Introduction
ASTI Head Office has a staff of Officials supported by administrative personnel. The person appointed will form part of the senior executive management team of General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary. The successful candidate will undertake a high-level role in contributing to work of the ASTI under the direction and subject to the authority of the General Secretary and in accordance with ASTI policy. Duties and responsibilities assigned are dynamic and may be altered from time to time.
The post involves specific duties and wider duties arising from internal ASTI developments and external developments in education and other social policy areas.
The post requires the ability to work autonomously as well as in daily collaboration with ASTI staff and members at all levels.
The Deputy General Secretary will be responsible for managing personnel assigned to their areas of responsibility to ensure successful delivery of objectives at individual and team level.
Person Specification
The ideal candidate will have/demonstrate:
* A strong academic background (minimum of a third level degree; Master's level and higher an advantage)
* Experience of trade union negotiations and representation
* Communicative competency in Irish an advantage
* A strategic vision for policy development in education, teaching and trade unionism
* Research, analysis, drafting and policy development skills
* Experience in preparing content for publications and submissions
* Experience of leading, motivating and managing multi-disciplinary teams and supporting internal committees
* Excellent interpersonal skills, with an ability to build effective relationships, internally and externally at a senior level
* An ability to successfully engage at a senior level with a diverse range of stakeholders and credibly represent the union in stakeholder engagements
* A demonstrated ability to develop, oversee and contribute to seminars and training offerings for members
* A knowledge and understanding of ASTI's role and objectives and the external environment in which it operates
* An understanding of the second-level education system, including the continuum of teacher education, teacher professionalism, curriculum and assessment, special education and inclusion
* An understanding of global education policy dynamics and trends
* A track record of strong organisational skills in maintaining data bases; scheduling calendars etc
* A willingness to continuously build on knowledge and skills base
* A willingness to respond constructively to unexpected work demands to meet deadlines and provide support to colleagues
It is desirable for the successful candidate to have:
* Direct relevant experience at an appropriate level in an organisation of comparable scope, complexity, and scale
* Demonstrated relevant experience within the education sector and/or the trade union movement
* Experience of public communications at local/national print and broadcast media level
Deputy General Secretary: Duties and Responsibilities
The work of the Deputy General Secretary can involve working with ASTI committees, representing ASTI on external agencies, developing policy documents, desktop research, empirical research, working with ASTI Media and Communications Department, presentations to ASTI meetings, liaising with external agencies, attending meetings in Department of Education and Youth and other state agencies.
1. GENERAL:
1.1 The Deputy General Secretary shall act in close cooperation with the General Secretary in carrying out all duties and shall be subject to the authority of the General Secretary in carrying out those duties and responsibilities.
1.2 A non-exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, which evolve and can be changed from time to time, of the Deputy General Secretary are set out in the sections below.
2. NEGOTIATIONS:
2.1 To act as negotiator in matters pertaining to the salaries, superannuation and conditions of service of members.
2.2 To research and prepare claims in relation to the above.
2.3 Under the authority of the General Secretary, to co-operate with and supervise, as appropriate, the work of other officials.
3. ADMINISTRATION:
3.1 To assist the General Secretary in the full implementation of the work of the ASTI.
3.2 To assist the General Secretary in the supervision and organisation of staff in head office.
3.3 To provide administrative support to committees, as required, e.g. Principals' and Deputy Principals' Committee, Equality Committee.
3.4 To research, analyse, draft and write on topics as and when required.
3.5 To work to establish and maintain a system of communication with branches, with school stewards and with members.
3.6 To prepare and co-ordinate the preparation of information leaflets and handbooks for members, school stewards, branch officers and other representatives of the Association.
3.7 To participate in and assist with the organisation of training for school stewards, branch officers and other training offerings from time to time.
4. OTHER DUTIES:
4.1 To visit branches on the direction of the General Secretary and/or on the invitation of a branch.
4.2 To liaise with other professional or trade union bodies, especially the other teachers' unions.
4.3 To attend Convention, Central Executive Council meetings, Standing Committee meetings and other ASTI conferences or committee meetings as and when required.
4.4 To undertake such other appropriate duties as are assigned by the General Secretary, examples of which may include:
1. To negotiate the terms and conditions of teachers engaged in work associated with the State Examinations Commission.
2. To have administrative responsibility for ASTI engagement with various stakeholders and State Bodies.
3. To be responsible for the Principals' and Deputy Principals' Advisory Committee and associated work.
4. To be responsible for ASTI liaison with the inspectorate.
5. Manage production and editing of the ASTI Annual Convention Report.
6. To be responsible for the Equality Committee and associated work.
7. To work with the ASTI Media and Communications team and engage in appropriate lobbying on behalf of ASTI.
8. To write articles for ASTIR, NUACHT, ASTI Website and/or other ASTI publications.
9. To prepare submissions on trade union and education issues.
10. To respond to members' queries on professional issues.
5. ACCOUNTABILITY:
5.1 The Deputy General Secretary shall be accountable, in the first instance, to the General Secretary.
5.2 The Deputy General Secretary may also be required to present reports to the President, to Standing Committee or to the Central Executive Council in relation to any aspect of their duties and responsibilities.
The applicable terms and conditions of employment will be contained in the contract of employment offered to the successful candidate.
How to Apply:
Applications must be submitted by email to, or sent by post, marked for the attention of Saoirse Kennedy Kelly, to Byrne Wallace Shields, 88 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2.
Closing Date:
Applications must be
received by 5p.m. on Tuesday, November 4
th
.
Any application not submitted in the required format or not received by the closing date and time will not be considered/accepted. Confirmation of receipt of application will issue. Therefore, if you do not receive such confirmation within 3 days of submitting your application, please email at
Required format for Application
:
A single document with the following elements included:
* A comprehensive CV which contains details of two referees who should be able to provide relatively recent information on your performance in a work context.
* A short cover letter/personal statement (i.e. no more than 2 pages) outlining why you wish to be considered for the post and why you believe your personal qualities, qualifications, specialist knowledge, experience and values meet the requirements of the position.
Selection Process:
The selection process may include:
* shortlisting of candidates, on the basis of the information contained in their application;
* a competitive interview, which may include a presentation. Interviews will take place in person.
The ASTI does not allow the unsanctioned use of any type of recording equipment. This applies to any form of sound recording and any type of still picture or video recording, whether including sound recording or not, and covers any type of device used for these purposes. This policy is in place to protect the privacy of those engaged in the competition process and the integrity of our assessment material and assessment processes. Any candidate involved in unsanctioned use of such recording equipment could be disqualified from the competition.
Remuneration
: A remuneration package commensurate with the senior nature of the position will apply. The applicable terms and conditions of employment will be contained in the contract of employment offered to the successful candidate.
Current salary scale: €112,329; €117,876; €122,037; €127,584; €130,357; LSI year 8 €134,518; LSI year 11 €138,678
ASTI is committed to equality of opportunity for all candidates. If you have a disability or need reasonable accommodations during the selection process, we encourage you to share this with us. Reasonable accommodation refers to adjustments and practical changes which would enable a disabled candidate to have an equal opportunity to participate in this competition.