Assistant Secretary, Pensions, PRSI, Disability and Family Caring

Assistant Secretary, Pensions, PRSI, Disability and Family Caring

The closing date for this vacancy is 09/07/2026, 15:00

This is a high-profile and challenging position in which the successful candidate will have an opportunity to make a significant contribution to delivering key Government priorities, to improving outcomes for workers, pensioners, carers and disabled people and, in so doing, to shape the development of Irish society. This Assistant Secretary portfolio comprises the Pensions Policy Unit, the PRSI Policy and Actuarial and Investment Analysis Unit, the Disability Payments Policy Unit and the Illness, Child Benefit and Family Care Payment Policy Units (including Carers Policy) of the Department of Social Protection.

Main Duties of the Job

The successful candidate will be expected to lead a team of four Principal Officers, and their wider teams, in developing and implementing coherent policies to achieve government objectives with respect to reducing poverty and improving outcomes for people served while ensuring the financial sustainability of the PRSI system and remaining within the budgetary parameters available to the Department.

This will involve engaging with senior government ministers and politicians, working closely with senior leaders in other government departments and agencies and building strong relationships with advocacy and representative groups.

The successful candidate will also be expected to work collegiately as a member of the Department's management board and in particular to build strong relationships with the service operations units within the Department in order to ensure that policy development takes due account of operational capacity and capabilities.

The successful candidate will have:

• Strong financial acumen and the ability to work with and interpret complex financial and other data.
• Knowledge and experience, or the capability to quickly master, the process of developing legislation and regulations and directing these, as required, through the Oireachtas process.
• A proven capacity to network, influence, persuade and negotiate effectively at a senior level all levels and the ability to transfer and apply this capability to work with senior EU, Ministerial, cross-department, with external stakeholders, and internally.

Ideally, applicants will meet at least two of the following criteria at a senior level:

• a) Experience in more than one organisation
• b) International experience (e.g. working abroad or significant engagement with international organisations and processes)
• c) Experience outside the Civil Service
• d) A variety of experience (e.g. policy, strategic planning and operational)

Information about the organisation

The Department of Social Protection is the largest Department of State in the Irish Civil Service and one of the largest organisations in the State. It plays the lead role in developing policy and advising government on social protection/welfare, social inclusion and labour market issues such as employment services, pensions, and other income supports (including children, disability, jobseekers, illness, and caring) and activation policies. The Department supports its Minister and the Government in developing legislation to implement these policies and in engaging with the Oireachtas to progress this legislation, and, to account for policy outcomes and the efficacy of its service operations.

Selection Process Details

This is a Top Level Appointments Committee (TLAC) position.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.