Job Title: Chief Executive
Employer: Longford County Council
County: Longford
Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 7th May 2026
Starting Salary: €167,281
About the Employer
Longford County Council is the Authority responsible for Local Government in County Longford. The corporate headquarters are located at Aras An Chontae, Great Water Street, Longford. There are 3 municipal districts, Longford, Granard and Ballymahon. Longford has 18 elected members and approximately 410 employees.
Longford County Council is responsible for delivering a wide range of services in the local area with a focus on making Longford a prosperous county that seeks to support a vibrant economy, rural quality of life, active and safe communities, diversity, culture and heritage, healthy and sustainable natural environment along with a sense of community pride and place.
Service areas include Planning, Community Development, Enterprise and Economic Development, Amenities, Sports, Recreation and Leisure, Roads, Transportation and Safety, Environment and Climate Action, Emergency Services, Building Control and Civil Defence, Housing, Library, Arts, Culture, Heritage and Archives Services, Tourism Development and Promotion, Regeneration, Active Travel and Town Centre First, Finance, Control and Compliance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Corporate Services, Local Representations and Civic Leadership.
About the Role
The Chief Executive has the lead role in developing and overseeing the organisational structures and resources needed to deliver an extensive range of services to the public. Paramount among the Chief Executive’s duties is to maximise the social, economic, cultural and physical development of County Longford to the benefit of communities and citizens throughout the county.
The Chief Executive has responsibility for the day-to-day management of the authority, including staffing matters and the discharge of executive functions within the policy parameters as determined by the elected council. They also have a specific responsibility to advise the elected members in the determination of policy in accordance with national policy and in relation to the exercise of reserved functions while, in turn, implementing decisions.
The role of Chief Executive involves working with, co-operating with, and providing information to relevant Departments – for example the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform. The Chief Executive ensures that the Local Authority cooperates fully with the work of the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC), including the provision of information requested by, or on behalf of, that body in carrying out its statutory role in relation to the local government sector.
About You
Identify and create a shared long-term vision for Longford that promotes the physical, social, cultural and economic environment in an integrated way;
Translate this vision into a strategy for the achievement of key organisational goals;
Communicate in a clear and convincing way, listening carefully to others and clarify information as required;
Drive and lead on the delivery of key priorities for the Council and local government sector, as a whole;
Network effectively with internal and external stakeholders, in particular, representatives of Government departments, colleagues in the City and County Management Association and other bodies;
Work effectively with others, in particular with the staff and members in the Council, in a way that optimises their contribution to the achievement of organisational goals and objectives;
Demonstrate an ability to work effectively with elected public representatives in a manner that facilitates the implementation of policy across a wide range of areas and the cooperation and consensus of a broad range of representative groups and bodies;
Critically analyse the deployment of resources (including financial resources), adjust priorities in order to gain maximum benefit and develop services in a balanced way throughout the entire county;
Continually strive to improve services and performance and adjust to a changing and fast-moving environment;
Evaluate risks and make difficult decisions in an open and fair way;
Bring a fresh approach to many issues and encourage innovation in others;
Keep abreast of national and international trends and events that may impact on the Council and the county;
Manage and motivate a multidisciplinary team;
Have a career record that demonstrates the necessary vision, leadership, innovation, interpersonal skills and experience and a successful record of management at a senior level;
Have a developmental view of local government which encourages involvement, optimises local democracy and the use of existing powers and functions;
Have a good awareness of the current political environment and a satisfactory knowledge of public administration in Ireland.
The Closing Date for this competition is Thursday, 7th of May at 3pm.
We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.
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