Senior Research Co-Ordinator

Applications are invited for the position of Senior Research Co-Ordinator for the Sustainability Institute. Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), the appointee will exercise leadership and management responsibility for HR within the Institute which includes the constituent Centres (current and in development). The appointee will have key responsibilities for workforce planning, training and development of staff within the Institute. The successful appointee will be a self-directed professional with advanced analytical capabilities and interpersonal capabilities. The work is diverse and broad, involving close collaboration with the entire university community and with external stakeholders.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the Sustainability Institute recruitment staffing plans, monitoring headcount, training and other related HR metrics.

• Coordinate the full recruitment cycle for the Sustainability Institute in collaboration with the Sustainability Institute operations team members including job ad development, postings, interview scheduling, and onboarding/induction.

• Advise and support the Director, CCO and line managers on recruitment and selection procedures, processes and polices in line with UCC policy.

• Maintain accurate and confidential HR records and documentation through regular oversight and audit.

• Work with the Chief Commercial Officer to co-develop a talent management plan for the Sustainability Institute.

• To work directly with the Institute Operations team regarding income generation and diversification of funding to enable workforce planning.

• Liaise with the Finance Team on financial matters relating to the Sustainability Institute recruitment, staffing proposals and annual budget builds.

• Coordinate and facilitate employee learning and development initiatives, this will include the development of training material and the management and running of Sustainability Institute training and development events.

• Work directly with members of the Operations Team to ensure the Sustainability Institute Team Member list and associated data is updated real-time on all systems and Team Member Impact is communicated through appropriate channels.

• Create reporting systems and data visualisations for multiple stakeholders including the Sustainability Institute Executive Management team, faculty and university leadership, communicating complex findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Develop specific content related to HR and people development for the Institute Annual Report.

• Compile all Team Member data for SESAME submission annually.

• Support line managers with the performance management process.

• Foster a positive and inclusive team culture across the organization.

• Participate in the development of contracts of employment in conjunction with the wider UCC HR team as required in line with employment legislation.

• Ensure compliance with GDPR and other data protection regulations and update employee records with new hire information as required.

• Contribute to the review of HR policies and procedures in consultation with the wider UCC HR Team to support the continuous improvement of the HR function.

• Coordinate with multiple internal offices and external stakeholders to ensure data accuracy, compliance and alignment with international accreditation standards.

• To provide the interface between the Sustainability Institute, the Colleges and the Research Office to ensure that Institute systems and procedures comply with the appropriate statutory requirements and conform to University policy.

• Develop working relationships with central HR services with respect to benchmarking and new initiatives for improvements, development and shared best practice.

• Handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and maintain a high standard of professional conduct.

• Act as a trusted point of contact for colleagues and external stakeholders, professionalism in all interactions.

Health & Safety

In addition to the statutory safety duties of all employees (as prescribed in safety legislation and the relevant local safety statement) each staff member is responsible for:

• Discharging any safety functions delegated to them by their Head of College / School / Department / Centre / Unit in relation to the areas / activities under their control.

• Co-operating and assisting the University and the Head of College / School / Department / Centre / Unit in the discharge of their statutory safety responsibilities.

• Ensuring that all work under their control is undertaken safely and without risk to health and complies with the provision of all relevant statutory legislation.

Additional Duties for Managers / Heads

In accordance with UCC Safety Policy it is the duty of responsible persons (Heads of Unit / Executive Managers) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the management of safety, health and welfare is successfully integrated into all activities undertaken within their area of responsibility.

Responsible Persons are responsible and accountable for (non-exhaustive list – all delegated responsibilities are clearly set out under UCC safety policies and local safety statements):

• Proactively managing and conducting occupational health and safety in all areas and activities under their control.

• Achieving compliance with University safety policy and the extensive SHWW regulations that govern their work and that of the University employees under their control.

• Ensuring, subject to the “so far as is reasonably practical” test defined in the SHWW Act (current edition), the safety, health and welfare of the University employees at work at their various places of work on and off the University campus.

