Project Manager, Assistant Principal - 2 Year FTC

About the Housing Finance Agency (HFA) The Housing Finance Agency plc (HFA) provides loan finance to Local Authorities, Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) and Higher Education Institutions to facilitate the delivery of social and affordable housing. The HFA is a key stakeholder in Ireland's national housing strategy, supporting the implementation of government policy.

The Role This is a newly created role designed to support the delivery of an organisational change and strategic programmes embedding structured project management capability to support sustainable delivery over the longer term. The Project Manager will coordinate and drive delivery across multiple workstreams, working closely with senior management, functional teams to ensure effective governance, risk management and embedding structured project management practices and enabling the HFA to build long term organisational capability in project management, governance and execution.

The Project Manager will work closely with senior management, functional managers and external stakeholders to ensure timely delivery of project milestones, effective risk management and successful transition of completed activities to Business as Usual (BAU). The Project Manager will operate in a dynamic and evolving environment, supporting the delivery of change across multiple functions and enabling the organisation to adapt as it continues to grow in scale and complexity. The Project Manager will play a critical role in driving organisational change and supporting HFA's growth and operational effectiveness.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable operating in an environment of change, with evolving priorities and organisational growth, and will bring a structured and pragmatic approach to project delivery and governance. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, with the ability to work collaboratively and influence effectively across functions and seniority levels.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Project Planning & Delivery

• Lead and oversee the management of the Project Master Tracker, ensuring timely delivery of all project milestones.
• Develop and maintain detailed workstream plans, schedules and resource allocations.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and manage dependencies effectively.
• Support workstream owners in planning, prioritisation and decision making.
• Support evidence based decision making by providing analysis, options, and recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Governance & Reporting

• Maintain all governance project artefacts including RAID logs, action logs and workstream status reports.
• Prepare and present high-quality updates, dashboards and papers to the Steering Committee and HFA Board using Gantt charts, dashboards and other visual tools.
• Ensure risks, issues and dependencies are escalated through the appropriate governance channels with clear analysis and recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with governance and risk management frameworks.
• Support the development and ongoing enhancement of project management standards and frameworks within the HFA.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage effectively with internal stakeholders to ensure coordinated delivery and alignment with recruitment, business planning and functional priorities.
• Facilitate communication across departments to support change management and embed new practices.
• Provide clear, structured updates tailored to different audiences, including senior leadership.
• Build strong working relationships across functions to influence delivery, resolve issues, and maintain momentum across workstreams.

Risk & Issue Management

• Monitor, assess and escape risks and issues in a timely manner.
• Ensure appropriate mitigations and controls are in place and tracked.
• Maintain clear traceability, accountability and audit readiness across all project activity.

Transition to Business as Usual

• Ensure roles, ownership and handover arrangements are clearly defined at project close to support sustainable Business-as-Usual (BAU) adoption.
• Support audit and review processes at project completion.

Please note that the above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you will be expected to perform additional tasks as necessitated by this evolving role, within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the HFA.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA/QUALIFICATIONS Essential Qualifications & Experience

• A Minimum 5 years' experience in project management roles delivering complex, cross functional programmes.
• Proven ability to deliver organisational change projects in a structured and accountable environment.
• Experience working with recognised project management methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP, Agile).
• Strong proficiency with project management tools such as MS Project, Smartsheet, Gantt charts, dashboards, RAID logs and other reporting formats.
• Experience managing risks, issues and governance processes to a high standard.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working in a public sector or regulated financial environment.

COMPETENCIES Analysis & Decision Making

• Effectively deals with a wide range of information sources, investigating all relevant issues.
• Understands the practical implication of information in relation to the broader context in which they work - procedures, divisional objectives etc.
• Draws accurate conclusions & makes balanced and fair recommendations backed up with evidence.

Delivery of Results

• Takes ownership of tasks and is determined to see them through to a satisfactory conclusion.
• Is logical and pragmatic in approach, setting objectives and delivering the best possible results with the resources available through effective prioritisation.
• Minimises errors, reviewing learning and ensuring remedies are in place.

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

• Modifies communication approach to suit the needs of a situation/ audience.
• Maintains a focus on dealing with stakeholders in an effective, efficient and respectful manner.
• Expresses self in a clear and articulate manner when speaking and in writing.

Specialist Knowledge, Expertise and Self Development

• Displays high levels of skills/ expertise in own area and provides guidance to colleagues.
• Has a clear understanding of the role, objectives and targets and how they support the service delivered by the unit and Department/ Organisation and can communicate this to the team.
• Leads by example, demonstrating the importance of development by setting time aside for development initiatives for self and the team.

People Management

• Encourages and supports new and more effective ways of working.
• Actively shares information, knowledge and expertise to help the team to meet its objectives.

Drive & Commitment to Public Service Values

• Is committed to the role, consistently striving to perform at a high level.
• Demonstrates flexibility and openness to change.

PRINCIPAL CONDITIONS OF SERVICE Tenure This is a fixed purpose project role established to support the delivery of organisational change and strategic programmes. The position may be appointed on a two year fixed term contract or through a public sector secondment, depending on the candidate and organisational needs. Flexibility is available for the right candidate, including the option of a reduced working week, with a requirement to work 3 or 4 days per week based on project needs and availability.

The expected duration of the project is 24 months, aligned to the phased delivery plan and organisational resource requirements. Any extension beyond this period will be subject to organisational review and approval.

Hours of Work Operating on a 35-hour week with core hours between 08.00am - 6.00pm. The HFA currently operates a flexible work model, with staff currently required to work a minimum of two days per week in the office in Dublin 2.

Salary Scale The Assistant Principal salary scale for the position (rates effective from 1 February 2026) is as follows:

Assistant Principal Scale - PPC

€82,290 €85,320 €88,393 €91,475 €94,553 €96,329 €99,433 €102,550

This rate applies to new entrants and will also apply where the appointee is an existing civil or public servant appointed on or after 6th April 1995 and is required to make a personal pension contribution.

Important Note N.B. Entry will be at the minimum of the scale and the rate of remuneration will not be subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Subject to satisfactory performance increments may be payable in line with current Government policy. Different terms and conditions may apply if, immediately before appointment, you are a currently serving civil/public servant.

Annual Leave In addition to the usual Irish public holidays annual leave for this position is 30 working days, based on a five-day week.

The above represents the principal conditions of service and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of terms and conditions of employment which will be set out in the employment contract to be agreed with the successful candidate.

How to Apply Applications should be submitted via HIREHIVE link only.

Each candidate should submit a short covering letter outlining why you believe your skills, experience and values meet the requirements of the position along with an up-to-date CV.

The closing date for receipt of applications is . click apply for full job details