Macra na Feirme: Senior Policy Officer

Macra na Feirme
www.macra.ie

Job Title: Senior Policy Officer

Locations: Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12 (hybrid model of working)

Contract Type: Permanent subject to the successful completion of a 6 months’ probation period

Reporting To: Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Hours: 37.5 Hours per week,

About Macra na Feirme

Macra na Feirme is a vibrant, independent, non-profit, national voluntary organisation for rural young people and young farmers between the ages of 17 and 35 engaged in youth development and training. The organisation consists of a nationwide network of clubs which support a range of activities in agriculture, sport, travel, public speaking and performing arts.

Macra na Feirme is committed to the personal development of members and puts emphasis on social interaction and participation.
Macra na Feirme employs 25 staff and involves hundreds of volunteers on a weekly and monthly basis in the delivery of services to members through almost 140 clubs across the country.
Macra na Feirme is a registered charity and is supported by a combination of statutory, agricultural industry and corporate funding. Macra na Feirme is an equal opportunity employer.

About the Role

We are recruiting for a Senior Policy Officer to develop and deliver of policy that best represent our 11,000 members. The policy that will be developed will not be restricted to agricultural policy, we will also be developing social policy as it pertains to rural youth in Ireland.
The successful candidate for this role will be required to support our volunteers who have been to the forefront of policy development over the last few years. This role will, in addition to developing policy require a degree of advocacy and the ability to interact with disparate groups in the representation of our members and their needs.
This role will require attendance out of normal business hours as well as an ability to travel outside of normal business hours.

Job Description and Person Specification

The successful candidate will be required:

Job Description

• Ongoing needs analysis for both rural Ireland and the agricultural industry to best position Macra na Feirme as a thought leader in our area.
• Maintain and develop strong ties with outside bodies both representative and state bodies that represent the needs of our rural population
• Develop links with academic institutions to encourage the joint development of policy
• Work closely with the standing committees of Macra na Feirme and in particular the president of Macra na Feirme
• Develop policies that best reflect the reality of living in rural Ireland

Person Specification

The ideal candidate will:

• Be an excellent and confident communicator
• Be highly motivated self-starter with at least ten years policy experience, with at least three of these at a senior level.
• Be in possession of a considerable body of policy that they were responsible for developing
• Have experience of academic partnership
• Be able to demonstrate a deep understanding of the issues that face both rural youth and young farmers
• Have excellent leadership, time management and communication skills
• Understand and exude the value of teamwork, with the ability to work well on one’s one initiative as part of a small dynamic team
• Highly creative and innovative

Essential Qualifications

• Extensive Knowledge and experience in the Agriculture Sector
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in an Agri related discipline, ideally a Masters degree in an Agri related discipline.
• A passion for farming and rural life
• Knowledge of the range of roles and skills required within the Agricultural industry.
• An understanding of the various stakeholders within the Agricultural sector.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• An excellent team worker with a strong sense of autonomy and the ability to work on own initiative.
• A forward thinker, ideas generator and solution driven.
• A demonstrated commitment to equality and diversity issues.
• The capability to interface confidently with the all stakeholders is a key element of the role.
• An ability to prioritise tasks and projects and learn in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to handle confidential matters with utmost integrity
• Excellent people management and relationship management skills
• Experience of working with senior management and at board level
• Experience of working with senior management of state bodies
• Full clean driving license

Terms and Conditions of Employment

Location: Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12 (hybrid model of working).

Salary: Subject to experience.

Contract: Permanent subject to the successful completion of six months probation

Annual Leave: 25 working days exclusive of public holidays (pro-rata).

Travel & Subsistence: Travel & subsistence will be paid at public sector rates.

Training & Development: Macra na Feirme provides regular opportunities for training, development and upskilling

Employee Assistance: Macra na Feirme operate an Employee Assistance Programme for all employees.

The Selection Process

How to Apply

Applications must be made sending a comprehensive CV and cover-letter by email to mcurran@macra.ie on or before 19 Aug 2022

Selection Process

The Selection Process may include:

• shortlisting of candidates, on the basis of the information contained in their application which demonstrates whether they meet the requirements for the role;
• video interview;
• competitive interview(s) which will be informed by requirements of the role.