Invitation for Expressions of Interest: Skillnet Ireland Board of Directors, Ministerial Nominees

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D., invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from suitably qualified and experienced persons to fill three vacancies on the Board of Directors of Skillnet Ireland (hereafter referred to as “the Board of Directors”).

Essential

Expressions of interest are now invited from suitably qualified applicants with the capacity to demonstrate in their application evidence at an appropriately senior level in one or more of the following areas:

• Experience in human resources (HR) or corporate governance with demonstrated in-depth knowledge or experience of at least two of the following:
  • Ireland’s economy
  • Ireland’s labour market
  • Ireland’s enterprise base
  • Climate action
  • Regional development
  • Organisational development and scaling
• Legal expertise
• Information technology (e.g. cyber security and AI)
• Experience of EU-funded programmes

Desirable

It is desirable that candidates demonstrate the following:

• Previous experience of Board membership.
• Experience in the tertiary education sector in Ireland.
• Experience with the legislation and environment in which Skillnet Ireland operates and the obligations that apply to a public body (The Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (2016), Ethics in Public Office Act, Lobbying Act, Freedom of Information Act, Public Procurement Policy etc.).
• Expertise in financial management, planning and strategy.

In addition to the above, applicants for appointment should also possess:

• The ability to bring independent and objective scrutiny to the oversight of an organisation such as Skillnet Ireland.
• The ability to work effectively and cohesively as a member of a team.
• High levels of resilience and judgement in responding to emerging issues.
• Proven ability to critically analyse information.
• Good communication skills.
• A strong sense of ethics and integrity.

Board members nominated by the Minister are appointed for a period of three years. At the end of the three-year term, it is at the Minister’s discretion to re-nominate the Ministerial nominees for a further term.

• A member of the Board of Directors may resign by notice in writing sent or given to Skillnet Ireland. The resignation shall take effect on the day the Minister receives the notice.
• The membership of any member of the Board of Directors may be terminated by the Minister at any time, based on reasons to be stated by the Minister.
• A Board member shall cease to be a member of the Board of Directors if he or she is nominated as a member of Seanad Éireann, is elected as a member of either House of the Oireachtas or as a representative in the European Parliament, elected to the European Parliament.
• At the annual general meeting (AGM) of Skillnet Ireland, one third of the Board of Directors (i.e. those who have been longest in office) shall retire from office, and will be eligible for re-election, as stipulated in section 31 to 33 of the Articles of Association of Skillnet Ireland. A member of the Board of Directors nominated by the Minister and eligible for re-election must have the approval of the Minister before the relevant AGM takes place to put themselves forward for re-election.

Board members are paid a fee of €7,695 per annum. It should be noted that, in line with the ‘One Person, One Salary’ principle, no public servant will be entitled to receive remuneration in the form of Board fees, save for situations that are statutorily provided for e.g. worker directors.

The Board of Directors meets at least six times per year. Each Board meeting typically lasts 2-3 hours and meeting papers are issued seven days in advance of each meeting.

There are three committees of the Board of Directors, and it is expected that the newly appointed directors will take a position on at least one of the committees in 2025.

These are:

• The Audit and Risk Committee,
• The Finance and General-Purpose Committee,
• The Evaluation and Performance Monitoring Committee.

To be considered for the role of Ministerial nominee to the Skillnet Ireland Board of Directors, please submit by email a cover letter, a curriculum vitae and completed application form, no later than 3pm on Friday, 18th July 2025, to FETboardvacancies@dfheris.gov.ie.

DFHERIS will convene an assessment panel to consider and assess the expressions of interest received. The panel will:

• Review and discuss the expressions of interest received against the specific appointment criteria for the role.
• Assess potential appointees further, once they meet the specified appointment criteria, by undertaking any, or all, the following steps:
  • Consideration of the written expression of interests.
  • Interview/meeting/conference call.
  • Referee checks.
  • Any other selection method deemed appropriate.
• Compile a list of people deemed suitable for nomination which will then be sent forward for consideration by the Minister.
• If you have any questions regarding the expression of interest process, please email FETboardvacancies@dfheris.gov.ie.

Shortlisting

The selection process may include a short-listing process dependent on the numbers of applications received.

Specifying background and experience

Please take care when submitting your expression of interest as the assessment panel will make its recommendation(s) to the Minister based on consideration of the documentation which you submit. It is therefore most important that you ensure your cover letter and supporting CV clearly specifies how your background and experience meets the requirements of the position as specified in this booklet.

This will help ensure that the assessment panel is as informed as possible as to the basis and suitability of your candidature.

