Director of Services

Offaly County Council; Tullamore; On-site; EUR 115,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

Offaly County Council in Offaly, Ireland, invites applications for Director of Services. The role sits on the senior management team, reporting to the Chief Executive, and leads large multidisciplinary teams across functional areas to deliver services cost-effectively.

Salary scales range from €115,332 to €136,300 with a 30-day annual leave entitlement and a 35-hour week. Closing date: 3pm, Thursday 24 September 2026.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and delivery of long-term vision for the county.
• Lead and manage a team to deliver functional areas and programmes.
• Develop policy and strategic plans in line with national priorities.
• Implement the corporate plan and deliver programmes in a resource-efficient manner.
• Develop staff to ensure optimum service delivery and full utilisation of PMDS.

Job description

Director of Services – Offaly County Council

Location: Offaly

Salary: €115,332 - €120,573 - €125,815 - €131,055 - €136,300

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-Time

Closing date: 3pm, Thursday 24 September 2026

About the Organisation

County Offaly is located in the centre of Ireland in the province of Leinster and is one of twelve local authorities comprising the Eastern and Midlands Region. County Offaly has a population of 83,150 (2022 Census), with approximately 60% of the population residing in rural areas. The principal towns are Tullamore (the county town), Edenderry, Birr and Clara. Offaly shares a border with seven other counties and has a total land mass of approximately 200,000 hectares. The county is traversed by the Grand Canal and is bordered by the River Shannon to the West and Slieve Bloom mountains to the South, both of which play a key role in the economic and tourism development of the county.

Offaly County Council consists of 19 members elected every five years, the most recent local elections having taken place in 2024. The county is divided into the three Municipal Districts of Tullamore, Birr and Edenderry, with the local authority administrative headquarters located in Tullamore. At a strategic level, the Council operates through its Corporate Policy Group, comprising the Cathaoirleach of the Council and the Chairs of the local authority’s four Strategic Policy Committees, as well as a Municipal District representative. The Chief Executive and the Management Team play a key role in supporting and advising this policy group.

An opportunity now exists in Offaly County Council for the position of Director of Services.

Job Summary / Description

Directors of Service are members of the senior management team of Local Authorities and report directly to the Chief Executive. Each Director of Service is typically responsible for a number of functional areas and may also be responsible for a Municipal District within a County. Directors of Service support the Chief Executive in advancing the physical, economic, social and cultural life of a County, and in developing and overseeing the organisational structures and resources needed to deliver an extensive range of services to the public in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Directors of Service generally manage large multidisciplinary teams and budgets, both capital and operational. They are required to manage and lead their functional areas in a strategic manner and implement substantial change programmes; for example, the ongoing programme of Local Government Reform. Innovation and continuous improvement are significant priorities.

Main Duties of the Job

• Contribute, as a member of the Executive team, to the development and delivery of long-term vision that promotes the physical, social, cultural and economic environment in an integrated way.
• Lead and manage a team to deliver on the functional areas and programmes within their remit, ensuring a strong focus on delivering results.
• Work with the Council, Municipal Districts and all committees in developing policy and strategic plans for their areas of responsibility that are in line with overall national priorities and aim to deliver services in the most efficient manner possible, to meet the specific needs of the local community.
• Implement the corporate plan and deliver national and local programmes in a resource-efficient manner.
• Develop and support staff to ensure optimum service delivery, including full utilisation of the PMDS system.

A full list of main duties is available in the Candidate Information Booklet.

Benefits

Salary Scale effective from 1 June 2026: €115,332 - €120,573 - €125,815 - €131,055 - €136,300

Hours of attendance will be fixed from time to time but will amount to not less than 35 hours gross per week.

The annual leave allowance for the position of Director of Services is 30 days.

Selection Process

A ranking and/or shortlisting exercise may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application form. The criteria for ranking and/or shortlisting are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and/or knowledge section of the job specification. Therefore, it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements. Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.

Local authorities are committed equal opportunities employers.

Application

For full details of the role, including the eligibility requirements, please refer to the Candidate Information Booklet.

Closing date: 3pm, Thursday 24 September 2026 Vacancy ID: 7198 Department/Authority: Offaly County Council Type of role: Local Authority