Waterford City & County Council is currently inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for the above competition. Waterford City & County Council will, following the interview process, form a panel for the post of Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer from which future relevant vacancies may be filled subject to sanction approval from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. This panel will exist for one year and may be extended for a further period of one year at the discretion of the Chief Executive. The purpose of this recruitment campaign is to form a panel for Waterford City & County Council from which permanent posts may be filled as Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer as vacancies arise and where applicable acting-up vacancies may be filled.
Waterford City & County Council is committed to a policy of open and fair recruitment, in line with good practice, recruitment & selection standards, employment legislation and relevant circulars from the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage. This Candidate Information Booklet is intended to provide information on Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer and the selection process and candidates are advised to familiarise themselves with the detailed information in advance of submitting their application(s). Candidates should satisfy themselves that they are eligible under the Qualifications to apply for either or both of the posts. Where a candidate provides false or misleading information or has deliberately omitted relevant information on their application form this may result in their disqualification from the competition. PLEASE NOTE:
FAILURE TO UPLOAD ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS I.E. QUALIFICATIONS, I.D. ETC., AT SUBMISSION STAGE WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN AN INVALID APPLICATION.
APPLICANTS SHOULD SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT THEIR EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS POSITION.
APPLICANTS WITH NON-IRISH QUALIFICATIONS CAN AVAIL OF THE ON-LINE RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS SERVICE PROVIDED BY QUALITY AND QUALIFICATIONS IRELAND (QQI) AND MUST SUBMIT PROOF OF SAME WITH THEIR APPLICATIONS.
FAILURE TO FULLY COMPLETE EACH QUESTION ON THE APPLICATION FORM MAY DEEM YOUR APPLICATION INVALID (ANSWERS WHICH REDIRECT TO OTHER RESPONSES ARE NOT PERMITTED).
Background
The Health and Wellbeing Division within the Department of Health has been instrumental in the developmentoftheHealthyIrelandProgrammeswithinLocalGovernment.TheSláintecareHealthy CommunitiesProgrammeandHealthyCitiesandCountiesProgrammeencouragelocalauthoritiesto leadonhealth andwellbeingwithintheir communitiestobringaboutimprovedhealthandcommunity wellbeingoutcomes.Thishappensacrossthewholerangeoflocalgovernmentactivitiesandservices to help address what’s called the wider determinants of health and wellbeing – what many people term the causes of the causes of what make people unhealthy. This growing focus and responsibility being given to Local Authorities for community well-being, encourages local government to join- up its effort at the local level leading to improved health and wellbeing outcomes. The pathway to wellbeing begins well before healthcare ever becomes necessary and public health responsibility extends far beyond the health and social care systems – it also includes many aspects of society spanning the government, community and voluntary sector, private business and most importantly, local communities. In this regard, local government wields significant influence in enabling wellbeing improvements with responsibility for what’s termed the determinants of health and wellbeing (see diagram) – these are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that influence their health and wellbeing outcomes. The Healthy Ireland Programmes play an important role in helping to understand the complex interplay of factors that are crucial in improving overall wellbeing outcomes in communities and encouraging local government to avail of the opportunities to address the public health challenges of today.
The Position:
The Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer position is assigned functional responsibility for the management of their respective Healthy Ireland Programme areas. The Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer is the primary point of contact and liaison with other sections in relation to all operational matters for the Healthy Ireland Programme for which they are responsible and other assigned duties/functions, depending on the organisational arrangements in place. The post holder will work under the direction and control of the Senior Executive Officer or analogous grade or other officer designated by the Chief Executive or Director of Services as appropriate. The Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer is responsible for management of the day-to-day operations of the relevant programme and is a contributor to the strategic and policy making decisions of the local authority. He/she will be expected to contribute to the development and implementation of policies and strategies and to work closely with the elected councillors, Oireachtas members and senior managers in delivering services to the highest standard. The post holder may represent the Local Authority on committees and at meetings, including for example Municipal District meetings, Strategic Policy Committee meetings and may be asked to report on progress in his/her respective section or department. The post holder will be expected to support the operations of the elected Council, the Strategic Policy Committees, Municipal Districts and other Council Structures. The job descriptions below outline the requirements for the two Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer positions that operate within a multi-level governance environment—from municipal district and community level to national and EU levels. This is not a conventional Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Development Officer position. The postholder will be responsible for coordinating, influencing, and aligning activity across political, managerial, sectoral, and community domains, working at local, municipal district, plenary, regional, national and European levels. The positions require professionals with the ability to coordinate, influence, and lead cross-sectoral and community initiatives that address health inequalities, promote prevention, and build resilient, inclusive place within their designated Local Authority. This role will support the delivery of the emerging outcomes framework for Healthy Ireland in 2026, and the WHO European Healthy Cities Network (Phase VIII) objectives at local and regional levels. The roles prioritise actions to improve the wider determinants of health through local government’s statutory and developmental responsibilities, with a strong emphasis on empowering communities, research and innovation, intersectoral collaboration, data management and evidence-informed decision-making.
role & duties:
The Sláintecare Local Development Officer will perform such duties as may be assigned from time to time which will involve the facilitation, implementation and promotion of the policies and objectives of Waterford City & County Council for the advancement of the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme. The Sláintecare Local Development Officer will report under the general direction of a Director of Service or any other officer as designated by the Chief Executive. Duties include inter alia: Work intensively with identified disadvantaged areas and marginalised groups to co-design health and wellbeing interventions that reflect local priorities.