Conflicts of interest

You must also confirm that you do not have any conflicts of interest or legal impediment which would be likely to interfere with your ability to play a full part on the Board of Directors. You must also confirm that you can make yourself available to attend meetings of the Board of Directors.

Gender balance

Appointments to the Board of Directors shall be made with due regard to best practice in terms of gender balance and diversity requirements. It is a priority of the Board of Directors to ensure a broad diversity of representation, including gender. Gender balance and diversity widen Skillnet Ireland’s access to a broader range of experiences, perspectives and skillsets.

Skillnet Ireland was established in 1999 and is an aegis body of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and is funded from the National Training Fund. Skillnet Ireland is an enterprise-led body dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of enterprise training and workplace and workforce learning.

At entity level, Skillnet Ireland is a Company Limited by Guarantee under the Companies Act 2014. As per Section 26 of the Company’s Constitution, the Board of Directors comprising 13 members of which three directors are nominated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Skillnet Ireland conforms to requirements set out in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

Functions of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors act as stewards of Skillnet Ireland and have the authority and duty to manage the affairs and business of Skillnet Ireland and its subsidiary, Skillnets Services DAC. The Board of Directors is responsible for a system of internal financial control. It exercises this responsibility with the assistance of the Audit and Risk (ARC) Committee, the Finance and General Purpose (FGP) Committee and the Evaluation and Performance Monitoring (EPM) Committee of the Board of Directors. In discharging its obligations, the Board of Director’s principal duties include:

• Providing leadership in setting Skillnet Ireland’s long-term strategic direction, and to approve and monitor Skillnet Ireland’s overall strategic plan, operating goals, operating budget, performance indicators and the business plans established to achieve them.
• Ensuring that the executive team consistently adheres to and implements policy and procedures as advised.
• Identifying the principal risks that need to be managed to achieve a proper balance between exposure to risks and potential returns and oversee the implementation of appropriate systems to manage these risks.
• Adopting policies and processes to enable effective communication with stakeholders, employees and the public.
• Developing practices to ensure that the Board of Directors functions independently of the Skillnet Ireland executive.
• Undertaking rigorous and formal evaluation of the Board of Director’s own performance and that of individual directors at least every 18 months.

Composition of the Board of Directors

New Structure of the Board of Directors

In 2025, the Board of Directors of Skillnet Ireland will be re-structured. The new structure will balance the enterprise-led ethos, which is central to Skillnet Ireland’s stakeholders, with the voice of employee representative organisations. The new structure will also recognise the predominant role of Government in relation to Skillnet Ireland’s governance and funding.

The new Board of Directors will be structured as follows:

A. One nominee of the Minister who will act as chairperson of the Board.

In addition to the chairperson, the Board shall also consist of twelve ordinary members appointed by the Minister as follows:

B. Five business/employer representatives made up as follows:

• Two members shall be from persons that represent the interests of employers generally.
• One that represents the interests of small firms.
• One that represents the interests of the construction industry.
• One that represents the geographic interests of commerce.

C. Three employee representatives.

D. Four other representatives nominated by the Minister with the relevant skills and expertise of particular relevance to the work of Skillnet Ireland.

Appointments to the Board of Directors of Skillnet Ireland shall be made with due regard to best practice in terms of gender balance and diversity requirements. It is a priority of the Board of Directors of Skillnet Ireland to ensure a broad diversity of representation, including gender. Gender balance and diversity widen Skillnet Ireland’s access to a broader range of experiences, perspectives and skillsets.

It should be noted that the current Constitution of Skillnet Ireland allows for only two of the three Ministerial appointments to be made. The third Ministerial appointment may only be confirmed once the revised Constitution of Skillnet Ireland has been adopted to reflect the new Board structure. Therefore, there is no guarantee that all three appointments will be made at the same time or at the end of the process.

Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, 2014, applications will be treated in strict confidence. All enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.

Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, may be extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to protecting your personal data and takes the security of your information very seriously, adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and security of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The main purpose for which the Department requires the personal data provided by you is to consider your Expression of Interest in the context of the qualifying criteria set out in this Booklet and your suitability for the position advertised.

The personal data provided as part of this recruitment campaign will be exchanged with other persons involved in the appointment process only as required, including with officials in the Department, Skillnet Ireland, any other relevant person who will assist in the appointment process and the Minister.

If your application is assessed and you are considered to be suitable for appointment, your curriculum vitae and cover letter (and any supplementary information requested as part of the application process) will be retained for up to one year following the appointments. In the event that you are not successful on this occasion, your data may be retained for a period of up to one year and used in considering your suitability for other similar vacancies/roles that may arise within that period.

Additional information on the General Data Protection Regulation is available here.