Job Title: Director of ServicesEmployer: Kilkenny County CouncilCounty: KilkennyClosing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 28th August 2025Starting Salary: €113,059About the Employer:County Kilkenny has a population of c104,000 persons (2022 Census). This represents an actual increase of 4,928 or 5% since the last census in 2016. Approximately 63% of the population of the county lives in rural areas and 37% lives in the larger urban areas including Kilkenny City, Ferrybank, Callan, Thomastown and Castlecomer.Kilkenny shares its border with five other counties and has a total land area of 2,073 km2. Kilkenny extends southward from Laois to the valley of the Suir and eastward from the Munster – Leinster border to the River Barrow. The River Nore bisects the county and the River Barrow and River Suir are natural boundaries to the east and south of the county. Kilkenny is the 12th largest of the Republic of Ireland’s 26 counties and is the 20th largest Local authority area in terms of population.The local government structure in Kilkenny comprises Kilkenny County Council and four Municipal Districts of Piltown, Callan Thomastown, Castlecomer and Kilkenny City. Kilkenny County Council has its administrative headquarters in Kilkenny City. The Elected Council currently consists of 24 Members who are democratically elected for a period of 5 years.The Council’s Revenue Budget for 2025, is €120.9m. It has a multi-annual 6-year Capital Budget of €832m.Kilkenny County Council is one of the county’s major employers, currently employing 750 whole time equivalent staff (December 2024).The Council is mandated to deliver a diverse range of functions and services which can be broadly described under the headings of economic development, community development, the provision of physical and social infrastructure, recreation and amenity services, and the enforcement of the planning and environmental regulatory framework. The role of the County Council as provided for in law is to represent, lead and serve the communities of County Kilkenny.About the Role:Kilkenny County Council has four Directors of Services, and one Director of Finance, with responsibility for the following areas of service delivery: Housing, Community Development, Heritage & the Arts. Planning, Economic Development, Tourism, Environment, Building Control, Climate Change, Veterinary & Animal Control Services. Roads & Transportation, Water Services, Corporate & Communications, Human Resources, Health & Safety. Finance & Motor Taxation, ICT & Procurement, Facility Management, Property & Energy. Management of Displaced Ukrainian Persons, Integration & Fire ServicesThis is a great opportunity for senior managers to join a Local Authority at a time of transformation. Reporting to the Chief Executive, the Director of Service will be expected to fulfil a key leadership role in the Local Authority with responsibility for the delivery of programmes and functions/services of the Local Authority. In addition, the Director of Service provides policy support and advice for members of the Strategic Policy Committees and the Local Community Development Committee.In the current economic climate, senior managers are charged with service delivery and change management in an environment of limited resource availability, both human and financial. Delivery of efficient services and value for money is crucial.About You:The ideal candidate shall have the following Skills and Experience:• A career record that demonstrates the necessary senior level leadership and management skills to manage, develop and motivate a large multidisciplinary team with a strong record of achievement of results;• Strong relationship management, interpersonal and communication skills with the capacity to work in close consultation with Council members and a wide range of stakeholders and committees to secure cooperation and consensus;• A developmental view of local government, which encourages involvement and optimises local democracy and the use of existing powers and functions;• Good analytical skills and a capacity to innovate in the interest of delivery of Cost-Effective services, with an excellent customer focus;• Skills and capabilities in strategy and policy development;• The ability to lead, foster and effectively implement appropriate change;• An ability to work effectively under pressure and manage a number of programmes and projects at any one time;• An understanding of procurement, information technology, financial management and governance and accountability;• The capacity to work in a complex and dynamic political environment;• High levels of honesty and integrity and a focus on operating in an impartial and transparent manner to deliver the best possible services to the citizen;• A satisfactory understanding of the public service regulatory and legislative framework in Ireland, or an ability to quickly acquire such an understanding.• Have a good knowledge of the key objectives of Kilkenny County Council and demonstrate a proven capacity and potential to contribute to delivering those key objectives as part of our Management Team;• Be able to demonstrate a proven capacity to lead, involve and engage with all stakeholders within the Council and outside and be able to motivate and empower employees to deliver maximum productivity with greatest efficiencies and as a result deliver the key objectives of the Council;• Have satisfactory management and leadership experience at a sufficiently high level in any discipline;• Be able to work and lead multi-disciplined teams and have the ability to motivate, empower, encourage and achieve maximum efficiency for the staff under their control;• Have the ability to maximise financial resources within a budgetary control framework;• Be capable of working in close consultation with the elected Council, Strategic Policy Committees, Borough/Municipal District’s, and other committees and seeking co-operation and consensus with a whole range of bodies and representative groups;• Be creative and innovative and have a career record that demonstrates to date a high level of competence in leading and managing staff, a customer care orientation, strategic, conceptual and analytical thinking, initiative and the management skill necessary to lead and foster, encourage, initiate and drive change;• Have a developmental view of local government, which encourages involvement and engagement and optimises local democracy and use of existing powers and functions;• Have strong interpersonal and communication skillsThe Closing Date for this competition is Thursday, 28th of August at 3pm.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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