Administrative Assistant

What we offer Competitive salary (IPA Grade 6) Starting salary €38,717 per annum. Rising to €51,529 (9-pointsalary scale, the top 2 points are long service increments). Annual increase subject to satisfactory performance. Additional pay increases in line with national pay agreements (2% March 2025). Prior public sector experience will be taken into consideration in determining starting salary. Holidays and Leave 24 days annual leave. Hybrid working – up to 2 days working from home subject to operational demands. The Institute currently has a flexible working hour attendance scheme in operation. Central location Based in Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4 beside dart station. Premises subject to relocation to central city-centre office in 2025 (estimate). Pension Career-Average Defined Benefit Pension Scheme. Retirement benefits are mainly based on a percentage of your pensionable earnings throughout your public service career (Single Pension Scheme for Public Servants). Prior public sector employees (pre-2013) will be entered on to the IPA superannuation scheme. Staff Development Support for professional development programmes, to assist in developing skills and expertise.

Benefits

Permanent contract. Employee supports including Employee Assistance Programme, Tax-free travel pass, Bike-to-work scheme. Job Function: The Administrative Assistant works as part of a team to provide essential administrative support to staff and students across the entire student lifecycle, from application through to graduation. Key responsibilities include working on admissions and enrolment processes, maintaining and updating student records, coordinating scheduling and communications, and supporting events such as orientation and graduation. The role also involves addressing student enquiries, facilitating access to resources, and ensuring adherence to institutional policies. This position requires effective collaboration with faculty and administrative teams to support the smooth delivery of services and an excellent experience for students and staff alike.

Main Duties Operations • Engage with administration managers, programme coordinators, lecturers and students to provide day-to-day operational support for the delivery of undergraduate education programmes, including promoting and disseminating information about programmes; managing applications, records and results; responding to student and staff queries; providing necessary supports and resolving issues; arranging class schedules and timetables and student communications; providing copying, collating and other support services as appropriate. • Provide administrative and technical support to lecturers and students during delivery of on-site classes, online classes and broadcasting events at evenings, weekends and during weekdays as rostered, including creation of schedules/links and monitoring and troubleshooting of ‘live’ virtual classes. • Coordinate the receipt, processing and distribution of continuous assessment assignment material in paper and electronic form – including assignment titles, student work and results – to and from lecturers and students as appropriate. • Assist with the arrangements for examinations, the supervision and monitoring of onsite and online examinations, and the receipt, processing and distribution of examination material and results in paper and electronic format to and from lecturers, students, exam boards and exam centres as appropriate. • Assist with the arrangements for, and at, the annual conferring ceremony. • Assist with the distribution of course material and other documents in hard and soft copy. • Compile, update, and keep allstudent and otherrecords(paper and electronic) in good order and in accessible form. • Type correspondence, distance education materials, timetables and highly confidential material, including examination papers, to acceptable standard.

Systems and Records • Support e-learning platforms, such as Moodle, including preparation and uploading of relevant content and maintenance of programme sites. • Contribute to, and trouble-shoot, operations of the Division’s central administrative systems, including student record and management system, invoicing system and reporting systems. • Support the Division’s compliance with statutory and Quality Assurance compliance, e.g GDPR, annual module reviews, student surveys etc.

General • Undertake, as rostered, evening and weekend work as per the academic cycle and provide administrative and technical support to lecturers and students during delivery of on-site classes, online classes and broadcasting events at evenings, weekends and during weekdays. • Carry out such duties appropriate to the grade as may be assigned from time to time About the ideal candidate Qualifications

• Leaving Certificate or equivalent qualification (essential).

Knowledge

• An understanding of the role of the IPA and the programmes offered by the Whitaker School. • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (essential).

Experience

• Minimum of two years’ experience in an administrative role with responsibility for a variety of processes and procedures (essential). • Proven track record of providing excellent customer service with exceptional written and verbal communication skills. • Demonstrated ability to provide professional and proactive engagement with students, faculty and management.

