Today (Thursday, June 27) is the final day by which applications can be submitted online to Public Jobs for the role of chief veterinary officer at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The chief veterinary officer will report to the department’s secretary general, and the role is described as a pivotal and influential position, having a leading role shaping national policy and services.
The chief veterinary officer is in charge of several policy and operational areas that are required to fulfil certain priorities and commitments under the department’s statement of strategy for 2023 to 2026.
The officer is also seen as a leader in the department’s food safety and animal/plant health function.
Applicants are asked to hold suitable qualifications in veterinary medicine registerable with the Veterinary Council.
They should also have the following:
- Veterinary expertise, experience and authority to perform the functions of the post;
- Knowledge and expertise to provide evidence-based veterinary advice across a broad range of areas;
- A focus on results, with a track record of previous achievement in veterinary-related areas in a challenging environment;
- Experience, at a senior level, in the strategic and operational management of a large complex organisation;
- A deep understanding of the agriculture sector.
This position falls under the remit of the Top Level Appointments Committee, the role of which is to recommend candidates to ministers and the government for the most senior positions in the civil service at assistant secretary level and upwards.
The deadline closes at 3:00p.m today.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has just over 4,000 staff, and operates from six large regional locations across the country with presence also in a further sixteen regional operational offices and a large number of other locations countrywide.
DAFM
In other news related to the department, there were 75 complaints made to the Ombudsman in 2023 about that government department.
That’s according to the Ombudsman Annual Report 2023, which has been published earlier this month.
There was a total of 1,175 complaints received about government departments and offices in 2023, with the Department of Social Protection the focus of the majority of complaints.
Regarding the complaints about DAFM and the other departments and offices, the Ombudsman report stated: “Overall, of the complaints received in this sector which we were able to investigate, we upheld or partly upheld 23% and provided some form of assistance in a further 24% of cases.”
53% of cases were not upheld.