Decision Drafters (Assistant Principal Officer Grade)

Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman

Dublin

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) are seeking to hire for Decision Drafters - Assistant Principal Officer Grade.

About the FSPO

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) was established to resolve complaints from consumers, including small businesses and other organisations, against financial service providers or pension providers.

The FSPO provides an independent, fair, impartial, confidential and free service to resolve complaints through either informal mediation or formal investigation and adjudication. When a consumer is unable to resolve a complaint or dispute with a financial service provider or pension provider, they can refer their complaint to the FSPO.

The FSPO is an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from across the spectrum of society to join our open, supportive organisation and reflect the diversity of our service users.

About this competition

The FSPO is seeking to recruit suitable candidates to be placed on a panel for the role of Decision Drafter at Assistant Principal Officer Grade.

The FSPO expects to establish a panel from this campaign. Successful candidates will be placed on a panel from which appointments may be made. There are currently a number of positions available. Vacancies will be offered to candidates placed on the panel based on the Order of Merit from interview and written assessment and/or other test of capability to fulfil the requirements of the role. Once an offer of appointment has been accepted or rejected by a candidate, a candidate will be removed from the panel and no further offers of appointment will be made to that candidate. Any panel formed as part of this campaign which is not exhausted through appointment of candidates to current or future vacancies will expire 1 year from the date of creation of the panel.

Successful candidates, in accordance with the Order of Merit, may be offered alternative roles at the grade of Assistant Principal Officer in other areas of the FSPO, should the FSPO identify vacancies suitable to the requirements for this competition while the panel is in place. If a candidate rejects an offer of an alternative role within the FSPO, that candidate will remain on the panel for the role of Decision Drafter.

About the Decision Drafter (AP) Role

In general, an Assistant Principal can expect to be involved in the analysis of complex issues, communicating and engaging with stakeholders, the management and delivery of the FSPO’s service, provision of guidance, managing, leading and motivating teams of people, managing stakeholders and delivering programmes. The Assistant Principal is a senior managerial grade in the FSPO and is a critical post in terms of delivery of the organisation’s strategic plan and ensuring quality service delivery to the public. This person will be required to provide strong leadership to support the ongoing quality of the service, including meeting challenging key performance indicators.

Specific to the role of Decision Drafter, they may be involved in any of the parts of the formal investigation process, including the following;

Drafting of Summaries of Complaint: The Summary of Complaint articulates the specific conduct complained of to the FSPO, to which the respondent Provider must answer. This incorporates a comprehensive and appropriate “Schedule of Questions” and “Schedule of Evidence Required” suitable to gathering of necessary detail and evidence, for the effective progression of the investigation of the individual complaint

Drafting of Preliminary Decisions, suitable to the quasi-judicial function of the FSPO: The Preliminary Decision takes into account, inter alia, the nature of the conduct complained of, the respective parties’ contractual positions, the evidence, and includes comment as to the legal and regulatory responsibilities of the parties. The analysis within the draft Preliminary Decision also comes to a preliminary conclusion on the grounds as set out in the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017 and proposes suitable redress, if appropriate to the outcome. This draft Preliminary Decision will then be reviewed by the Ombudsman, Deputy Ombudsman or a delegate. The Decision Drafter will liaise with the proposed signatory in relation to the draft Preliminary Decision until it is ready for issue.

Drafting of Legally Binding Decisions: Once a Preliminary Decision is drafted, reviewed by the Ombudsman, Deputy Ombudsman or a delegate and issued, if the parties to the complaint make further submissions after the Preliminary Decision issues, these will be managed by the Decision Drafter. The Decision Drafter will take these further submissions into account when drafting a Legally Binding Decision. This draft Legally Binding Decision will then be reviewed by the Ombudsman, Deputy Ombudsman or a delegate. The Decision Drafter will liaise with the proposed signatory in relation to the draft Legally Binding Decision until it is ready for issue.

The Decision Drafter will work closely with the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, Deputy/ies Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, the Director of Investigation Services, the Head of Legal Services and any party to whom the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman delegates decision making. They will also liaise and interact with senior management in respect of their areas of responsibility.

