Assistant Principal, Head of User Support

About This Role

Role Purpose

The Head of User Support is responsible for leading and developing the organisation's User Support function, ensuring the delivery of accessible, high-quality and customer-focused support services that meet the needs of users and stakeholders.

Reporting to the Director of User Strategy, Growth and Experience, the role provides strategic and operational leadership for the User Support team and is accountable for the performance, governance and continuous improvement of user support services across both internal and outsourced delivery models.

The postholder will lead a team of four staff while overseeing the organisation's outsourced contact centre partnership, ensuring that services are delivered to a consistently high standard and aligned to organisational objectives, regulatory requirements and user needs.

Through effective leadership, collaboration and insight-driven decision making, the role will ensure that user support services deliver positive outcomes for users, contribute to organisational priorities and support the Commission's ambition to provide trusted, efficient and user-centred services.

About the Team/Division

The Head of User Support sits within the User Experience, Support & Engagement team, which forms part of the Communications & User Support Division. The team currently comprises one Director, one Assistant Director, two Managers and two Executive Officers.

The team is structured around three interconnected pillars: User Support, User Experience, and Brand & Engagement. Together, these pillars work to ensure that every interaction with Coimisiún na Meán is clear, accessible and supportive. By combining operational excellence, customer insight and meaningful engagement, the team helps deliver consistent user experiences, informs service improvements and builds public confidence in the organisation and its services.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the User Support team, establishing clear operational priorities, standards and objectives.

• Directly manage and develop the internal User Support team, promoting high standards of performance, service quality and user experience.

• Develop and implement operational strategies, frameworks, service standards and continuous improvement initiatives for User Support.

• Oversee performance, quality and governance of outsourced contact centre providers.

• Monitor service delivery against agreed key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs).

• Lead the management and resolution of escalated and complex user support issues.

• Lead supplier relationship and contract management activities, ensuring effective performance, accountability and value from outsourced service arrangements.

• Develop and maintain effective operational reporting and performance insights for senior leadership.

• Identify, assess and manage operational risks relating to User Support, including service continuity and resilience.

• Lead or contribute to implementation of contact centre arrangements.

• Use user feedback, service data and operational insight to identify opportunities to improve user journeys, service quality and operational efficiency.

• Establish and maintain effective governance arrangements, processes and controls for the User Support function.

The above is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive and is subject to review.

About You

Experience, Skills, Knowledge & Qualifications

Essential Criteria

• Proven leadership and people management experience.

• Experience leading customer support, customer service, contact centre or operational service teams.

• Demonstrated experience managing outsourced service providers and supplier relationships.

• Strong experience managing service performance through KPIs, SLAs and governance frameworks.

• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.

• Experience preparing executive reports, governance papers and performance reporting.

• Experience managing operational risks, escalations and service continuity.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working in a regulator, public body or other regulated environment.

• Customer relationship management (CRM) platform governance and customer support technology experience.

• Experience managing contact centre procurement or transition programmes.

• Business continuity and resilience planning experience.

• Experience leading organisational change and transformation programmes.

Key Information

Benefits, Package & Pay

• This position is offered on a Permanent basis.
• Full time, 35 hrs per week
• Annual Leave: 30 days per annum
• The role will be a hybrid role combining home and office working. Our current hybrid policy is 2 days in the office.
• Our office is located at One Shelbourne Buildings, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, D04 NP20.
• For a full list of benefits see our website here
• This position is graded at the Assistant Principal scale
• Successful candidates will be appointed on the first point of the scale.

Citizenship Requirement

Eligible Candidates must be:

(a) A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or

(b) A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or

(c) A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or

(d) A non-EEA citizen who has a stamp 4 permission* or stamp 5 permission.

*Please note that a 50 TEU visa, which is a replacement for Stamp 4EUFAM after Brexit, is acceptable as a Stamp 4 equivalent

To qualify candidates must meet one of the citizenship criteria above at the time of application.

Application Process

If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit:

• A CV (max 2 pages) and a Cover letter/personal statement (max 1 page) outlining why you believe your skills, experience and values meet the requirements of the position via HERE.

• All positions require candidates to live in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

• Candidates who engage in canvassing will be disqualified and excluded from the process

Late applications or applications not received through the correct channel, as indicated above, will not be considered.

For queries related to the application or selection process related to this role, please contact [email protected]

Competencies

Please see the competencies below that will be assessed at interview stage for this competition. For more information on the competencies visit our frequently asked questions.

• Leadership
• Judgement, Analysis & Decision Making
• Management & Delivery of Results
• Interpersonal & Communication Skills
• Specialist Knowledge, Expertise & Self Development
• Drive & Commitment to Public Service Values

Privacy Notice

Coimisiún na Meán (An Coimisiún, CnaM, we, our) processes the personal data arising as a result of its recruitment campaign. The Data Controller is CnaM, and the Data Processor appointed by CnaM to conduct the recruitment process is CPL. The Data Controller’s contact details are - Data Protection Officer, Coimisiún na Meán 1 Shelbourne Buildings, Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, D04 NP20, Ireland.

Email:

[email protected] Phone Number : 01 963 7755

CnaM will process the personal data collected during the recruitment process for the purpose of the review, consideration and selection of applications and the contacting of applicants. Third party recipients may include CnaM representatives. CnaM does not transfer personal data outside of the EU or EEA.

CnaM’s legal bases for collecting and processing this data may include:

• Contract - where the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract, or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract

and/or

• Consent - where you have given explicit consent to the processing (e.g. reasonable accommodations)

The personal data processed will be stored securely. This data will be stored for a maximum of 12 months in the event of an unsuccessful application.

Applicants have the right to access their data and to rectify any inaccuracies in their data. To do this, please write to the Data Protection Officer at the address listed above. Applicants have the right, where appropriate, to the erasure of their data and/or a restriction on processing of their data. In addition, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission. Our full Data Protection Statement is available here: https://www.cnam.ie/governance/data-protection-privacy/privacy-statement/

Selection Process

The selection process will include:

Shortlisting of candidates based on the information provided in their application, assessed against the specified criteria for the role.

• A competency-based preliminary interview

• A second-round interview for candidates successful in the first round, which will include a presentation or another practical exercise

The first interview will take place via MS Teams. The second interview will be conducted in person at our Dublin office.

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations will be provided, if required, during the recruitment process. To discuss and request reasonable accommodations in confidence please contact Angeline McKiernan at [email protected]

Coimisiún na Meán is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and are committed to championing an inclusive and diverse workforce which reflects modern Ireland. We work to create a culture where everyone has equal access to opportunity and feels comfortable to be their authentic selves at work.

Closing Date: 14th October 2026, 3:00pm