of work.

• Working on restoration and conservation works.
• Assisting and working with craft grades such as Stonemasons, Stonecutters, Carpenters, Gardeners, Electricians, Plasterers, Plumbers and Fitters in undertaking works, e.g. laying paths/kerbs, mixing concrete/mortar/plaster, scaffolding, planting and painting.
• Drive and operate vehicles and other site machinery as required by management, including ride-on and pedestrian lawn mowers, tractors and associated machinery, small hydraulic excavators and dumpers.
• Undertake landscape and general maintenance duties as required, e.g. grass cutting, mowing lawns, strimming, weeding, weed-killing, scuffling/hoeing, sweeping, cutting hedges, removing graffiti and weeds from building facades.
• Operate light equipment including leaf blowers, knapsack sprayers, hedge trimmers and other light equipment to undertake general parks and garden maintenance.
• Operate chainsaws and assist with arboricultural works (training provided).
• Operate an access platform (training provided).
• Assist Gardeners with the implementation of floral and horticultural features in the gardens and parks.
• Prepare and clear exhibitions and move furniture.
• Undertake site inspections and security duties, including opening and closing sites, gate duty, grounds patrol duty and event security, monitoring visitor activity on site, and ensuring and reporting to supervisors/managers on the security and protection of the property.
• Clean monuments, walkways and site areas/buildings (including visitor centres, offices and canteens) as directed in accordance with requirements, including window cleaning, gutter cleaning, toilet cleaning, opening and closing toilets as directed, and keeping supplies stocked.
• Assist with keeping parks and gardens litter free. Work will involve hand-picking and automated litter collection, emptying bins, collecting and disposing of litter from inside and outside the site and recycling.
• Know and understand Health and Safety requirements, keeping work areas clean, tidy and safe.
• Carry out other duties considered appropriate to the grade.

Special Working Conditions Apply

• Five-day working week (39 hours), Monday to Friday, with hours arranged according to local management requirements.
• Overtime during busy periods or when required by local management.
• Working alone and in teams.
• Working in inclement weather.
• Regular physical activity.
• Working with blades, chemicals, paints and cleaning agents.
• Lifting awkward or heavy loads.
• Climbing scaffolding and working at heights.
• Operating plant and equipment.
• Driving vehicles.
• Exposure to hazards including sharps such as syringes, traffic, wildlife and disorderly members of the public.
• Environmental awareness.
• Assisting with plant mobilisation to and from sites.
• Working in or near water, in confined spaces and on uneven ground.

A General Operative Band 3 (Dublin) Is Required To

• Demonstrate flexibility and mobility consistent with the needs of the service.
• Contribute to and maintain good team spirit and an effective team-working environment.
• Remain calm while working under pressure when dealing with incidents.
• Make sound judgements in emergency situations.
• Work on own initiative in accordance with manager/supervisor instructions while being an effective part of a larger team.
• Apply excellent interpersonal and communication skills together with a professional, polite and courteous manner when dealing with colleagues, management and the public.
• Apply energy, enthusiasm and willingness to contribute effectively to a positive visitor experience and keep abreast of OPW activities.
• Apply a positive, flexible and proactive approach to work together with the ability to deliver an effective work presence.
• Carry out all work safely for colleagues and the public through understanding, observing and applying Health and Safety regulations.
• Successfully undertake training as and when required.
• Carry out other duties or work deemed by management to be appropriate to the grade and position.
• Cooperate with the introduction of new work practices and technology.
• Comply with all Health and Safety procedures as directed.
• Attend and achieve the required standard in induction training, manual handling training and any other supervision and Health and Safety training required by the OPW.

Contacts With

• Staff of the Office of Public Works.
• Members of the public.
• External contractors and suppliers.
• Property owners/administrators.

Reporting Relationship

• Office Manager (EO).
• Anybody to whom authority has been delegated.

This job description is intended as a general guide to the range of duties and is neither definitive nor restrictive.

Collective Agreement: Redundancy Payments to Public Servants

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform letter dated 28 June 2012 to Personnel Officers introduced, with effect from 1 June 2012, a Collective Agreement reached between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Public Services Committee of the ICTU in relation to ex gratia Redundancy Payments to Public Servants.

It is a condition of the Collective Agreement that persons availing of the agreement will not be eligible for re-employment in the Public Service by any Public Service body (as defined by the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts 2009–2011) for a period of 2 years from termination of employment.

People who availed of this scheme and who may be successful in this competition will have to prove their eligibility (expiry of the period of non-eligibility).

Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER)

It is a condition of the Incentivised Scheme for Early Retirement (ISER), as set out in Department of Finance Circular 12/09, that retirees under that scheme are not eligible to apply for another position in the same employment or the same sector.

Therefore, such retirees may not apply for this position.

Department of Health and Children Circular (7/2010)

The Department of Health Circular 7/2010, dated 1 November 2010, introduced a Targeted Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) Scheme and Voluntary Redundancy Scheme (VRS).

It is a condition of the VER scheme that persons availing of the scheme will not be eligible for re-employment in the public health sector, the wider Public Service or in a body wholly or mainly funded from public money.

The same prohibition on re-employment applies under the VRS, except that the prohibition applies for a period of 7 years.

People who availed of the VER scheme are not eligible to compete in this competition.

People who availed of the VRS scheme and who may be successful in this competition will have to prove their eligibility (expiry of the period of non-eligibility).