The HRB is now seeking to recruit a Governance and Compliance Officer. Required to support the Head of Governance in providing strategic corporate governance advice and operational secretarial support to both the Board and the Executive, establishing and maintaining the highest standards of governance at all times.

HRB Grade VII Job Family (consisting of R&I IV, Services IV & Research Officer grades).

Background

The Health Research Board (HRB) is a statutory agency under the aegis of the Department of Health. As the lead agency in Ireland responsible for supporting and funding health research, generating health information and promoting the use of evidence in policy and practice, we are motivated and inspired by our vision – for better health through excellent research, data and evidence. The HRB’s mission is to support research that improves people’s health, promotes evidence-informed care and creates solutions to societal challenges.  An overview of the HRB’s objectives and activities may be found in The HRB Strategy 2021-2025, Health research – making an impact, (https://www.hrb.ie/strategy-2025/).

The Governance Unit in the HRB is responsible for compliance with all corporate governance responsibilities across the organisation, including carrying out Board and Committee secretarial duties, policy management, risk management, adhering to requirements under Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation, and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

The Unit is part of the Corporate Operations team and works closely with other Directorates within the HRB, and external stakeholders as required.

The HRB is seeking to recruit a Governance & Compliance Officer on a permanent, full-time contract. The responsibilities of this role are wide and varied and will involve engagement across the HRB.

Key responsibilities of the Governance and Compliance Officer post

The successful candidate will be presented with an excellent opportunity to contribute to a high performing Governance Unit and to demonstrate how its functions support the delivery of the HRB’s strategic business objectives. They will be required to support the Head of Governance in providing strategic corporate governance advice and operational secretarial support to both the Board and the Executive, establishing and maintaining the highest standards of governance at all times.

Duties will include, but are not limited to:

Governance & Compliance:

  • Support the Head of Governance to ensure compliance with all corporate governance obligations across the HRB, including Board, Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) and Management Development Committee (MDC) secretarial duties, Data Protection/ GDPR, Freedom of Information (FOI), Risk Management, internal audits, Protected Disclosures, and regulations.
  • With the support of colleagues, develop and maintain appropriate governance policies and processes that are aligned to achieving, maintaining and reporting on the HRB’s compliance and regulatory obligations, and support the overall organisational strategy.
  • Manage the HRB’s interaction with external sources of advice and support on governance, recruitment of board members and related matters, e.g. the Institute of Public Administration, the Public Appointments Service and colleagues in the Department of Health.
  • Further embed a strong culture of compliance in the HRB.

Board and Company Secretary

  • Support the Head of Governance in ensuring that the Board and its Committees are properly constituted, operated and supported (including induction of new members and access to information), according to standing orders and the regulatory framework.
  • Support the Head of Governance to ensure that Committees operate in accordance with their Terms of Reference.
  • Provide support at Board and Committee meetings, when required, ensuring the preparation and provision of materials for meetings in a timely manner, taking excellent minutes, drafting resolutions and following up of actions as required, ensuring decisions are communicated to the relevant stakeholders.
  • Manage the electronic meeting system used to publish papers and information resources to Board Members and be responsible for ensuring appropriate electronic and paper records are kept of Board and Committee minutes, agenda papers and resolutions.
  • Maintain Board Member records including attendance registers, declarations of interest register and learning and development records.

Risk and Assurance

  • Support the development of the HRB’s Risk Management Strategy and Policy.
  • Support the Head of Governance in managing the corporate risk register and ensure that all steps to mitigate risks are documented and continually updated and supporting the Board and ARC to fulfil their responsibilities with regard to risk management.

Information and Data Management

  • Work with the HRB’s Data Protection Officer in meeting the requirements of GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018. Monitor and report on the work of Data Stewards across the organisation.
  • Maintain working knowledge with regard to obligations and developments in relation to GDPR, FOI, PMQ’s etc.
  • Ensure the HRB is guided by good practice and displays a commitment to quality in responding to information requests.

General

  • Support the Executive Team in evaluating the performance of our strategy via KPIs, quarterly reporting, service and business planning.
  • Keep up to date with changes in legislation, regulation, good practice within the sector, alerting changes required to HRB’s strategies plans, policies, etc
  • Support the Head of Governance in maintaining meaningful compliance with the obligations under the Code of Practice 2016 and its annexes.
  • Work with the senior management in ensuring compliance with relevant policies and regulations.
  • Support the review, enhancement, development and implementation of HRB’s protected disclosures policy and procedures in line with best practice.

Other duties may be assigned from time to time depending on need. This is a team-based role, and teamwork and coordination with others are crucial. 

Essential knowledge and experience

The Governance and Compliance Officer will interact closely with the academic and healthcare systems, with governmental and statutory bodies and with other national and international funding agencies. The role requires an ability to be hands-on and highly results-orientated, with excellent attention to detail.