• Developing the local safety statement, as applicable, based on the identification of hazards and the assessment of risks, and reviewing / updating same on a regular basis (at least annually) in the event of any significant change in the work activity or place of work.

• Ensuring that Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is integrated into day-to-day business, providing Systems of Work (SOW) that are planned, organised, performed, maintained and revised as appropriate, and ensuring that all safety related records are maintained and available for inspection.

• Consulting and communicating with staff and safety representatives on OSH matters.

• Ensuring a training needs assessment (TNA) is undertaken for employees, facilitating their attendance at statutory OSH training, and ensuring records are maintained for each employee.

• Ensuring that all incidents occurring within the relevant department / service are appropriately managed and investigated in accordance with UCC procedures.

• Seeking advice from health and safety professionals where necessary.

• Monitoring and reviewing local health and safety performance.

• Providing adequate financial and other resources for the above, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Note: As the University continues to expand and evolve, it is likely that flexibility in regard to the allocation of specific duties will be necessary. Accordingly, the list of duties specified above is not intended to be exclusive or restrictive; duties may be added or withdrawn but any such alteration will take place after consultation with the appointee.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The successful candidate will be expected to have:

Essential Criteria

• A graduate qualification in a relevant field.

• A minimum of 10 years’ relevant experience in industry and/or academia.

• Proven experience supporting recruitment and employee training and development.

• Demonstrated experience of developing and delivering training.

• Demonstrated experience of the SESAME platform.

• Demonstrated experience of event organization and management.

• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team environment and working with people from a wide range of cultures.

• Demonstrated capacity to manage and prioritise a high workload with a track record of delivering results under pressure and on time.

• Demonstrated experience of team building and problem solving.

• Evidence of positive relationship building and networking.

• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills with an ability to work effectively across the organization.

• Ability to present information in a confident, logical and convincing manner and to influence and engage with a range of stakeholders.

• Ability to deal flexibly with a range of different demands, deadlines and competing priorities ranging over a wide variety of subjects and to prioritise a varied workload.

• Experience of working in an atmosphere of trust and discretion and an ability to work as part of an administrative team in an academic context.

• Proactive and positive approach to work.

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

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills to enable interpretation of data and data extraction from multiple data sources.

• Demonstrated ability to engage appropriately with University colleagues and/or external stakeholders at all levels.

• Demonstrated attention to detail with high standards of accuracy in data handling, combined with a continuous learning mindset.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in a research-intensive higher education institute or complex, research-focused organisation of scale, with a clear understanding of the issues and challenges affecting the higher education sector.

• A qualification in HR.

Candidates are requested to make a personal assessment of these criteria against their own qualifications, skills and abilities to assess whether they should apply for the post.

Please note: Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the criteria as detailed above will not be short listed.

The University, at its discretion, may undertake to make an additional appointment(s) from this competition following the conclusion of the process.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Salary: €63,500 per annum, Personal Rate.

The rate of remuneration for all appointments may be adjusted from time to time in line with government policy.

Normal hours of duty are 39 hours per week with 60 minutes for lunch daily.

Annual Leave will be 30 days per annum. This leave is exclusive of public holidays and Good Friday. The leave year commences on 1 July annually and four days annual leave must be held for the Christmas closure period.

Sick Leave: Sick leave will be granted in line with University policy in this regard which may change from time to time. You should familiarise yourself with the University Sick Leave Policy and University Sick Leave Management Policy.

The tenure of the post is specific purpose whole time (for the duration of the award), based on the following provisions:

(a) A probationary period of twelve months shall apply from commencement of employment in the post during which the contract of employment may be terminated by either party in accordance with the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts, 1973 to 2001. The probationary period may be extended at the discretion of the University.

(b) Except in circumstances of gross misconduct justifying immediate dismissal, the appointee will receive one month’s notice of termination of employment, or, if greater, such notice as is provided for in a minimum notice in terms of Employment Act, 1973.

