About The Role:
The Parades Commission was established on 27th March 1997. The Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, amended by the Public Processions (Amendment) Northern Ireland Order 2005, gives the Commission statutory responsibilities in relation to regulating public processions and related protests.
The Commission’s statutory role is:
a) To promote greater understanding by the general public of issues concerning public processions;
b) To promote and facilitate mediation as a means of resolving disputes concerning public processions;
c) To keep itself generally informed as to the conduct of public processions and protest meetings;
d) To keep under review and make such recommendations as it thinks fit to the Secretary of State concerning, the operation of the Act.
In accordance with the Act the Commission may:
a) Facilitate mediation between parties to particular disputes concerning proposed public processions and take such other steps as appear to the Commission to be appropriate for resolving disputes; and
b) Issue determinations in respect of particular proposed public processions.
The Commission is made up of six Commissioners (including a Chair) appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and a small secretariat team supports the Commission in the delivery of its statutory responsibilities.
The secretariat is a small team of six people responsible for providing advice and support to the Commission. We are a friendly, inclusive and collaborative secretariat keen to make a positive and lasting contribution to NI society by contributing to tackling the issues associated with contentious parades.
The Finance and Administration Manager plays a crucial role in the corporate management of the Commission and will work alongside the Deputy Secretary to ensure the Commission maintains an excellent standard of corporate governance.
We are looking for someone who is a team player, with good communication and organisational skills, and has an eye for detail and accuracy.
Duties And Responsibilities:
The main responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to:
- Managing a small admin team: 1 x Admin Officer and Agency Staff during busy periods and ensuring adequate administrative cover.
- Finance support: processing PCNI daily transactions via Account NI, processing Commissioners T&S and maintaining payment trackers. Assisting Deputy Secretary with internal and external audits, and budget profiling and planning.
- Support to Commissioners meetings: Updating meeting packs and corporate drive as required, taking minutes and ensuring the conference room is prepared in advance of meetings.
- PCNI Devices: Provision of IT and phones for new staff, maintaining a tracker of all PCNI devices. Maintenance of office printers/scanners.
- Premises officer – Ensuring the maintenance of Andras House is kept to the required standard: reporting any issues, liaising with contractors and ensuring the secretariat are aware of maintenance work to the offices. Managing access to PCNI offices: providing access to fobs and the office security system.
- General office duties including maintaining all correspondence trackers including FOIs.
If you have any questions about the role, please reach out to [email protected]
Essential Criteria:
The post holder will need to demonstrate the following in their application and at interview:
- Excellent planning and organisational skills.
- Experience of finance, administration, and records management.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to use their initiative and work with minimal supervision, managing priorities.
- Experience of using IT applications such as word, excel, and outlook.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience of using Account NI financial management or similar specialist financial management software.
- Existing CTC level clearance.
Behaviours:
We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours at EO level during the application sift:
- Managing a Quality Service
We will then assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours at EO level during the interview process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering At Pace
Experience:
Please provide a work history and separate statement of suitability no longer than 750 words outlining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. Both will be used to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.
Your statement of suitability needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the requirements set out above. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. One narrative example may cover the requirements needed. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why. What you can do, the skills you have that are transferable and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.
If you don’t have work-based examples then give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.
You will also be asked to complete a work history, to include previous skills and full employment history. This will not be formally assessed so please put the main evidence of your skills into your personal statement. Your work history will be used to add context to your personal statement.
More information on behaviours and success profiles can be found .
Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead behaviour Managing a Quality Service.
Interview:
You will be assessed against the same behaviours at the interview stage and will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated the behaviours.
It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:
- WHO- What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? or
- STAR- What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?
Offer
Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first.
The successful candidate will be notified of a start date following successful security checks.
Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered. Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview.
Security Clearance:
This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:
United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The vetting charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
In addition, t is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role.
This role requires CTC and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 3 years.
Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post.
Further Information:
Further information about the post may be obtained from Dianne Wilson via email – [email protected]
All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.
This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment.
Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at the sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following the interview
Complaints:
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles.
Please contact SSCL ([email protected]) in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages:
http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/
https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code
Reserve Lists:
In the event that the advertised post following interview, identifies more appointable applicants than available posts, we may hold applicant details on a merit/reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further future appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact
[email protected] to be removed from the reserve list.
Working Arrangements & Further Information
The NIO offers Hybrid Working arrangements w business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different NIO sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.
Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.
Eligibility:
Please note that eligibility for this vacancy is determined by the employing organisation and campaign type. As the NIO is a UK Civil Service department, Northern Ireland Civil Service employees are not eligible to apply. However, NICS staff are eligible to apply for vacancies advertised externally, subject to the advertised eligibility criteria.
Flexible working hours
The NIO offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. NIO welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, w they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the NIO’s Flexible Working policy.
Benefits:
- Access to learning and development
- A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension
- 25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years service.
- Public Holidays
- Season Ticket Advance
Networks
The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. T are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
Support
- A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
- Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
- For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on GOV.UKor Childcare Choices. You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
- Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
- To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]);
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ([email protected]);
- To the Civil Service Commission
As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. We are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please see our Disability Confident Scheme Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wver it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Interview dates: Interviews will take place w/c 5th October 2026.
Contact information
If you require any assistance, please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm)
