The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) is Ireland’s national human rights and equality institution. It was established in November 2014 under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 with a statutory mandate to:
Protect and promote human rights and equality.
Encourage the development of a culture of respect for human rights, equality, and intercultural understanding in the State.
Promote understanding and awareness of the importance of human rights and equality in the State.
Encourage good practice in intercultural relations, promote tolerance and acceptance of diversity in the State and respect for the freedom and dignity of each person, and,
Work towards the elimination of human rights abuses, discrimination and prohibited conduct.
IHREC is seeking a suitably qualified and committed individual to take up the role of Higher Executive Officer (HEO) who will work as a Legal Officer under the direction of an Assistant Principal.
The candidate working in the Legal Team will be responsible for the management of a caseload arising, including casework relating to private clients in receipt of legal assistance under section 40 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (the ‘IHREC Act’). In addition, the candidate will have a litigation and enforcement brief on behalf of the Commission, which can include, for example, amicus curiae, equality reviews and action plans, and advisory work etc.
The candidate will support the provision of general information on human rights and equality law and will be part of a multi-disciplinary team assigned to this work and may have administrative support staff reporting to him/her.
HEOs working as Legal Officers may be assigned to other teams as appropriate.
Key Responsibilities:
Assessment of applications to the Commission for legal assistance;
Provision of information on equality and human rights enactments to individuals, as required;
Support to the senior solicitors in the Commission;
Efficient and timely running of a litigation case load on behalf of the Commission, as assigned, including amicus curiae;
Legally representing clients, who are in receipt of legal assistance pursuant to section 40 of the IHREC Act, before the Workplace Relations Commission (‘WRC’), Labour, District, Circuit Court and Superior Courts, as required;
Briefing Counsel as appropriate;
Assisting in policy paper preparation, including analysis and observations on the legislative proposals of Government, as required;
Undertaking work relating to the Commission’s compliance and enforcement functions - including Equality Reviews and Action Plans, the Public Sector Duty, Inquiries - as well as through representing the Commission in the WRC/Labour Court and the courts, as required;
Management of the work of junior staff, to include training and supervision of delivery by junior colleagues of their work:
Provision of legal training to staff across other teams;
Development (with other team members) of appropriate responses by the Commission in relation to the vindication of equality and human rights;
Making presentations concerning the work at appropriate public fora;
Efficient office management and record keeping; and
Effective team working with teams across the organization.
The areas outlined in this job role should not be regarded as comprehensive in scope and may be added to or altered as required, in line with the requirements of the Commission.
Application and further information
For further information and to apply for this role click here or see attachments below:
Applications should be submitted via email and must include:
A completed Application Form outlining why you wish to be considered for the post and how your skills and experience meet the requirements for the position
Only applications fully submitted will be accepted into the campaign.
To apply for this role candidates must submit the relevant, signed and completed application form to ihrec@osborne.ie
Deadline for application: Please note latest receipt for applications is Thursday 1st February 2024 at 1pm.Incomplete applications, postal applications or CVs will not be accepted. Any applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered.
An acknowledgement email will be issued for all applications received. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your application within two working days of submission, please contact Osborne Recruitment at ihrec@osborne.ie to ensure your application has been received.