(c) The appointee is required to give three months’ notice of termination of employment.

(d) Under the Public Service Superannuation Act 2004, for all new entrants to the Public Sector on or after April 2004, the normal retirement age is 65. It is no longer possible therefore to retire before age 65.

Pension: The Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 established the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. In general, anyone taking up pensionable public service employment on or after 1 January 2013 is a member of the Single Scheme. The Act provides that most members of the Single Scheme have a minimum pension age consistent with the age of eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory) and a compulsory retirement age of 70. A member of this group is generally referred to as a “Single Scheme member”. However, applicants who have previously worked in a pensionable post (non-Single Scheme terms) in the Irish Civil / Public Service may be offered membership of the UCC Pension Scheme. The normal retirement date in this scheme is age 65. A compulsory retirement date of 70 may apply depending on date of first employment in the Irish Civil / Public Service. The relevant pension scheme will be confirmed to the successful applicant on completion of the Pensions Declaration form prior to taking up employment.

Applicants that have previously availed of an Irish Public Service Scheme of incentivised early retirement or enhanced redundancy payment should ensure that they are not precluded from re-engagement in the Irish Public Service under the terms of such Schemes. Queries should be directed to an applicant’s former Civil / Public Service Employer in the first instance.

Applicants who are in receipt of an ill-health pension from an Irish Civil / Public Service body are required to declare that they are in receipt of such a pension.

Pension Abatement: If an appointee has previously been employed in the Civil or Public Service and that appointee is entitled to or in receipt of a pension from the Civil or Public Service, or where a Civil / Public Service pension comes into payment during the appointee’s re-employment, that pension will be subject to abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012. Please note: In applying for this position, you are acknowledging that you understand that the abatement provisions, where relevant, will apply. It is not envisaged that the employing Department / Office / Body will support an application or an abatement waiver in respect of appointments to this position.

Additional dependants’ benefits can be provided by membership of the Supplementary Life Assurance Scheme. You will be automatically included as a member of the scheme on commencement of your employment, but you may elect to opt out of the scheme at any stage. The current membership rate is 0.26% of your salary.

Membership of the Group Personal Accident Scheme shall apply to all employees, subject to individual acceptance by the Insurance Company. The salary quoted is subject to a deduction from salary at the rate of 0.06%.

The UCC Income Continuance Plan (ICP) provides a source of income in the event of long or short-term temporary disability. As part of your contract of employment you will be automatically included in the ICP with effect from the same date provided you have not previously opted out of the plan, or you have been declined for cover under previous contracts of employment with UCC. The cost of membership of the plan will be deducted from your salary. The current membership rate is 1.05% of your salary.

The Pay Related Social Insurance Class A1 rate of Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) applies to the post.

Voluntary Health Insurance: A VHI / Laya / Aviva Health / HSA / GloHealth group scheme is in operation and contribution may be deducted from salary, with effect from the Scheme’s renewal date (May of each year).

Additional benefits: We offer progressive employment and training policies including opportunities for further studies. Staff can avail of membership of a variety of clubs and societies and a wide range of facilities on campus, including a leisure centre.

As an equal opportunity employer, we offer a comprehensive suite of flexible working and family friendly initiatives. A list of such initiatives is available on our webpage.

An offer of appointment to a candidate who does not have EU nationality is subject to the granting of a Work Permit by the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation. The following is a list of employments in respect of which an employment permit shall not be granted:

https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/EmploymentPermit-Eligibility/Ineligible-Categories-of-Employment/

Please note that if you are considering applying for this post you must be able to supply proof of the right to work in Ireland. If you do not have the right to work in Ireland you would need to obtain a work permit. We are obliged by European law to appoint people who are citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) where possible. Where there is no skills shortage for a particular post, it is highly unlikely that a work permit would be granted.

Candidates are requested to make a personal assessment against their own eligibility as to whether they should apply for this post.

Certificates and Testimonials: These documents should not be sent with the application. Candidates who are selected for interview will be requested to submit the necessary documentation.