Senior Staff Officer

The Position:

The Senior Staff Officer is a middle management position within the Council and is assigned responsibility for the day to day administration and management of an area of the Council’s activities, including management and supervision of staff.

The Senior Staff Officer is responsible for ensuring that goals set out in Departmental and Team Plans become operational actions through the planning, allocation and prioritisation of work. The Senior Staff Officer is a key point of contact and liaison with other Sections or Departments in relation to all operational matters for the service delivery section or sections for which they are responsible.

The Senior Staff Officer is expected to carry out their duties with an understanding of the political context of local government and in such a manner that enhances public trust and confidence and ensures impartial decision making.

Limerick City and County Council is inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for this position. A panel will be formed from which temporary and permanent vacancies for Senior Staff Officer may be filled throughout the lifetime of the panel.

Why Join Us?

We pride ourselves on fostering a positive workplace culture where teamwork, respect, and continuous learning are at the heart of what we do. Successful applicants will have the chance to contribute to meaningful projects, develop skills, and be part of an organisation that values ideas and professional development. Limerick City and County Council performs a leading role in shaping the strategic vision of Limerick. It provides a diverse, comprehensive and an evolving range of services to its citizens, businesses and visitors which include, but are not limited to, the provision of housing, planning, development, environmental, transportation, enterprise, tourism, leisure and community services. The Council is forward-thinking, innovative and flexible to meet the diverse challenges head-on and to deliver the best services possible.

What We Are Looking For:

• Experience in supervision and management of Staff.

• Ability to manage relationships with internal departments and external service providers.

• An understanding of managing budgets.

• Clear, concise report writing.

• ICT proficiency including data analysis.

• Problem-solving ability and good judgement.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management.

• A proactive mindset and ability to use initiative.

What We Offer:

• A dynamic and inclusive work environment.

• Opportunities for training, development, and career progression.

• A culture that values employee engagement and wellbeing.

Employee Benefits:

• Salary: €58,474–€71,437 per annum

• Leave: 30 days annually

• Hours: 35 per week

• Automatically entered into a pension scheme

• Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave

• A range of Family Friendly Policies

• A range of Learning and Developmental Opportunities

The Person

The ideal candidate will also:

• Demonstrate excellent communication, interpersonal, negotiation and decision-making skills, and be capable of representing the Council in a professional and credible manner

• Be self-motivated with ability to work on their own initiative

• Have a satisfactory understanding of the Council’s purpose and priorities

• Have a satisfactory knowledge of the structure and functions of local government and of current local government issues and advocates practical approaches to addressing them

• Demonstrate relevant administrative experience at a sufficiently high level

• Have a career record that demonstrates an ability to manage and supervise staff

• Have strong interpersonal and communications skills and be capable of representing the Council in a professional and credible manner

• Prior experience in preparation and management of budgets and implementation of work programmes

• Have an awareness of Health and Safety Legislation and Regulations, the implications for the organisation and the employee, and their application in the workplace

• Understand the changing environment and be capable of implementing change in order to deliver quality services to customers

• Understand the representational role of the elected representatives and be capable of working closely with them to deliver quality services and implement policy decisions

• Hold a current full, clean, category B driving licence and have access to own car

Duties

The duties of the post will include but will not be limited to the following:

• Leadership and management of employees in supporting roles up to grade of Staff Officer and analogous, including assigning duties and workload

• Supporting management in the implementation of work programmes as required by the Council’s Corporate and Operational Plans

• Supporting line manager to communicate, implement and manage all change management initiatives within the relevant area of responsibility

• Responsibility for the management of a section or function within the Council

• Delivery of specific departmental/organisational objectives

• Management of conflicting demands within a team environment and to prescribed timelines and deadlines

• Provide ongoing leadership, motivation and support to employees in the department/section including resolving day to day problems and identifying training and development requirements as appropriate through support of the current Performance Management and Development System (PMDS)

