Salary: Starting at €107,081
About the Employer
The Department of Health’s vision is a healthier Ireland, with improved health and wellbeing for all, and with the right care delivered in the right place at the right time. The Department’s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Ireland by supporting people to lead healthy and independent lives; ensuring the delivery of high quality and safe health and social care; creating a more responsive, integrated and people‑centred health and social care service; promoting effective and efficient management of the health and social care service and ensuring best value from health system resources.
The Department is engaged in an ambitious and wide-ranging programme of reform under the umbrella of Sláintecare, the ten‑year plan for the health service. Through Sláintecare there are a range of strategic actions which are being progressed to improve safe and timely access to care, promote health and wellbeing and address health inequalities.
About the Role
Reporting to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the Chief Health Ethics Officer will support the advisory function of the Office of the CMO through the provision of expert health ethics advice, guidance, and collaboration across a wide range of Department of Health policy areas. This also includes supporting the implementation of Sláintecare and the Statement of Strategy of the Department of Health. This work will support the Office of the CMO, the Department of Health, and wider Government in the development of ethically sound and considered health polices and legislation.
In addition to the advisory function, the Chief Health Ethics Officer will lead the Department’s Health Ethics Unit in progressing, managing and implementing agreed annual business plans.
Ethical decision making is integral to the development of health policy and legislation. As such, the Chief Health Ethics Officer will play a pivotal role in advising legislators and policy makers on relevant key ethical considerations. The Chief Health Ethics Officer will lead the Department in the promotion and integration of core ethical values into its policy making process and will work to identify and define ethical questions raised by recent developments in biological and medical research and technologies that concern, or are likely to concern, the public interest.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be engaged in a wide range of functions which will include some or all of the following:
Providing health ethics advice to the Minister for Health, the CMO, and Department officials as required;
Providing leadership in identifying and defining key ethical considerations, and the promotion of same across work areas, both within the Department and in work with other Government departments, where relevant;
Supporting the Department of Health in achieving its mandate and strategic objectives through the provision of specialist analysis and advising on health ethics;
Developing strategies, with other sections within the Department, and with health sector stakeholders;
Liaising with and advising other Departments on the development of legislation where there is overlap with Department of Health policy areas relating to health ethics;
Leading the development of health ethics guidance and frameworks to support ethical decision making at all levels of health policy and legislation development;
Representing the Department of Health on national and international committees (for example at the European Commission and Council of Europe) in relation to relevant matters;
Convening and chairing national advisory committees in the area of health ethics when required;
Leading the Department of Health’s Health Ethics Unit in progressing priority objectives aligned to the Department’s Statement of Strategy;
Ensuring that decision making on key ethical issues is informed by broad societal views through supporting and facilitating stakeholder engagement as required;
Undertaking all relevant line management duties for the Health Ethics Unit;
Supporting the education and upskilling of Department staff to foster greater awareness of ethical approaches and considerations in policy and decision making;
Preparing relevant Ministerial briefings, speeches, press releases and statements, and media responses on bioethics related matters;
Managing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, answering Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and Leader’s Questions, Ministerial representations, and media queries on bioethics related matters;
Liaising with Ministerial policy advisors, the Press and Communications Office, as well as the Ministerial Press Advisor on bioethics-related matters.
Please note: The above is a general guide to the key duties and responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive description. Other duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role may be assigned from time to time.
Blended working arrangements are in place within the Department and are subject to business needs. The successful candidate may be required on occasion to travel to national and/or international meetings, conferences, workshops, etc. This may involve travel both in Ireland and Internationally as determined by the requirements of the role. Travel and subsistence will be paid in accordance with Civil Service regulations.
Training and Development
On-the-job training is provided/encouraged. Facilities are also provided for attendance at courses, conferences, etc., relating to the role.
The Department has in place a performance management development system (PMDS) in conformity with the general policy of the Civil Service. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) among its professional staff is encouraged and supported, including participation in training and development programmes/courses to support and develop staff. Attendance at relevant external lectures, conferences, and seminars relating to the role is also facilitated.
In addition, the Department may assist with educational opportunities through a ‘refund of fees scheme’ for attendance at third level further education.
Office Location and Vacancy
There is one vacancy for Chief Health Ethics Officer. The successful candidate will be based at the Department’s Office on Miesian Plaza on Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.
Candidates who are successful in this competition will be placed on a panel, in an order of merit, from which future vacancies may be filled. It is not expected that appointments will be made from this panel after December 2027.
Qualifications
A full list of essential requirements is available in the Information Booklet.
The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Wednesday 1 April 2026.
We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.
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