Staff Officer (Grade V)

The Staff Officer is a supervisory position in the Council with responsibility for managing the performance of a section or function within a Department. The Staff Officer will work as part of a multi disciplinary team within the Council, assisting with the implementation of work programmes to achieve goals, targets, and standards set out in Department and Team development plans. A Staff Officer is expected to use initiative, work to a high standard, and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Staff at this level work in a range of roles across public facing and internal service areas of the Council.

Your responsibilities may include:

• Leading and managing a team or function in the implementation of work programmes to deliver on the Council corporate plan while contributing to change management programmes

• Leadership and supervision of staff in the management of competing priorities and deadlines including ensuring full compliance with legislation, guidelines and or organisational policies and procedures relevant to the work area

• Communicating and liaising effectively with colleagues, line managers and customers in relation to operational matters for the section

• Developing and maintaining productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders including colleagues, external agencies and public representatives

• Identifying and delivering improvements in service delivery with appropriate use of performance indicators

• Undertake any other duties of a similar nature and responsibility, as may be required, or assigned from time to time

The ideal candidate will have:

• Knowledge and understanding of the structure and functions of local government, current local government issues, priorities, and concerns, and of the key influencers of local government

• Relevant administrative experience at a sufficiently high level, a career record that demonstrates an ability to manage staff to ensure delivery of complex work programmes

• Knowledge of Cork City Council strategic objectives, and an understanding of the range of our internal and external stakeholders

• An ability to supervise a team effectively to achieve a common goal, ensuring strong governance and ethics standard is adhered to

• Understanding of the changing and operating environment in the Council and be capable of leading change in order to deliver quality services to our citizens

• An ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines in the delivery of key operational objectives

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 them from time to time and contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Shortlisting

The volume of applications for the post of Staff Officer is expected to be high. The Council may need to apply a shortlisting process to identify those candidates whose range of experience, qualifications and competencies most closely match the requirements of the role.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE POST

Minimum Qualifications

The essential qualifications for the post of Staff Officer, as declared by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government are:

Character

Each candidate must be of good character.

Health

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

Education, Training, Experience, etc.

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

(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

(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

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

(iv) Hold a third level qualification of at least degree standard, or

(v) Be a serving employee of a local authority or regional assembly and have at least two years satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or analogous post

PANELS

Following the interview process, we will create three separate panels of successful candidates. These panels will be used to fill future permanent or temporary Staff Officer vacancies.

Which panel or panels you can be placed on depends on your current employment status.

Panel A – Local Authority Staff Only (50 percent of appointments)

This panel is only for people already working in any Local Authority or Regional Assembly in Ireland.

50 percent of all future Staff Officer appointments will be made from this panel.

Panel B – Open Competition (30 percent of appointments)

This panel includes all successful candidates, whether they currently work:

• In the private sector or outside the public sector

• In a Local Authority

• In a Regional Assembly

30 percent of appointments will be made from this panel.

Panel C – Cork City Council Staff Only (20 percent of appointments)

This panel is only for current Cork City Council employees at the time of application.

20 percent of appointments will be made from this panel.

What applicants need to do

When completing the application form, please indicate clearly which panel or panels you are eligible for, based on the criteria above.

Salary

The salary scale for the post is:

€52,239 - €53,799 - €55,392 - €57,019 - €58,657 - €60,567 (Long Service Increment 1) - €62,484 (Long Service Increment 2)

Applicants should note that entry point to the salary scale will be determined in accordance with circulars issued by the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

In accordance with Departmental Circular Letter EL 02/2011, a person who is not a serving local authority employee on or after 1 January 2011, will enter the scale at the minimum point.

Hours of Duty

The standard working week will be 35 hours per week. The role may, on occasion, include evening and weekend work.

Holders of the post may be called for duty at any time in accordance with arrangements made by local authorities. The Council reserves the right to alter hours of work from time to time.

Candidates are advised to view our Candidate Information Booklet where they will find further information on the Format of the Competition, our Principal Conditions of Service and General Data Protection Regulation.