Invitation for expressions of interest: Skillnet Ireland Board of Directors, Minister Nominee

Skillnet Ireland was established in 1999 and is an aegis body of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is funded from the National Training Fund. The primary aim of Skillnet Ireland is to increase participation in enterprise training by companies to upskill the workforce and provide greater access for workers to skills development.

Expressions of interest are now invited from members of the public who consider that they possess the judgement, skills, knowledge and experience to become a member of the Board of Directors for Skillnet Ireland, with a closing date of 20 October 2023.

Applicants will be considered on the grounds of suitable experience, gender balance and being able to represent the full range of relevant interests in their area.

Skillnet Ireland was established in 1999 and is an aegis body of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and is funded from the National Training Fund. Skillnet Ireland is an enterprise-led body dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of enterprise training and workplace and workforce learning.

Skillnet Ireland conforms to requirements set out in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

At entity level, Skillnet Ireland is a Company Limited by Guarantee under the Companies Act 2014. As per Section 26 of the Company’s Constitution, the Board of Directors comprises 13 members of which three directors are nominated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

The Board of Directors acts as stewards of Skillnet Ireland and has the authority and duty to manage the affairs and business of Skillnet Ireland and its subsidiary, Skillnets Services DAC. The Skillnet Ireland Board is responsible for a system of internal financial control and it exercises this responsibility with the assistance of the Audit and Risk (ARC) Committee, the Finance and General Purpose (FGP) Committee and the Evaluation and Performance Monitoring (EPM) Committee of the Board. In discharging its obligations, the Board’s principal duties include:

• to provide leadership in setting Skillnet Ireland’s long-range strategic direction, and to approve and monitor Skillnet Ireland’s overall strategic plan, operating goals, operating budget, performance indicators and the business plans established to achieve them
• to ensure that the Executive team consistently adheres to and implements policy and procedures as advised
• to identify the principal risks that need to be managed and achieve a proper balance between exposure to risks and potential returns and to oversee the implementation of appropriate systems to manage these risks
• to adopt policies and processes to enable effective communication with stakeholders, employees and the public
• to develop practices to ensure that the Board functions independently of the Skillnet Ireland Executive
• to undertake a rigorous and formal evaluation of the Board’s own performance and that of individual directors at least every 18 months

Candidates should ideally have extensive experience in HR or Corporate Governance with demonstrated in-depth knowledge or experience of at least two of the following:

• Ireland’s economy
• Ireland’s labour market
• Ireland’s enterprise base
• climate action
• regional development
• organisational development and scaling

It is desirable that the candidate may have:

• previous Board experience
• experience in the tertiary education sector in Ireland
• experience with the legislation and environment in which Skillnet Ireland operates and the obligations that apply to a public body
• information technology (including, for example, cyber security)
• legal expertise
• experience of EU-funded programmes

In addition to the above, all applicants for appointment should also possess:

• excellent communication skills
• proven ability to critically analyse information
• a strong sense of ethics and integrity
• the ability to bring independent and objective scrutiny to the oversight of an organisation such as Skillnets Ltd
• the ability to work effectively and cohesively as a member of a team
• high levels of resilience and judgement in responding to emerging issues

To be considered for the role of Ministerial nominee to the Skillnet Ireland Board of Directors, please submit by email a cover letter, a curriculum vitae and a completed EOI form, no later than 3pm on 20 October 2023, to FETboardvacancies@dfheris.gov.ie

Important points

Please take care when submitting your expression of interest as the Assessment Panel will make its recommendation(s) to the Minister based on consideration of the documentation which you submit. It is therefore most important that you ensure your cover letter and supporting CV clearly specifies how your particular background and experience meets the requirements of the position as specified in this booklet. This will help ensure that the Assessment Panel is as informed as possible as to the basis and suitability of your candidature.

You must also confirm that you do not have any conflicts of interest or legal impediment which would be likely to interfere with your ability to play a full part on the Board of Directors of Skillnet Ireland. You must also confirm that you can make yourself available to attend meetings of the Board of Directors.

The selection process may include a short-listing process dependent on the numbers of applications received.

Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts, 2014, applications will be treated in strict confidence. All enquires, applications and all aspects of the proceedings are treated as strictly confidential and are not disclosed to anyone outside those directly involved in that aspect of the process.

Certain items of information, not specific to any individual, may be extracted from computer records for general statistical purposes.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to protecting your personal data and takes the security of your information very seriously, adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and security of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The main purpose for which the Department requires the personal data provided by you is to consider your Expression of Interest in the context of the qualifying criteria set out in this Booklet and your suitability for the position advertised.

The personal data provided as part of this recruitment campaign will be exchanged with other persons involved in the appointment process only as required, including with officials in the Department, Skillnet Ireland and any other relevant person who will assist in the appointment process and the Minister.

If your application is assessed and you are considered to be suitable for consideration for appointment, your curriculum vitae and cover letter (and any supplementary information requested as part of the application process) will be retained for up to one year following the appointments. In the event that you are not successful on this occasion, your data may be retained for a period of up to one year and used in considering your suitability for other similar vacancies/roles that may arise within that period.

Additional information on the General Data Protection Regulation is available.