Staff Officer

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE POST

Character:

Candidates shall be of good character and references shall be sought.

Health:

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

Education, Training and Experience etc.:

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

Applicants for Panel B (Open)

(i)

(a) Have obtained at least Grade D (or a Pass), in Higher or Ordinary Level, in five subjects (or four 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 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.

Confined Competition (Panels A and C as appropriate)

(iv)

(a) Be a serving employee of a Local Authority or a regional assembly, and have not less than two years satisfactory experience in a post of Clerical Officer or analogous post.

Applicants must upload proof they hold at least one of the qualifications specified in criteria (i), (ii) or (iii) above to the online recruitment portal, or they will not be considered for Panel B.

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 be accompanied by a certified translation document, where appropriate.

Citizenship:

Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, be:

(a) A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or

(b) A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or

(c) A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or

(d) A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA or UK or Swiss citizen and has a Stamp 4 visa; or

(e) A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a Stamp 4 visa; or

(f) A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA member state or the UK or Switzerland and has a Stamp 4 visa.

THE PERSON

The appointed candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate the key competencies outlined in this Booklet. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A strong understanding of local government to support the effective delivery of services.

• Knowledge of current issues and key policies shaping the local government sector.

• A clear understanding of the role and responsibilities of a Staff Officer.

• The ability to effectively supervise and motivate staff, while maintaining positive and productive working relationships both within the organisation and with customers.

• Proven experience in planning and prioritising workloads to meet targets, including the effective delegation of tasks.

• Experience in managing resources and budgets, including monitoring, evaluating, and ensuring adherence to financial controls.

• Experience in problem-solving and decision-making.

• The ability to effectively source, analyse, and evaluate information to support informed decision-making.

• Relevant experience at an appropriately senior level.

• Openness and a willingness to embrace new ways of working and actively involve others in change initiatives.

• The ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines in the delivery of key operational objectives.

DUTIES OF THE POST

The duties of the post shall be to give to the local authority under the direction and supervision of its appropriate employee, such services of an executive, supervisory and advisory nature as are required for the exercise and performance of any of its powers and duties; these shall include the duty of deputising for other employees of the local authority, when required, and such duties as may be required in relation to the area of any other local authority, and may include the following:

• To be responsible for the supervision of a section or function within the Council;

• To support the Line Manager to ensure the section or department work programmes are implemented to deliver on the Council’s Corporate Plan and Operational Plans;

• To support the Administrative Officer or other nominated senior official to communicate, implement and manage all change management initiatives within the relevant area of responsibility;

• To supervise employees in supporting roles up to the position/grade of Assistant Staff Officer (Grade IV) or analogous grades, including assigning duties and workload;

• To provide on-going support to employees in the department or section, including handling day-to-day problems and identifying training and development requirements as appropriate;

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

• To communicate and liaise effectively with employees, supervisors and managers in other sections, senior managers and customers in relation to operational matters for their section;

• To compile, prepare and present reports as necessary, including the preparation of reports or letters, which may be sensitive and/or confidential in nature;

• To support the implementation of good practices with transparent reporting and communications to deliver accountable services in the department or section;

• To provide assistance in the understanding and interpretation of the Council’s policies and procedures to employees in their area of responsibility and to customers as appropriate;

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

• To organise and facilitate internal and external meetings and participate and engage in discussions as appropriate;

• To support the Council and Municipal District operations;

• To carry out duties in a politically neutral manner, with a clear understanding of the political reality and context of the local authority;

• To provide specialist administrative assistance and support in the delivery of projects as required;

• To support the Administrative Officer or designated Senior Official in the management and implementation of Health and Safety for the section or department;

• To deputise for the Administrative Officer or analogous grade as required; and

• To undertake any other duties of a similar level and responsibility, as may be required, or assigned, from time to time.

COMPETENCIES FOR THE POST

Key Competencies for the post include the following and candidates will be expected to demonstrate sufficient evidence within their application form of competence under each of these. Please take particular note of these when completing the application form as any short-listing or interview processes will be based on the information provided by candidates.

For each competency, you should describe a specific situation from your own experience that best demonstrates how you meet that competency. It is essential that you clearly explain how you demonstrated the relevant skill or quality. Each example must be a recent and specific experience, rather than a general or theoretical description.

Management and Change:

• Has a clear understanding of the role, objectives and targets and how they fit into the work of the unit and Department/Organisation and can communicate this to the team.

• Understands the need for change and gets this across persuasively to others.

• Implements change in an orderly and determined manner.

• Effectively deals with a range of information sources, investigating all relevant issues.

Delivering Results:

• Converts operational objectives into specific work plans, programme activities and schedules, taking into account the broader operation plan when setting priorities.

• Constructively challenges existing approaches to improve efficient customer service delivery.

• Allocates resources (staff and equipment) across jobs to ensure that priorities are met and that work is executed in the most efficient manner possible to deliver quality work and services.

Performance through People:

• Manages team performance to achieve corporate objectives.

• Leads by example to motivate staff in the delivery of high quality outcomes and customer service.

• Effective written and verbal skills.

Personal Effectiveness:

• Is enthusiastic about the role and is highly motivated.

• Manages time and workloads effectively.

• Takes initiative and seeks opportunities to exceed goals.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

Tenure:

The post, whether temporary or permanent, is whole-time and pensionable.

Persons who become pensionable employees of a Local Authority who are liable to pay the Class A rate of PRSI contribution will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute to the Local Authority at the rate of 1.5% of their pensionable remuneration plus 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration (i.e. pensionable remuneration less twice the annual rate of social insurance old age contributory pension payable at the maximum rate to a person with no adult dependent or qualified children).

All persons who become pensionable employees of a Local Authority will be required in respect of the Local Government (Spouses and Children’s Contributory Pension) Scheme to contribute to the Local Authority at the rate of 1.5% of their net pensionable remuneration (i.e. pensionable remuneration less twice the annual rate of social insurance old age contributory pension payable at the maximum rate to a person with no adult dependent or qualified children) in accordance with the terms of the Scheme.

For new entrants under the Single Public Service Pension Scheme effective from 01/01/2013, superannuation contributions are 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration and 3% of pensionable remuneration.

Probation:

Where a person who is not already a permanent officer of a local authority is appointed, the following provisions shall apply:

(a) There shall be a period after such appointment takes effect during which such person shall hold such employment on probation;

(b) Such period shall be six months but the Chief Executive may, at his discretion, extend such period;

(c) Such person shall cease to hold such employment at the end of the period of probation, unless during such period the Chief Executive has certified that the service of such person is satisfactory.

Salary:

The salary shall be fully inclusive and shall be as determined from time to time. Holders of the post shall pay to the local authority any fees or other monies (other than their inclusive salary) payable to or received by them by virtue of their employment or in respect of services which they are required by or under any enactment to perform. An allowance may also be payable in respect of travel expenses and subsistence.

SALARY: €52,761 - €63,109 (2nd LSI) (as at 1st June 2026)