Operations Specialist

SkillnetIreland is a business support agency of the Government of Ireland. Our mandate is to advance the competitiveness of Irish businesses through enterprise-led talent development. SkillnetIreland partners with more than 57 enterprise bodies, providing talent development, upskilling and innovative business supports to 24,035 businesses and 90,136 workers throughout the country every year. The agency has been recognised as an international best practice model by the European Commission, the OECD and the ILO, among others.

Our mission is to "help businesses in Ireland to be the best they can be, through innovative and enterprise driven people development". We partner directly with companies and industry groups to ensure we understand their needs and talent priorities. We also help companies to understand and embrace innovation, to build business competitiveness through skills development.

SkillnetIreland is funded from the National Training Fund through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Skillnet Ireland is a member of the European Pact for Skills. The organisation actively participates in several skills development projects with European partners. These projects are co funded by the European Union and support the development of digital and sustainability skills in Irish businesses and organisations.

Role Overview

This specialist role will report into the Operations Manager and will support the objectives derived by the Chief Operating Officer that are aligned with Skillnet Ireland's strategic plans. This is a specified purpose contract for a minimum of 6 months. The role holder will be a key member of the Operations function of Skillnet Ireland.

The role holds the primary responsibility for supporting the operational framework of both Skillnet Ireland and the Skillnet Ireland partner community. This role is primarily focused on supporting the Strategic Programmes operating activity related to our System of Record, End of Year System, the preparation of data to assist in evaluations and the provision of financial and performance activity data to the Operations and Strategic Programmes Managers to enable the proactive support, enablement and monitoring of Skillnet Ireland funded partners, including the following:

• Day to day operational support, administration, coordination and tracking of new and existing strategic projects through our partnership model under a designated portfolio of themes.
• Day to day 2nd level operational support of new and existing Business Network and National Initiatives through our online support ticketing system.
• Close collaboration with the Skillnet Ireland Strategic Programmes team to deliver an excellent service to our partners who, in turn, deliver national upskilling initiatives to the Irish workforce.
• Create and implement Standard Operating Procedures for National Initiatives which align with Business Network Standard Operating Processes.
• Gather information and develop new tools to facilitate the management of existing programmes for National Initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Day to day operational assistance to new and existing Strategic Programmes, including:
• Implementation and onboarding of new strategic partners
• Extracting reports and reviewing data
• Monitoring Partner adherence to Operating Guidelines and other key requirements
• Offering support to and assistance on Partner queries
• Identification of new processes to support process improvements for Partner and Strategic Programmes Team
• Assist with event coordination
• Provide operational support for all operations driven activities within Strategic Programmes, and is responsible for the good governance of public funds.
• Support the preparation, management and implementation of the annual funding cycle (proposals, offers, contracting and end of year).
• Standardisation of Operations Procedures - creating and owning several of the key Operations and Strategic Programmes Teams SOPs.
• Provide timely communications and status updates to stakeholders on multiple projects.
• Escalate roadblocks or conflicts of interest.
• Create and support the preparation and maintenance of related reports, dashboards, and systems for use by internal teams. It will involve communicating data analysis results directly to partners or to colleagues.
• Where necessary, onboarding and upskilling of new members of the team.
• The role will also include the support of other objectives identified by the Operations Manager. Support the Partner Training Portal and creation of an on demand training schedule and content.

The Individual

• Hold a 3rd level qualification (or equivalent relevant professional experience) in business, learning and development or a related discipline.
• 1+ years project experience, preferably within an L&D organisation or L&D function (or related industry/interest in talent development).
• Basic experience and knowledge of standard project management methodologies would be preferable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and engage effectively with stakeholders at multiple levels within an organisation.
• Strong finance/budgeting acumen would be advantageous.
• Strong attention to detail and process driven thinking.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
• Analysis and reporting skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to identify areas of opportunity and have a continuous improvement mindset. Working as part of a high performing team, support the introduction of new and efficient ways of working and the optimisation of business processes.
• Advanced MS Office Suite skills, with preferred experience in project management tools and Microsoft platforms such as Power BI and CRM systems.
• Positive in outlook, thrives in a dynamic environment and is able to respond quickly to change and emerging trends.

Desirable Qualifications

• A qualification in project or programme management would be advantageous.
• Project implementation experience.
• Industry experience in any of the portfolio themes (climate action, SME leadership, emerging technologies and digital acceleration, supporting FDI through talent).
• Experience of the Skillnet Ireland model (direct or indirect).

An attractive and competitive package will be offered to the successful candidate.

Skillnet Ireland is currently operating a hybrid working model for individuals and roles that meet the business needs and the criteria of suitability.

Skillnet Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer that values equity, diversity and inclusion as we recognise the benefits it can bring to our workforce, our partners and external stakeholders.

If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us.