Technical agricultural officer roles with the Department of Agriculture have gone live on www.publicjobs.ie, meaning those interested in applying for these positions can now do so. In terms of what the job actually involves, it is quite varied. The successful candidates to these positions will carry out various functions related to services and schemes operated by the Department, in addition to operating controls relating to public health, animal welfare, animal health and EU schemes.

Position holders may be required to work in settings as varied as meat plants or may be based outdoors carrying out duties such as farm inspections under the various EU schemes.

Candidates interested in applying for these roles must fulfil certain criteria. They must, on or before 5 May, have obtained a minimum of a D grade in five subjects in the Leaving Cert which include maths and English, and hold an advanced certificate in agriculture or horticulture at level 6 on the NFQ, or hold a qualification in agriculture or horticulture at Level 7 or higher on the NFQ.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Department also says it is desirable (rather than essential) that candidates possess a current full clean driving licence (category B).

The personal pension contribution (PPC) salary scale for this position starts at €22,455, going up to a maximum of €44,169. Payments will be made fortnightly. The annual leave allowance is 22 days per year.

There is a huge amount of interest in these vacancies and no doubt competition for them will be intense, so don’t delay in getting your application in and ensuring they are of a high standard.

Successful applications will be placed on a panel in order of merit by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and assigned to fill vacancies deemed critical by the Department.

These jobs are located all over the country. On the application form, candidates can select their three preferred locations and while vacancies may not arise in the areas you’ve selected, where possible, successful candidates will be assigned by the Department to one of their chosen locations. Officers may also be required to transfer to other locations and work in these areas on a temporary basis. Before applying, candidates should log on to www.publicjobs.ie and register as a “new user” to create their profile (if they have not already done so). Once they have done that, they can then access the application form and submit it.

Applications must be submitted on the website no later than midnight on Thursday 5 May 2016.

The Department of Agriculture is also currently recruiting for Grade 3 forestry inspectors in the Forestry Inspectorate. The vacancies are located in Agriculture House on Kildare St in Dublin. The work will be a mix of office and outdoors, depending on the duties assigned.

The ideal candidate will hold a qualification at Level 8 on the NFQ for which forestry was taken as a major subject in the final examination and candidates should also have experience working in the forestry area and a full driving licence. This job is located in Dublin and applications for it must also be submitted on the public jobs website no later than midnight on 5 May.