Agri-Food Regulator - Policy and Research Officer Panel (X 2 Immediate Vacancies)
Overview of the Agri-Food Regulator
An Rialálaí Agraibhia (Agri-Food Regulator) is an independent statutory Office established in December **** under the
Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act ****
.
The Regulator promotes fairness and transparency in the agri-food supply chain with a statutory remit focused on business-to-business relationships within the supply chain.
The **** Act assigns two main areas of work to the Regulator:
the enforcement of unfair trading law in business-to-business relationships in the agri-food supply chain
the collection, analysis and publishing of reports on price and market data relating to the agricultural and food supply chain in the State, and publication of regular analysis and reports on contingency issues
The Regulator is the Enforcement Authority for the purposes of Directive (EU) ******** and the Unfair Trading Regulations (SI 625 of ****).
The Regulations grant the power to compel information from businesses where voluntary provision has not occurred.
Background to the Legal and Research Unit: the Regulator is establishing a new Legal and Research Unit to combine legal advisory and research functions, with potential evolution into standalone units over time.
Responsibilities include development of buyer guidelines, reports under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act ****, and supplier surveys.
Roles
Two Policy and Research Officers will be recruited to progress development, implementation and oversight of the above responsibilities.
The roles translate data and regulatory objectives into practical guidance for businesses and stakeholders, combining policy development, research, operational management and stakeholder engagement.
The successful candidates will report to the Head of Legal and Research and may have at least one staff member reporting to them.
Posts are located at the Government Campus, Backweston, Celbridge, Co.
Kildare.
Valid driving licence and access to own transport are required due to domestic travel and potential overnight stays.
It is intended to create a panel from this competition for appointments to further vacancies within the Legal and Research Unit and across the organisation.
The panel remains in place for 18 months.
Inclusion on a panel does not confer a right to appointment.
Role and Responsibilities
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Coordinating the development and implementation of buyer guidelines based on stakeholder engagement, data analysis and insights.
Managing the conducting and continual enhancement of annual and one-off surveys and other research activities.
Developing the research function of the organisation and identifying opportunities to contribute to the Regulator's functions.
Contributing to operational management of assigned functions within the Unit.
Contributing to communications with stakeholders regarding the regulatory framework, buyer guidelines and potential codes of practice.
Participating in building a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
Representing the Regulator at stakeholder events; travel nationally with potential overnight stays.
Undertaking additional duties as the role develops and requires.
Note:
The above is a general guide to the key duties and responsibilities and is not exhaustive.
Functions may be changed from time to time.
Essential Criteria
Please explicitly reference how you meet these criteria in your application.
Each candidate must meet the following requirements at the time of the competition closing:
Honours bachelor's degree (NFQ Level 8) or equivalent
Experience clearly communicating complex information in writing or verbally
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities, work independently, and contribute within a developing team
Strong IT and digital capability including proficiency with Microsoft Office and data/document management tools
Minimum of 12 months' work experience
Full clean driver's license with access to own car
Desirable Criteria
Should further shortlisting be required, a selection of the following may be assessed.
The ideal candidate should:
Have an Honours bachelor's degree (NFQ Level 8) or higher in a discipline related to the role (e.g., Food and Agribusiness Management, Food Business and Innovation, Food Supply Chain Operations, Sustainable Food Systems)
Have at least 6 months' relevant work experience in areas such as policy development, regulatory analysis, economic/market research, survey design and analysis, regulatory enforcement, or stakeholder engagement
Have experience in preparing reports, briefings or policy recommendations
Demonstrate understanding of regulatory/enforcement environments and market dynamics, ideally within the agri-food sector
Have experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau)
Remuneration
Salary Grade:
Administrative Officer
Salary Scale:
€40,768 €43,464 €44,236 €47,613 €51,950 €55,395 €58,977 €62,606 €66,233 €69,849 €72,353 (LSI1), €75,789 (LSI 2)
Personal Pension Contribution (PPC) rate:
This salary is payable to an individual required to make a PPC (for those whose initial Public Service appointment is on or after 6 April ****).
€39,242 €41,991 €42,369 €45,579 €49,687 €52,858 €56,173 €59,587 €63,031 €66,469 €68,840 (LSI 1), €72,108 (LSI 2)
Non-Personal Pension Contribution (non-PPC) rate:
This salary is payable to those not required to make a PPC.
Annual Leave:
25 days per annum.
This is on a five-day week basis and excludes public holidays.
Note:
Entry will be at point 1 of the scale and will not be subject to negotiation; different pay and conditions may apply if the appointee is already a serving Civil/Public Servant; remuneration may be adjusted in line with Government pay policy.
Contract:
Permanent
Probation:
12-month probationary period.
Selection Process and How to Apply
P lease read the Important Candidate Information Booklet on our careers page:
/
How to Apply:
Submit your application in a single Word or PDF document referencing the role title in the subject line to the email with:
A comprehensive cover letter outlining why you wish to be considered and how you meet the requirements;
A comprehensive CV (not to exceed 3 pages).
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Closing date and time are strictly 12pm (noon) on Friday 10 April ****.
Applications received after the deadline cannot be accepted.
If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days, please email.
Important:
The content above is subject to change without notice.
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