Finance Officer (Principal Officer) in the Department of Justice

An opportunity now exists for a suitably qualified and committed individual to take up the role of Finance Officer (Principal Officer) in the Department of Justice.

This is a senior leadership role within the Corporate function of the Department of Justice, leading negotiation and oversight of the Justice Vote Group (JVG), comprising seven Votes: 20 (An Garda Síochána), 21 (Irish Prisons Service), 22 (Courts Service), 24 (Department of Justice), 41 (Policing Authority), 44 (Data Protection Commission) and the soon to be established Vote 46 (Fiosrú/GSOC). This currently encompasses c. €5.69Bn in spend, including over 27,000 staff, over €350m in capital expenditure and c. €268m in receipts.

As a member of the Corporate senior management team, the successful candidate will be required to actively lead on the achievement of the Department’s strategic objectives, including in the wider Justice sector.

This role is highly strategic, leading the Estimates negotiation for the Group, engaging with the Minister, Secretary General and Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to balance available resources with interests and priorities across the seven Votes and the 25+ agencies within the Justice sector. The PO is responsible for all aspects of financial control, including statutory, management and regulatory requirements, financial reporting, and budget development.

More information on the roles can be found in the competition booklet.

Essential Qualifications & Requirements

Candidates must, on or before the deadline:

• Substantial experience in budget management and financial reporting in a large public sector organisation;
• Hold membership of one or more of the six prescribed Accountancy bodies in Ireland;
• A strong familiarity with the annual government Estimates process;
• Ability to engage, negotiate and influence senior stakeholders;
• Experience of leading external and internal audit processes;
• IT literacy, the ability to master new systems is essential;
• Experience using financial management software, accounting software, the Finance Shared Service (FSS) platform, or similar, and advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite;
• Excellent written and presentation skills

Desirable Requirements

It is desirable that candidates should, on the date of application, have:

• Senior leadership experience, leading a complex function;
• Experience of public-sector accounting principles and financial management practices;
• A relevant qualification of at least Level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications.

Applicants are invited to submit an application form for this position. The form is available by contacting competitions@justice.ie

Completed applications should be submitted to competitions@justice.ie with the subject heading: Finance Officer: ‘Candidate name’.

The closing date for applications is 22/05/2025 at 3.00pm