Specific key responsibilities will include:

To investigate complaints and draft fair and balanced decisions contributing to the development of robust decisions;
To work with the Ombudsman, Deputies, and/or delegates in relation to the draft decisions and/or documents prepared and to have in depth discussions about those decisions;
To engage with the parties to the complaint, as required;
To manage the assigned complaint caseload effectively within the stipulated timeframes;
Researching and keeping abreast of relevant legislation, regulation and case law to ensure draft decisions have regard to the statutory and regulatory background within which the conduct complained of occurred;
To deal efficiently with administrative duties as required;
Contribute to the development and achievement of the strategic goals of the FSPO generally, and divisional objectives in particular, by participating in cross-divisional projects as required and progressing potential strategic projects.
Any other duties as assigned by the Ombudsman from time to time.

The responsibilities outlined in this job description should not be regarded as comprehensive in scope and may be added to or altered as required, in line with the requirements of the FSPO. The duties appropriate to the post will be determined by the Ombudsman and may cover a range of activities allowing for maximum flexibility according to the needs of the organisation appropriate to the grade of Assistant Principal Officer.

Experience, Qualifications & Personal Qualities Required

Personal Qualities

In order to be effective in the role of Decision Drafter (Assistant Principal) in the FSPO, the successful candidate should have:

The ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines;
Analytical skills, attention to detail, thorough judgement, and problem-solving skills;
The ability to take a strategic approach in the delivery of key objectives, to foster a positive working relationship with colleagues and to lead and work on teams;
The confidence to liaise with senior personnel, legal and other professionals and to provide collaborative leadership and guidance to more junior staff;
A commitment to the delivery of quality public service; and
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Essential Requirements:

Candidates, on or before 14 January 2025, must meet either 1 or 2 AND must meet i, ii and iii:

1. Have been called to the Bar and be enrolled as a Barrister in the State or have been admitted and be enrolled as a Solicitor in the State; AND
2. Have practised as a Barrister or Solicitor in the State for not less than three years.

1. Hold a qualification at Level 8 or higher on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) OR an equivalent professional qualification; AND
2. a minimum of 5 years demonstratable professional experience relevant to the role.

AND

Candidates must also have the necessary experience with a record of achievement that demonstrates their capacity to deliver in this challenging role including:

Experience of analysing, evaluating and integrating a range of complex information such as contractual, legislative or regulatory provisions, in a rational and objective manner;
Experience demonstrating good judgement and sound decision-making;
Excellent writing skills and attention to detail as evidenced in their application form and/or written exercise;

In addition to the specific essential requirements set out above, candidates must be able to demonstrate that they possess the competencies identified for effective performance at Assistant Principal Officer level as set out in Appendix A.

Desirable Requirements

In addition to the above essential requirements, it would be a decided advantage for candidates to have some or all of the following:

Relevant experience in the financial services or pensions sectors;
Familiarity with financial services and pensions legislative or regulatory provisions and case law or a demonstrated ability to quickly develop this and a desire and ability to keep up to date with developments in these areas;
IT skills and knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook and MS Teams;
Demonstrable evidence of ongoing professional and personal development;
Experience of working within a judicial, quasi-judicial environment or similar, with experience of adherence to the principles of fair procedure and the ability to make evidence-based decisions;
Demonstrable knowledge and appreciation of the statutory, governance and policy framework within which the FSPO operates.

An invitation to tests, interview or any element of the selection process is not acceptance of eligibility. Eligibility may not be confirmed until the final stage of the process, therefore, candidates who do not possess the essential requirements, on the closing date of 14 January 2025, and who nevertheless proceed with their application, are putting themselves to unnecessary effort/expense and will not be offered a position from this campaign. Candidates who are unable to show that they hold the qualifications outlined in their application may be eliminated from the campaign at any stage.

Other Eligibility

Criteria Eligibility to compete and certain restrictions on eligibility:

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 has a stamp 4 visa; or
A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or a 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.

How to apply

All candidates should visit www.fspo.ie/careers, which provides the application form for this competition. Applications received in any format other than the corresponding application form will not be accepted. Therefore, candidates must ensure they use the correct application form. The FSPO expects candidates to complete this application form without the support or use of AI tools as it should reflect the specific relevant personal experience. Completed application forms should be submitted to fspocareers@cpl.ie with ‘Application for the position of Decision Drafter (AP)’ in the subject line

Closing Date

Applications must be submitted by email to fspocareers@cpl.ie to arrive by 12:00 on 14 January 2025. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date/time.