Bridge Watchkeeping Officers

The Naval Service has a number of opportunities for Bridge Watchkeeping Officers (Operations Branch).

These are vital positions and we are looking for highly motivated individuals who combine professional skills with leadership ability and the desire to take their careers to exciting new places.

Overview The Naval Service is based in Haulbowline, Cobh, Co. Cork and is the State's principal seagoing agency with a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements. It is a multi-tasked organisation operating a fleet of six ships of which four are operational. The fleet is equipped with state of the art machinery, weapons, communications, and navigation systems. The Naval Service fleet comprises of four Offshore Patrol Vessels, LÉ Samuel Beckett, LÉ James Joyce, LÉ William Butler Yeats and L.É George Bernard Shaw. All four ships are of similar specification, which is at the leading edge of marine technology. In 2023 the Naval Service took delivery of two Inshore Patrol Vessels providing the Naval Service with an enhanced capacity to operate and undertake patrols in the Irish Sea on the East and South East Coast. Both vessels will be named and commissioned into the Irish Naval Service before commencing their operational service in 2024.

Operations Branch Officers of the Operations Branch of the Naval Service are responsible for the efficient running of the ship. The Operations Branch Officers responsibilities include Bridge Watchkeeping, where they are responsible for the safe navigation of the ship and safety of the ships company along with the weapons and communications systems on-board. Operations Branch Officers also lead boarding teams in fishery protection and anti-drug running boarding operations and are therefore prime leaders and motivators of the ships company. 1. GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS A candidate for appointment as an Operations Officer in the Naval Service must at the time of application provide documentary proof that they are: (a) a citizen of the State or (b) have a legal entitlement to reside and work within the State for the period of any such appointment AND (c) be of good character and satisfy any security clearance required AND (d) meet the required minimum standards of medical and physical fitness. 2. AGE REQUIREMENTS Candidates must be less than 50 years of age on 31 December in the year of application. 3. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS A candidate must possess: (a) a Department of Transport Certificate of Competency (Deck Officer) Class 1, 2 or 3 with Watchkeeping experience or (b) a recognised Naval Watchkeeping Certificate or (c) a marine qualification that is deemed by the Minister for Defence to be at least equivalent to the qualifications at subparagraphs (a) or (b) above. 4. MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL STANDARDS Candidates will be required to undergo a detailed medical and dental examination, which may include urine and blood tests. This examination is to ensure that candidates are in good mental and bodily health and free from any condition, abnormality or history of serious illness likely to interfere with the efficient performance of military duties.

