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Employer: Office of the Attorney General
Location: Dublin
Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 30th October 2025
Salary: Starting at €168,138
About the Employer:
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government (OPC) is a constituent part of the Office of the Attorney General. The Office’s purpose is to provide the highest standard of professional legal services to the Government, its Departments and Offices, as economically and efficiently as possible and to support adherence to the rule of law.
The Attorney General is responsible for the OPC by virtue of section 6 of the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924. The OPC drafts Government Bills and amendments, Government amendments to Private Members’ Bills, Government statutory instruments and certain other statutory instruments. The OPC is structured into groups providing drafting services to a number of Government Departments; it intends to re-organise by establishing an additional group to spread drafting workload more efficiently. Each group is managed by a drafter not below the rank of Parliamentary Counsel (Assistant Secretary equivalent). This competition seeks to fill this new management role.
About the Role:
The duties of Parliamentary Counsel include:
* Drafting Government Bills (including Bills to amend the Constitution), amendments to Bills (including Private Members’ Bills) and statutory instruments (including those to give effect to the State’s obligations as an EU Member State);
* Managing a group of drafters and supporting and assisting them in their work, and training junior drafters;
* Reporting to the Attorney General, as appropriate, regarding the legislative drafting outputs of the group;
* Reporting to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel on matters for which the Chief Parliamentary Counsel has responsibility;
* Reporting to the Director General of the Office on matters for which the Director General has responsibility;
* Liaising with fellow drafters in the OPC and Advisory Counsel on work related issues, as appropriate;
* Ensuring the effectiveness of the legislative drafting services provided by the OPC to the Government, Ministers and other bodies, particularly in the context of the Government’s Legislation Programme;
* Through the Government Legislation Committee, keeping the Government informed on the progress of Government Bills being drafted or proceeding through the Houses of the Oireachtas;
* Implementing policies and business plans to achieve objectives in the Office’s Strategy, including PMDS and change management initiatives arising from Civil Service Renewal and related plans;
* Participating in the management of the Office as a member of the Management Committee and other groups and committees, including PC Management, as appropriate.
About You:
In addition to the key competencies for effective performance at Assistant Secretary and equivalent level, the ideal candidate will have the following:
* Extensive experience of drafting legislation (both primary and secondary);
* Excellent analytical abilities;
* Extensive knowledge of the law of the State and the law of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights;
* The requisite knowledge and ability to discharge all the duties of the position;
* The ability to express ideas clearly both orally and in writing;
* Sound judgment and a commitment to detail required for legislative drafting and most legal work;
* Ability to use initiative, work under pressure and meet deadlines;
* Detailed knowledge of parliamentary procedures with reference to the legislative process;
* Excellent managerial skills, including the ability to develop others and ensure optimal team performance;
* Strong organisational and change management skills;
* Strong client focus with emphasis on delivering high quality outputs;
* Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, including networking and influencing abilities;
* Thorough knowledge of how a Government law office operates;
* Capacity to strategically manage and lead, particularly in civil service renewal and public service reform initiatives.
Other
The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 30th October, 2025.
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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