HRB Grade VII Job Family (consisting of R&I 4 / Research Officer / Service 4 Grade VII)

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 – healthy people through excellent research and applied knowledge.

The Health Research Board’s (HRB) mission is to improve people’s health and enhance healthcare delivery.  An overview of the HRB’s objectives and activities may be found in The HRB Strategy 2026-2030, Bringing research to Life, HRB Strategy 2026-2030.

The HRB employs approximately 130 people and has an estimated budget of €70m pa. The research it funds is central to Ireland’s ambition of becoming a knowledge economy. It is a key communicator to the public on the value of research and information systems in the health area.

The Corporate Operations Directorate provides a range services to the HRB covering Finance, Governance, HR, ICT, Communications, Legal and Facilities. These services underpin our current strategy to obtain and sustain outstanding levels of organisational performance and ensure our staff can work to their optimum.

The HRB is now seeking to recruit a permanent Senior ICT Officer. The Senior ICT Officer at Grade 7 plays a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation and continuous improvement of ICT services within the public sector.

 

 

Key responsibilities of the post of Senior ICT Officer

The officer will be responsible for managing our expanding ICT Cloud estate, managing internal ICT systems, providing technical support, and contributing to strategic ICT initiatives. This position demands a proactive individual with strong technical skills, a commitment to excellence, and the ability to work collaboratively across various departments.

Duties will include (but are not limited to) the following areas of activity:

Cloud System Management

  • Serve as the primary technical lead for the HRB’s key cloud platforms, ensuring performance, uptime, and alignment with business requirements.
  • Conduct periodic security reviews in conjunction with HRB system owners, monitor results of vulnerability assessments on the 3rd party side and ensure remediation of findings
  • Administer and optimise HRB’s Azure Active Directory / Entra ID architecture (SSO, MFA, conditional access policies, identity security posture).
  • Lead cloud strategy roadmaps and contribute to the organisation’s digital transformation initiatives.
  • Evaluate new cloud services and make recommendations for adoption
  • Lead incident response from HRB side for 3rd party cloud issues, ensuring fast recovery and clear communication with stakeholders.

System Administration

  • Lead the administration and governance of Microsoft Intune for endpoint management across a Windows 11 estate.
  • Administration of all the portals within Office 365 including SharePoint Online, Outlook, Security, Compliance and Teams
  • Assist in the administration and the maintenance of servers, networks and our mobile estate.
  • Provide first / second / third line technical support to staff, resolving ICT issues promptly
  • Troubleshoot and resolve hardware, software, and network-related problems
  • Ensure the security, integrity, and availability of ICT systems and
  • Microsoft Azure Administration
  • Basic Power Platform Administration
  • Management of on premise Active Directory
  • Print Services
  • Vodafone Cloud Voice Administration
  • Defender for Business Antivirus/Antimalware/Anti ransomware
  • Sentinel One Antivirus/Antimalware/Anti ransomware
  • Cisco IronPort Management

ICT Project Management

  • Contribute to the planning, implementation, and management of ICT projects
  • Coordinate with internal teams and external vendors to ensure project deliverables are met on time and within budget
  • Monitor project progress and provide regular updates to the ICT

Strategic ICT Development

  • Participate in the development and implementation of IT policies and procedures
  • Identify opportunities for process improvement and recommend innovative solutions
  • Stay updated with the latest industry trends and technologies to enhance the IT services

Compliance and Security

  • Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, regulations, and policies related to ICT
  • Implement and monitor ICT security measures to protect data and systems from breaches and cyber threats
  • Participate in ICT security audits and risk

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

Formal requirements include:

  • A minimum of a NFQ Level 8 qualification (Honour’s degree) in a suitable ICT related field
  • A minimum Microsoft qualification in Azure AND Microsoft Endpoint management
  • Must have at least six year’s appropriate and relevant professional experience in ICT support and system
  • A demonstratable Horizon scanner in the Microsoft ecosystem. Continuously identifies risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Proven experience in cyber security practices, including:
  • Endpoint protection platforms (e.g. SentinelOne or Microsoft Defender)
  • Email and perimeter security (e.g. Cisco Email Security, firewalls)
  • Security monitoring and incident response

Desirable requirements include:

  • Able to clearly communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and produce high-quality documentation.
  • Works effectively with internal teams and external providers and stakeholders
  • Experience with AI adoption
  • Experience working within ITIL-aligned service management environments.
  • Experience in the public sector or a similar large organisational

 

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.  A comprehensive list of expected competencies ca be found at Senior ICT Officer  (HEO) Competency Framework.

 

Reporting relationship

The ICT Services Officer will report to ICT Business Lead or designate.

 

Salary scale

Salary Range for Senior ICT Officer          €60,613 – €78,795 (Scales at 01 February 2026)

NOTE:  This post is a permanent, full-time post

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.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae by email to recruitment@hrb.ie You must include the name of the post that you are applying for in the email subject line.

Closing date for applications is 12.00 Noon on 24 June 2026

NOTE: Interviews for this position are expected to take place in our offices on Tuesday 21 July 2026.

 

If you require further information, please contact Karen O’Donnell, HR Officer at recruitment@hrb.ie or refer to the recruitment page on the HRB website at http://www.hrb.ie/about/recruitment/  for full details on this campaign.

 

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.

Please Note:

To be eligible to apply for this competition, candidates must be nationals of a European Economic Area (EEA) Member State or otherwise have a current and valid legal entitlement to work in Ireland.

Candidates who do not meet this requirement will be deemed ineligible.