I see that this Thursday is the deadline for applications to the position of secretary general of the Department of Rural and Community Development – the new organisation An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar formed to give Mayo front-bencher Michael Ring a seat at the cabinet table when forming his Government in June.

The secretary general will essentially be tasked with building the department from the ground up. “This will require the successful candidate to secure the necessary financial and human resources,” the job offer states, with promised resources of €228m and 180 staff – though “final details have yet to be determined”.

The new department will manage chunks of policy and funding including the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and the EU’s LEADER scheme. The pay rate for its secretary general will be in the €170,000 to €180,000 range.

The successful candidate will have a “proven ability to manage, motivate and lead diverse teams, operating in dispersed geographical locations,” with Department offices to be split between Dublin and the minister’s constituency in Ballina.

The advert doesn’t specify whether candidates who are not from Co Mayo need apply.