Apply principles of empowerment, participation, social justice, and equality in all aspects of planning and delivery.
Work with relevant local Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme services (e.g., HSE, family support, education providers) to ensure integrated and improved delivery of health and wellbeing initiatives promotion and support programmes.
Use and gather relevant local datasets to target communities experiencing the greatest health inequities and build evidence case for resource allocation or intervention.
Develop a 5 year Sláintecare Healthy Communities Work Programme based on local need and priorities- established from innovative and participatory community engagement and needs assessment exercises with Annual Action Plans comprising of seed funding to action local priorities.
Map, align and leverage local authority activities that influence the wider determinants of health and include within relevant Healthy Ireland data gathering exercises.
Advise elected members and senior executives on relevant policies and programmes related to health, equality, and wellbeing.
Facilitate Community Health and Wellbeing Networks and support the development of local wellbeing forums, and wellbeing leadership initiatives within communities.
Work confidently and sensitively with elected representatives, senior executives, and cross-sectoral leaders to address health and wellbeing inequalities.
Act as a catalyst and connector across directorates and sections (e.g planning, transport, housing, environment, community) to align activity with health and wellbeing objectives.
Champion whole-system, place-based, preventative approaches to health and wellbeing, working across local authority directorates and with external partners to create enabling environments that foster wellbeing for all.
Explore resource mechanisms across all Government Departments and at EU level to address local community priorities.
Leverage research, data, innovation, and WHO/EU collaboration to encourage local government leadership in improving health and wellbeing outcomes.
Develop or contribute to funding bids in conjunction with communities to resource local priority initiatives.
Capacity to influence, align, and coordinate across internal directorates and external stakeholders and demonstrate partnership management and stakeholder engagement skills e.g co-ordination of Sláintecare Healthy Communities Local Implementation Team.
Use local data, research, and evidence to shape decisions and measure outcomes and .
Represent the Local Authority in regional and national networks and international platforms such as the WHO European Healthy Cities Network.
Drive whole-of-local-government, whole-of-community and whole-of-place approaches to wellbeing, focusing on the social, economic, environmental and cultural determinants of health.
In addition, appointees will be required to:
assist in the provision of prudent financial management, budgeting, and resource allocation
comply with Health and Safety legislation at all times
ensure an efficient and effective response to all stakeholders
prepare reports as required
attend training as required
participate in corporate activities and responsibilities appropriate to their grade
undertake any other duties of a similar level and responsibility as may be required, or assigned, from time to time
deputise for other employees of a higher grade as required
Qualifications
Character:
Candidates must have on the latest date of receipt of completed applications:
be of good character with a friendly, open and outgoing disposition is essential
have the ability to stay focused and resilient under pressure
the capacity to interact effectively with local elected members and people from a broad range of sectors including local development/community organisations
have the enthusiasm for meeting and working with a variety of people and groups on an on- going basis
Health:
Candidatesshallbeinastateofhealthsuchaswouldindicateareasonableprospectofability to render regular and efficient service.
For the purpose of satisfying the requirements as to health it will be necessary for successful candidates, before they are appointed, to undergo at their expense a medical examination by a qualified medical practitioner to be nominated by the local authority. On taking up appointment the expense of the medical examination will be refunded to candidates
Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, be:
A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or
A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or
A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or
A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA or UK or Swiss citizen and has a stamp 4 visa; or
A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a stamp 4 visa or
A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA member state or the UK or Switzerland and has a stamp 4 visa
Education/ experience, etc.:
Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:
hold a third-level degree (NFQ Level 8 or higher) in a relevant field such as community/sports development, youth work, social sciences, public health, social policy, public administration, planning, or related discipline.
have a minimum of 2 years’ relevant experience in any of the following:
Local government, public sector, or similar roles involving strategic planning, project coordination, or community engagement.
Work with disadvantaged communities or target populations to address social exclusion or inequality.
Cross-sectoral coordination or partnership development.
Policy development, research, or evaluation related to the determinants of health.
Operating effectively within political, community and policy-making environments, demonstrating ability to work across boundaries of role, sector and geography.
Project management and delivery, budgeting and performance-monitoring experience.
Age
Each candidate must be under 65 years of age on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms for the office.
knowledge, skills and attitude etc.:
Knowledge and understanding of Sláintecare Reform, Healthy Ireland Outcomes Framework.
Experience of building, managing and nurturing partnerships and relationships across a wide range of key stakeholders
An understanding and/or experience of local government structures and political environment
Facilitation and group-work skills.
Understanding of those who experience health inequalities.
Experience of report writing, strategic planning and funding application processes
Effective communication skills.
Excellent IT & administration skills, including MS Word, Excel & Power Point
Experience in managing budgets and finances and experience with processing payments
Experience in gathering qualitative and quantitative data, analysis, research and evaluation to policy and practice.
Use of social media and varied communication platforms, including media interviews
Understanding of multi-level governance and/or experience of working across local, regional, national and European contexts.
Please supply copies of any certificates, diplomas or degrees you may have with the application form. *Non-Irish Qualifications must be accompanied by a determination from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to establish their comparability against the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, overseas qualifications must also be accompanied by a translation document.