Policy and Research Officer – Permanent, Full-Time – Mental Health Commission
Osborne are delighted to be partnering with the Mental Health Commission in the recruitment of a Policy and Research Officer (Executive Officer) a Full-Time Permanent basis. For details of this position and information on how to apply please see details below:
How to apply:
To apply for this role candidates must submit the relevant, signed and completed application form to mhc@osborne.ie
You can find the information booklet and application form at https://osborne.ie/mhc-employment-opportunities/
**CV’s will not be accepted as an application form**
The Organisation
The MHC is an independent statutory body established in April 2002 under the provisions of the Mental Health Acts 2001-2018 (“the 2001 Act”). The principal functions of the MHC, as specified in the 2001 Act, are to promote, encourage and foster the establishment and maintenance of high standards and good practices in the delivery of mental health services and to take all reasonable steps to protect the interests of persons detained in approved centres. The MHC is also empowered to undertake such activities, as it deems appropriate to foster and promote these standards and practices.
The Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (“the 2015 Act”) provides for the establishment of the Decision Support Service (“the DSS”) within the MHC to support decision-making by and for adults with capacity difficulties and to regulate individuals who are providing support to people with capacity difficulties. The 2015 Act reforms Ireland’s capacity legislation which has been in place since the 19th century. It establishes a modern statutory framework to support decision-making by adults who have difficulty in making decisions without help.
Please note that all reference to the Mental Health Commission include the Decision Support Service.
The Role
The Standards and Quality Assurance (S&QA) division is responsible for delivering two core functions of the Mental Health Commission – the production of standards, guidance, rules and codes of practice (on the Standards Team), and the regulation of approved centres (on the Regulation Team).
The Executive Officer will support the Director of Regulation, the Head of Standards, and the Head of Regulation in achieving the overall objectives of the S&QA team within the MHC. Their primary role is to contribute to the delivery of an efficient and effective service to the public, and to colleagues in the Commission.
Working with a team of clerical officers, executive officers, and higher executive officers, the candidate will be required to ensure that the administrative processes surrounding regulatory duties, and those relating to standards development are carried out to a high standard.
The successful candidate will be required to engage and communicate effectively with various internal and external stakeholders, including staff, officials from government departments and public bodies, private sector bodies, disability organisations and others.
The duties of the Executive Officer are varied and can involve assignment to different parts of the organisation or different areas of work. The performance of the entire range of duties is not necessarily confined to any one individual within a division as the work requires that employees in the role function in a flexible manner and work effectively together as a team to deliver required outcomes or outputs .
As an Executive Officer, the holder of the post will be expected to actively contribute to and participate in the overall development of the MHC and to promote its policies and values at all times. The successful candidate will support the operations of two teams within the Standards and Quality Assurance division: the standards team and the regulatory team.
Essential Requirements
The ideal candidate must possess, by the closing date, the following:
Minimum 2 years’ relevant work experience to include the development of public policy, conducting and analysing research and stakeholder engagement
Level 6 or higher on the National Framework of Qualifications or 2+ years’ experience in a related role within the Public Sector
Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, and demonstratable experience of report writing skills.
Strong information technology skills, including experience using Microsoft Office packages and demonstrated experience in using a wide range of relevant information sources and online research tools
The requisite competencies to carry out the role as outlined below.
Please find the information booklet pertaining to the position and a link to the relevant application form at https://osborne.ie/mhc-employment-opportunities/
All interested parties must complete the relevant application form and submit to mhc@osborne.ie. Only candidates who complete the application forms will be considered within the remit of this competition.
Closing Dates
Policy and Research Officer Deadline for application: Please note latest receipt for applications is strictly Tuesday 19th May 2026 at 5pm GMT. Incomplete applications, postal applications or CV’s will not be accepted. Any applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered.
An acknowledgement email will be issued for all applications received. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your application within two working days of submission, please contact Osborne Recruitment at mhc@osborne.ie to ensure your application has been received.
Please submit your updated CV in Word Format. If you are living in Ireland and hold a valid work permit we would love to hear from you, if however you do not hold a valid work permit unfortunately we will not be in a position to assist you with your job search.
Osborne is an Equal Opportunities Employer.
#INDTQUINN
#INDOSB1
