Director of Service

Information about the Organisation:

County Laois is located in the province of Leinster and has a population of 91,877 persons (2022 Census). This represents an actual increase of 7,180 or 8% since the last census in 2016.

Laois shares its border with five other counties and has a total land area of 1,720 km2. The county is landlocked and, uniquely in Ireland, does not border any other county which touches the coast. Laois is the 19th largest of the Republic of Ireland's 26 counties and is the 22nd largest Local Authority area in terms of population.

The local government structure in Laois comprises Laois County Council and the Municipal Districts of Portlaoise - Abbeyleix, Graiguecullen - Portarlington and Borris in Ossory - Mountmellick. Laois County Council has its administrative headquarters in Portlaoise. The Elected Council currently consists of 19 Members who are democratically elected for a period of 5 years.

An opportunity now exists in Laois County Council for the position of Director of Service.

Job Summary/Description:

Reporting to the Chief Executive the Director of Services 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 Services provides policy support and advice for members of the Corporate Policy Group, Strategic Policy Committees, the Municipal Districts 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.

The Director of Services is responsible for ensuring the delivery of quality services across the key services areas within Laois County Council such as:

• Planning, Regeneration and Economic Development
• Housing, Human Resources, Corporate Affairs and Information Technology
• Infrastructure, Recreation, Emergency Services and Special Projects
• Finance and Culture
• Community, Integration, Climate and Environment
• MyPay - Local Government Shared Services Centre

Directors of Service are members of the executive team of the Local Authority and report directly to the Chief Executive. Each Director of Service is typically responsible for a number of functional areas and may also be responsible for one or more Municipal Districts within a County. Directors of Service support the Chief Executive in advancing the physical, economic, social and cultural life of a County and in developing and overseeing the organisational structures and resources needed to deliver an extensive range of services to the public, in a cost effective and efficient manner.

Directors of Service generally manage large multidisciplinary teams and budgets, both capital and operational. They are required to manage and lead their functional areas in a strategic manner, and implement substantial change programmes, for example, the ongoing programme of Local Government Reform. Innovation and continuous improvement are significant priorities.

Directors of Service play a key role in supporting the Council members in fulfilling their statutory and representational functions in accordance with the principles of good Governance. This includes working effectively with the Council Members providing policy support, keeping Councillors informed and developing proposals for agreement by the Members prior to implementation within their area of responsibility.

External relationships are important to the effective delivery of services by the Local Authority and Directors of Service play a vital role in networking and engaging with a broad range of stakeholders including representatives of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, other Government Departments, State Agencies, business owners, community and voluntary groups, the general public etc.

A full list of essential requirements is available in the Information Booklet.

publicjobs is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourages applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.

Closing Date: 3pm Thursday 16th April 2026.