Deputy Secretary General Civil Justice & Operations

About the Employer

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has overall responsibility for public policy at a national level in respect of criminal justice, public safety, national security, civil and family law, immigration issues including international protection processing and accommodation, cyber security and data protection policy. Its vision is a safe, fair, inclusive Ireland, achieved through the organisation’s values which are to operate in an open, collaborative and professional manner.

The Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 sets out six strategic goals:

• Protecting our security
• Safe communities
• An effective and accessible justice system
• A fair and firm immigration system
• Increasing our influence in Europe
• People, systems and technology to deliver excellence

About the Role

This newly created Deputy Secretary post will report to the Secretary General and operate as a key member of the Management Board, contributing to the overall mission and strategic direction of the Department.

It is a high-level strategic role which will have 6 direct reports at Assistant Secretary level and 1 direct report at Director level with lead responsibility for the following functional areas:

• Civil Governance: The Governance function provides oversight for the civil justice agencies under the aegis of the Department. Working collaboratively, the function ensures that agencies have a clear strategy, meet agreed standards of performance, transparency and governance, and manage their resources appropriately. The function also provides support to Coroners nationally as well as operational support to the Dublin District Coroner.
• Civil Legislation & Policy: This includes responsibility for access to justice, family courts, civil justice reform including judicial review (impacting on infrastructure etc), implementation of the recommendations arising from the Kelly report and reform of the regulation of legal services.
• European Affairs: European Affairs coordinates and monitors the Department's European and international business. It is leading planning for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and supports the Minister and the Department in discharging the EU and Council of Europe responsibilities and in communicating and representing Ireland's interests internationally.
• Change, Technology & Innovation: This function supports the Department’s strategic objectives through implementation of the digital strategy. The Change, Technology & Innovation team is responsible for the development, support and maintenance of the Department’s applications, frameworks and software components and for the provision and maintenance of the Department’s IT infrastructure and delivery of operational IT services across the Department. It includes a PMO and service design function and is responsible for providing innovative digital services which ensure the Department can operate effectively and efficiently.
• Corporate: The Corporate function drives and manages organisation-wide activities to enable the Department to achieve its strategic goals and deliver effective, responsive department processes and services. The key responsibilities are Facilities Management, Human Resources, Legal Unit, Health & Safety and Organisation Design & Development.
• Finance and Operations: The Finance and Operations function has responsibility for negotiating the budget and financial matters including the coordination of financial management for the Department and the seven votes in the wider Justice sector, as well as procurement and internal audit. It also manages the financial shared services for a range of client organisations including payment processing.
• Transparency: The Transparency function is responsible for sourcing, assessing and communicating all information required by the Minister, as well as ensuring consistent standards of internal and external communications. The function integrates information, analysis and communications from across the Department and the sector to support Ministers, drafting content for all forms of internal and external communications, and managing compliance with legislation relating to archives, data protection and freedom of information.

About You

The successful candidate will have:

• A proven record of accomplishment as a leader and senior manager, leading teams in a large or complex organisation;
• An understanding, or the ability to acquire an understanding, of the Department’s wide range of responsibilities at national and international level;
• The capacity to lead on all aspects of work at Deputy Secretary level and to deputise, as needed, for the Secretary General;
• A strong track record in leadership and delivery of change, including of culture, in a complex organisation within a constantly changing and frequently pressured environment;
• A proven capacity to provide sound advice to Ministers, steering a strategic direction, and understanding how the responsibilities under his/her remit impact the wider public policy and political context;
• A career history which demonstrates the ability to exercise sound judgement on complex inter-linked issues across a range of public policy areas, and a measured approach to the benefits and implications of different approaches;
• A track record in developing and presenting major policy options, securing political agreement to them and taking them forward;
• The ability to deal effectively at the highest level with a range of state and international bodies and with relevant interest groups and organisations;
• The capacity to provide thought leadership across the organisation and sector and contribute effectively to the overall strategic management of the Department through the Management Board;
• Excellent communication skills and a proven track record in effective interpersonal skills, managing relationships, winning people over in a change environment, providing developmental leadership and managing for results.

Key skills/competency

• Strategic Leadership
• Public Policy
• Civil Justice
• Operations Management
• Governance Oversight
• European Affairs
• Digital Transformation
• Financial Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Change Management