The following are the minimum requirements in respect of: (a) Height The minimum height requirement is 157.48cm (5ft 2ins). Physical standards and weight must be in keeping with height and age. (b) Vision Colour vision must be normal. Both eyes must be free from disfiguring or incapacitating abnormality and free from acute or chronic disease. There must be no evidence of squint or latent squint. The eligibility of applicants who have had previous incisional or laser treatment to correct visual acuity will be determined at the Medical Examination. Please see ‘Annex B’ for further information. Operations Branch: Vision must be uncorrected and not less than 6/9 in one eye and not less than 6/12 in the other eye with normal night vision. (a) Dental Candidates must be free from any serious periodontal disease and possess teeth to a specific standard, which is not less than the equivalent of eleven over eleven natural teeth functionally opposed. In certain circumstances, artificial teeth may be acceptable. (d) Hearing A good standard of unaided hearing is essential. Candidates will be required to undergo an audiometric test at which: (1) The sum of the hearing threshold at 1,2,3, 4 and 6 kHz should not exceed the age and gender related warning levels contained in the "Guidelines on Hearing Checks and Audiometry Regulations 2007", issued by the Health and Safety Authority. (2) Candidates under 25 years of age must be able to hear all measured pure tones up to and including 8 kHz at 20dB in each ear. Candidates aged 25 and older must be able to hear all measured pure tones up to and including 8 kHz at 25dB in each ear. Candidates must also be free from acute or chronic ear disorders. Candidates are advised to avoid all sources of loud noise and music for a period of 48 hours prior to this examination as exposure to such noise may adversely affect the results of the examination. 5. APPLICATION FOR APPOINTMENT Candidates must apply online to www.military.ie. Candidates wishing to undertake the assessments through Irish must make this request known to the Defence Forces Recruitment Section at recruitment@defenceforces.ie All correspondence with candidates will be done by email for the duration of the competition. Candidates should ensure the email address given is accurate and correct. Each application is acknowledged automatically by the system within 24 hours. If an acknowledgement is not received within 48 hours of applying, candidates should immediately contact the Defence Forces Recruitment Section at: 045 492553 or e-mail recruitment@defenceforces.ie Likewise, if an applicant’s email address should change, the onus is on the applicant to make contact with the Defence Forces Recruitment Section immediately advising them of the change of email. 6. COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEW PROCESS Candidates will be invited to attend a competency based interview where they will be required to draw from their relevant experience and demonstrate competency in the following areas: • Planning and Organising • Decision Making and Problem Solving • Working with Others • Communication • Leadership and Supervising • Personal Motivation and Discipline • Resilience 7. INTERVIEW BOARD Candidates called for interview will be required to provide the Interview Board with the following documentation: • Original documentary evidence of Professional Qualifications • A Passport sized Photograph (signed on the back) • An Original copy of Long Form Birth Certificate (photocopies are not acceptable) and • Passport Candidates will also be requested to sign the Declaration Form accompanying the application form at the Interview. The applicants may be required to undergo a written and verbal examination to prove they have a satisfactory level of English. An applicant who fails to pass this examination will be advised accordingly and the application will be refused. 8. EMPLOYEE VETTING BY AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA. Candidates who are invited to attend before an Interview Board will be required to complete and sign a Garda Vetting Application Form. This will, pursuant to the Data Protection Act 2018, authorise An Garda Síochána to furnish to the Military Authorities, a statement that there are no convictions recorded against the candidate, or if applicable, a statement of convictions. 9. EXPENSES Candidates will be liable for all expenses incurred in connection with their participation in the competition, such as those incurred in connection with their attendance at the medical and interview boards. 10. NOMINATION FOR APPOINTMENT The nomination of a successful candidate for appointment as an Officer of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) shall be made by the Minister for Defence, whose decision shall be final. 11. TERMS OF APPOINTMENT a. The successful candidate assigned to the Operations Branch of the Naval Service will be appointed to the rank of Sub-Lieutenant on a short service commission of 3 years, with the opportunity for extension to a commission without limitation as to time, subject to the rank retirement ages as per Defence Force Regulations. b. On completion of 18 months, a Naval Service Operations Officer inducted from this competition may apply for a commission without limitation as to time. This will be subject to continuous satisfactory service and the recommendations of the Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service and the Chief of Staff. A commission without limitation as to time is subject to the approval of the Government, on the recommendation of the Minister to advise the President to make such an appointment. c. Successful candidates will be expected to take up duty as soon as possible, allowing for reasonable notice to current employer, or reasonable expiry of current contractual obligations, but subject to the overriding requirement to fill the vacancies in the Naval Service. d. Short Service Pay, as follows, will be paid to Officers who have not applied for or been offered a commission without limitation as to time within the period time served during their short-term Commission. Officers will be entitled to a once-off payment of Short Service Pay, depending on the total consecutive period served as follows: €6,349.00 on completion of 1st year of service or €6,348.00 on completion of 2nd year of service * or €12,697.00 on completion of 3rd year of service * *Short service pay for years 2 and 3 will not be paid if the Officer has applied for and has been offered, a commission without limitation as to time. Short Service Pay, which is non-pensionable, is subject to income tax, PRSI, USC and ASC (see Note 4 in Annex A) in the normal way. Candidates will be required to undertake compulsory random drug testing throughout their career in the Permanent Defence Force in accordance with Defence Force Regulations RETIREMENT BENEFITS Introduction (A)Single Public Service Pension Scheme In general, anyone joining pensionable public service employment on or after 1 January 2013 is a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. This Scheme applies to all military personnel who join the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) from 1 January 2013 onwards as firsttime new entrants to the Public Service. The Single Scheme also applies if you are a former pensionable public servant who re-joins the Public Service in a pensionable position on or after 1 January 2013, with a break of more than 26 weeks between public service employments. These arrangements are provided under the Public Service (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 (‘the Single Scheme’). Note: In some limited circumstances, different pension terms may apply for personnel who join the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) from 1 January 2013 onwards who are not first-time new entrants to the Public Service and/or have previously been in the public service. Some details are given below but any queries in this regard should be referred to the Department of Defence. (B)‘Post-April 2004’ Defence Force Pension Schemes