• Ensure full compliance with all organisational policies and procedures including grievance and disciplinary, performance management and attendance management

• Effective communication and liaison with colleagues, managers and customers in relation to operational matters for their section

• Compile, prepare and present reports as necessary, including preparation of reports or letters, which may be of a sensitive and/or confidential in nature

• Support implementation of good practices with transparent reporting and communications and to deliver accountable services in the department/section

• Carry out duties in a manner that enhances public trust and confidence and ensures impartial decision making

• Have a satisfactory understanding of the Council’s purpose and priorities, and knowledge of the public service organisation in Ireland

• To prepare budgets and ensure that work programmes are implemented within allocated budgets

• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with Public Representatives, external agencies etc. as appropriate to the activities of the section

• To attend inter-departmental meetings on behalf of the section including attendance at council meetings

• To contribute to the strategic and policy making decisions of the Council

• To comply with Health & Safety legislative requirements, policies and procedures and safe systems of work

• To undertake any other duties and responsibilities as may be required from time to time.

Panel Formation:

Limerick City and County Council will, following the interview process, form 3 panels for the post of Senior Staff Officer (Grade VI) from which future relevant vacancies may be filled subject to sanction approval.

These panels will exist for 12 months and may be extended for a further period of 12 months.

Suitably qualified persons are invited to apply for the following panel(s):

A. 50% confined to employees of the sector,

B. 30% open

C. 20% confined to employees of Limerick City and County Council

Panel A (Confined to the Local Authority Sector) will comprise of successful applicants, in order of merit, from within the Local Authority Sector only, i.e. candidates serving in a Local Authority or Regional Assembly (where applicable).

Panel B (Open Competition) will comprise of all successful applicants in order of merit and may include candidates serving in a Local Authority, Regional Assembly and external candidates.

Panel C (Confined to Limerick City and County Council) will comprise of successful applicants, in order of merit, from within Limerick City and County Council only.

The advertising process for filling of posts according to these procedures is on the basis of:

• Advertising one competition and

• Forming three separate panels to meet the requirements of the ratio of posts to be confined to the local government sector, open and confined to the local authority as indicated above.

Recruitment Process:

• Email completed application form to recruitment@limerick.ie before the stated closing date.

• Selection Process.

• Eligibility check.

• Shortlisting may apply.

• Competitive interview (online/in person).

• Panel formation for future vacancies.

The Person – Qualifications

Character

Candidates shall be of good character

Health

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

Education, Experience, etc

Candidates shall on the latest date for receipt of applications;

Open Competition and Local Authority Sector (Panel B)

(i)(a) 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) 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

(ii) have obtained a comparable standard in an equivalent examination,

OR

(iii) hold a third level qualification of at least degree standard,

AND

(iv) have satisfactory experience in administrative procedures, including adequate practical experience in work of an executive nature, office organisation and control of staff.

Confined Competition and Local Authority Sector (Panels A and C)

(v) (a) be a serving employee in a local authority, or regional assembly and have not less than two years’ satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or analogous post

AND

(b) have satisfactory experience in administrative procedures, including adequate practical experience in work of an executive nature, office organisation and control of staff.

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.

Terms and Conditions

The Post:

Subject to the availability of suitably qualified candidates a panel will be formed for an initial period of one year and this may be extended for a further year at the discretion of the Director General. The panel may be used by Limerick City and County Council to fill permanent and temporary positions that may arise for its duration. Vacancies will be offered in order of merit as per the panel.

Annual Leave

The successful candidate will have 30 days annual leave.

Salary:

Salary scale: €58,474 - €71,437 per annum. Payment of increments is dependent on satisfactory performance.

Entry point of this scale will be determined in accordance with Circulars issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.

In accordance with Departmental Circular letter EL 02/2011, a person who is not a serving local authority employee on or after 1st January 2011, will enter the scale for the position at the minimum point (currently €58,474).

Location:

Limerick City and County Council reserves the right to assign the successful candidate to any department or premises now or in the future.