Skills

• Proven ability to complete tasks, use initiative as events require, and work in a dynamic, flexible team environment. • A good degree of proficiency in IT skills, virtual/online delivery platforms and experience of using software packages. • Good organisational skills and capacity to implement and improve administrative systems and processes. • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills • Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies • Excellent standard of written English suited to writing emails and content for website or programme description documents

Personal attributes

• Strong interpersonal skills and commitment to quality, delivering excellent customer services. • Demonstrated ability to work well under own initiative and be flexible to adapt to changing requirements. • Ability to deal with difficult situations with tact, discretion and professionalism • Conscientious, detail-oriented and thorough with strong attention to detail

Health

• Each candidate shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service General Conditions This position will be filled on a permanent basis. While the position is Dublin based a considerable amount of our work is delivered in client organisations throughout Ireland and abroad on occasions. Members of the staff of the Institute may be required to attend meetings and other functions on occasions outside normal working hours.

Our Values Character: Each candidate must demonstrate commitment to the IPA values: • Integrity; • Client-Centred and Responsive; • Openness and Accountability; • Trust and Respect; • Innovation and Learning; • Research-Led; • Practice-Led.

Our commitment to supporting our Staff The Institute is committed to embracing opportunities for blended working, to build a dynamic, agile and responsive organisation while sustaining strong standards of performance and high levels of productivity. A healthy work-life balance is important to us and we recognise this by offering a comprehensive range of work-life balance options and a wide variety ofspecial leave options. We provide access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and the Tax Saver Scheme and we have a staff wellbeing and employee assistance programme. We are committed to providing ongoing learning and development opportunities so that you can develop to your full potential. Staff are actively encouraged to pursue further education opportunities. Principal Conditions of Service Remuneration The salary scale forthis position rangesfrom €38,717 to €51,529 (9 point scale, the top 2 long service increments) per annum pro rata. Entry will be at the minimum of the scale and the rate of remuneration will not be subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Different pay and conditions may apply if, immediately priorto appointment the appointee is already a serving Civil Servant or Public Servant. Subject to satisfactory performance, increments may be payable in line with current government policy.

Tenure This role is offered on a permanent basis. A secondment arrangement may be considered on request from another Public Sector organisation.

Location While the position is Dublin based, a proportion of our work is delivered in client organisations throughout Ireland. Members of the staff of the Institute may be required to attend meetings and other functions on occasions outside normal working hours.

Hours of Attendance Hours of attendance will be as fixed from time to time but will not amount to less than 35 hours per week. The successful candidate will be required to work such additional hours from time to time as may be reasonable and necessary for the proper performance of their duties subject to the limits set down in the working time regulations. The Institute operates a formal Blended Working model based on service/business requirements. The Institute currently has a flexible working hour attendance scheme in operation. Annual Leave The Annual Leave allowance for this position is 24 days. This allowance is subject to the usual conditions regarding the granting of annual leave in the Institute, is based on a five-day week and is exclusive of the usual public holidays.

Sick Leave The rate of pay during properly certified sick absence, provided there is no evidence of permanent disability for service, will apply on a pro-rata basis, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil & Public Service sick leave circulars.

Safety & Welfare The holder of the post shall co-operate with the terms of the Institute’s Safety Statement. They shall familiarise themselves with the safety rules and procedures and adhere to same.

Training It is a condition of employment that successful candidates will be required to participate in training programmes relevant to the skills necessary for the performance of the duties attaching to the post.

Superannuation Contribution Membership of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme is compulsory for all employees except where there is membership of pre-existing public service superannuation scheme. Details will be provided to the appointee prior to appointment. For new entrants under the Single Public Service Pension Scheme, effective from 1st January 2013, superannuation contributions are as follows: 3.5% of net pensionable remuneration and 3% of pensionable remuneration. Pension and retirement lump sum will be based on career-average pensionable remuneration; pensions will be co-ordinated with the State Pension Contributory.

Additional Superannuation Contribution This appointment is subject to the Additional Superannuation Contribution (ASC) in accordance with the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017. Note; ASC deductions are in addition to any pension contributions (main scheme and spouses’ and children’s contributions) required under the rules of your pension scheme.

Important Notice The above represents the principal conditions of service and is not intended to be the comprehensive list of all terms and conditions of employment which will be set out in the employment contract to be agreed with the successful candidate.

Confidentiality

All enquiries, applications and all aspects of the proceedings relating to recruitment and selection are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone outside those directly involved in the recruitment process.