In some cases, the ‘post-April 2004’ Defence Force pension scheme arrangements may apply. This Scheme generally applies to military personnel who joined the PDF between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012. Those arrangements are governed by the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004. These ‘post-April 2004’ pension scheme arrangements may apply to anyone who has worked or is working in other Irish public service pensionable employment, and who is not a new entrant as defined under the Single Scheme. For example, if you joined the Public Service before 1 January 2013 and have either, (i) been working continuously there, or (ii) left that public service employment and return after a break of less than 26 weeks, you will be a member of a relevant ‘post-April 2004’ Defence Force pension scheme. (C)‘Pre-April 2004’ Defence Force Pension Schemes In certain very limited circumstances, the ‘pre-April 2004’ pension scheme arrangements may apply. Where a person joining the PDF is not a new entrant as defined: ➢ under the 2012 Act (see paragraph (a) above); or ➢ under the 2004 Act (see paragraph (b) above), the pre-April 2004 Defence Force superannuation arrangements may apply. Single Scheme – summary of main elements for PDF members • It is a defined benefit scheme based on Career-Average Earnings. • Retirement benefits – pension and lump sum – are primarily based on % of pensionable earnings throughout your public service career as a Single Scheme member. • PDF members pay a 7.5% employee contribution from salary towards their Single Scheme benefits, as well as an Additional Superannuation Contribution (ASC) – see Notes 1 and 2 below. • Each year of your PDF Single Scheme membership, you build up money amounts on a fast accrual basis towards your Single Scheme retirement benefits. The total of these amounts at retirement, with adjustments for increases in inflation (as measured by increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) produced by the Central Statistics Office), determines what your retirement benefits will be. • Single Scheme retirement benefits are payable immediately on retirement from the PDF if you serve to the minimum pension age of 50, and have the required vesting period of 2 years3 • If you finish employment with the PDF before age 50 and have the required vesting period, payment of your retirement benefits is normally deferred to the qualifying age for Contributory State Pension (CSP)4 from the Department of Social Protection. • Retirement pension (but not lump sum) is integrated with the Social Insurance system – see paragraph (a) below. • There is no cap on the length of time over which members can build pension benefits under the Single Scheme. • Transferring retirement benefits to Single Scheme from other employments: ➢ The option for a member of the Single Scheme to transfer-in benefits from private sector pension schemes is generally available, subject to certain terms and conditions. ➢ If, before joining the Single Scheme, you hold deferred retirement benefits from previous employments under a ‘pre-2013’ Public Service pension scheme, you cannot transfer those benefits to the Single Scheme. Those benefits remain to be administered under your earlier pre-2013 pension scheme. ➢ If you hold deferred benefits under the Single Scheme from an earlier Single Scheme employment, you do not need to arrange for their “transfer” because it is the same Single Scheme in place across the Public Service. • There is provision for immediate retirement benefits if compulsorily retired on medical grounds, and for death in service benefits (dependents pensions and death lump sum). • Following retirement, increases to Single Scheme pension are linked to inflation. (a) Integration of retirement pension with the Social Insurance system: New entrants to the Public Service on or after 6 April 1995, including Commissioned Officers in the PDF, are insurable for full PRSI. For this reason, public service retirement (or spouse's / civil partner’s) pensions are subject to integration with the State Social Insurance system in accordance with standard Public Service arrangements. This means that a person’s entitlement to the range of Social Insurance benefits (including the Contributory State Pension) is taken into account when calculating the amount of retirement pension payable. In an integrated pension scheme, the Contributory State Pension (CSP) is regarded as part of the employee’s total pension package. Under standard Public Service arrangements, this integration of retirement pension with the Social Insurance system applies from the time the retirement (or spouse’s / civil partner’s) pension commences payment. This means the retirement pension is adjusted (reduced) from the start by a Social Insurance State Pension offset5, regardless of whether the person has reached Contributory State Pension age. Integration applies to retirement pension and also to employee contributions, but not to retirement lump sum. A Contributory State Pension becomes payable upon reaching the qualifying age. The Public Service (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 (the 2012 Act), does not provide for the payment of a ‘supplementary retirement pension’ in the period between Defence Force mandatory retirement age and State Pension qualifying age.