Formal requirements include:

  • The ideal candidate will, as a minimum, have achieved an NFQ Level 8 (Honours Bachelor Degree and / or a Higher Diploma) in a relevant discipline/topic.
  • A minimum of five years’ experience ideally as a corporate governance expert and/or compliance officer.
  • Strong organisational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple programmes;
  • Experience of working with confidential and sensitive material in a professional manner.
  • Experience of representing an organisation in front of regulators and external stakeholders.

Desirable criteria

  • Personally committed to diversity, treating others with dignity and respect, and with a passion and a commitment to our values.
  • Proven ability to challenge, influence and persuade others whilst maintaining relationships and working in partnership (internally and externally).
  • Analyse and interpret complex data and provide clear concise reports.
  • Takes a pro-active, performance focused approach.
  • Ability to work to tight timescales and under pressure
  • Strong ICT skills;
  • Strong Interpersonal and communication skills and a demonstrable track record in building and maintaining impactful partnerships with stakeholders (internal and external).

Competencies

Competencies incorporated into this role profile reflect the competency framework issued in conjunction with the Civil Service Competency Framework which has been adopted by the HRB. The complete list of core competencies for this post is in Appendix A.

Reporting relationship

The Governance and Compliance Officer will report to the Head of Governance.

Salary scale

Salary Range for Governance and Compliance Officer (Grade VII)                €57,677 – €74,978

Appointment will be made in accordance with the Department of Health guidelines. New entrants to the public service will be appointed at the first point of the scale.

Note:  This is a Permanent Full-time post

 

How to apply

To apply, please submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae by email to recruitment@hrb.ie

Closing date for applications is 12.00 Noon on 21 October 2024

Interviews for this position are expected to take place between 04 and 08 November 2024. Interviews will be conducted in person at our HRB offices.

If you require further information, please contact Karen O’Donnell, HR Officer at recruitment@hrb.ie

The Health Research Board is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We do not discriminate based on gender, age, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, membership of the Travelling community or family status. If you have a disability and require accommodations to be made during the recruitment process, please contact HR in advance and we would be happy to assist.

 

Appendix A:  Core competencies – Governance and Compliance Officer

Team Leadership

  • Works with the team to facilitate high performance, developing clear and realistic objectives and addressing and performance issues if they arise and able to either a team leader or team member on evidence centre products
  • Provides clear information and advice as to what is required of the team and able to meet agreed deadlines
  • Strives to develop and implement new ways of working effectively to meet objectives
  • Leads and participates in the team by example, supporting individuals as required
  • Places high importance on people development, training and maximising the skills and capacity of the team
  • Is flexible and willing to adapt, positively contributing to the implementation of change.

 

Judgment, Analysis and Decision Making

  • Gathers and analyses information from relevant sources, weighing up a range of critical factors.
  • Takes account of any broader issues and related implications when making decisions.
  • Uses previous knowledge and experience in order to guide decisions.
  • Uses judgement to make sound decisions with a well-reasoned rationale and stands by these.
  • Puts forward solutions to address problems.

 

Management and Delivery of Results

  • Takes responsibility and is accountable for the delivery of agreed objectives.
  • Successfully manages a range of different projects and work activities at the same time.
  • Structures and organises their own and others work effectively
  • Is logical and pragmatic in approach, delivering the best possible results with the resources available.
  • Delegates work effectively, providing clear information and evidence as to what is required.
  • Proactively identifies areas for improvement and develops practical suggestions for their implementation
  • Demonstrates enthusiasm for new developments/changing work practices and strives to implement these changes effectively
  • Applies appropriate systems/ processes to enable quality checking of all activities and outputs.
  • Practices and promotes a strong focus on delivering high quality customer service, for internal and external customers.

 

Interpersonal and communication skills

  • Builds and maintains contact with colleagues and other stakeholders to assist in performing own role.
  • Acts as an effective link between staff and senior management.
  • Encourages open and constructive discussions around work issues.
  • Projects conviction, gaining buy-in by outlining relevant information and selling the benefits.
  • Treats others with diplomacy, tact, courtesy and respect, even in challenging circumstances.
  • Presents information clearly, concisely and confidently when speaking and in writing.
  • Collaborates and supports colleagues to achieve organisational goals

 

Drive and commitment to public service values

  • Strives to perform at a high level, investing significant energy to achieve agreed objectives.
  • Demonstrates resilience in the face of challenging circumstances and high demands.
  • Is personally trustworthy and can be relied upon.
  • Ensures that customers are at the heart of all services provided.
  • Upholds high standards of honesty, ethics and integrity.

 

Specialist knowledge, expertise and self-development

  • Has a clear understanding of the roles, objectives and targets of self and team and how they fit into the work of the unit and organisation and effectively communicates this to others.
  • Has high levels of expertise and broad Public Sector knowledge relevant to his/her area of work.
  • Focuses on self-development, striving to improve performance.