Senior Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Specialist in Civil Service

Rdwrer · 17-12-2019 1:17pm

I'm staying where I am, so I doubt I have to provide references. Just waiting to hear back from them to confirm.

TestLink · 19-12-2019 8:33pm

Any idea how many vacancies for the HEO Infra Support?

westmeath11 · 19-12-2019 9:39pm

TestLink wrote: »

Any idea how many vacancies for the HEO Infra Support?

Lots for inf'
There are so many that some departments are taking people from the regular HEO panel and training them in ICT.
Seems a bit crazy but that's the way it is.

TestLink · 19-12-2019 10:42pm

westmeath11 wrote: »

Lots for inf'
There are so many that some departments are taking people from the regular HEO panel and training them in ICT.
Seems a bit crazy but that's the way it is.

Is a HEO placed in a dept, based on the requirements of the dept + relevant skills of a candidate. Or is it just random appointment?

westmeath11 · 19-12-2019 10:49pm

TestLink wrote: »

Is a HEO placed in a dept, based on the requirements of the dept + relevant skills of a candidate. Or is it just random appointment?

If you are on the inf' panel, then you will get a post in ICT inf', but your manager and colleagues may have no ICT background.
After 3 years you could be moved anywhere in the organisation.
Taking the inf' as an example: If you were CCNA certified you would imagine that you would be put on the networks. This is not the case as system admins will also come from the inf' panel so you could end up being a system admin and not using your CCNA experience.
Its a funny way of doing things, but that's the way it is.

TestLink · 20-12-2019 2:04pm

westmeath11 wrote: »

If you are on the inf' panel, then you will get a post in ICT inf', but your manager and colleagues may have no ICT background.
After 3 years you could be moved anywhere in the organisation.
Taking the inf' as an example: If you were CCNA certified you would imagine that you would be put on the networks. This is not the case as system admins will also come from the inf' panel so you could end up being a system admin and not using your CCNA experience.
Its a funny way of doing things, but that's the way it is.

If someone is placed in an area / dept, where he has no expr, would he be given sufficient IT training for the same?

Burgo · 20-12-2019 7:04pm

westmeath11 wrote: »

If you are on the inf' panel, then you will get a post in ICT inf', but your manager and colleagues may have no ICT background.
After 3 years you could be moved anywhere in the organisation.

Yes and no, they could try but if you came in under the ICT specialist role then it would be very difficult to move you to a non IT role, but not impossible.

Taking the inf' as an example: If you were CCNA certified you would imagine that you would be put on the networks. This is not the case as system admins will also come from the inf' panel so you could end up being a system admin and not using your CCNA experience.
Its a funny way of doing things, but that's the way it is.

Its a stupid way of doing it frankly. I have a qualification in networking, when i joined the CS i was primarily doing infrastructure/vmware stuff,while making my interest in networking known. I was doing that for a about a year until the main networking person got promoted out of the dept and i got to take over.

TestLink wrote: »

If someone is placed in an area / dept, where he has no expr, would he be given sufficient IT training for the same?

You "should". How forthcoming training is would be down to the Section/ managers.

TestLink · 01-01-2020 1:33pm

What numbers have been contacted for reference etc in the HEO panel?

If Not, when people in the panel, would be contacted?

TestLink · 07-01-2020 7:43pm

TestLink wrote: »

What numbers have been contacted for reference etc in the HEO panel?

If Not, when people in the panel, would be contacted?

Any update?

dimension_9200 · 10-01-2020 10:17am

I got an email this morning from PAS that they have received a request for vacancy in the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer.

trigger26 · 10-01-2020 11:00am

As in you got an offer of a role in OGCIO?

TestLink · 10-01-2020 11:07am

dimension_9200 wrote: »

I got an email this morning from PAS that they have received a request for vacancy in the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer.

Good News. Best wishes...

dimension_9200 · 10-01-2020 11:12am

trigger26 wrote: »

As in you got an offer of a role in OGCIO?

Yes I got an offer, subject to clearance.

TestLink · 11-01-2020 7:06pm

Any one else have the offer?

Also any idea how many vacancies have been reported by various departments in Dublin?

Curious to know whether I have any chance!

Rdwrer · 11-01-2020 9:18pm

If you made a panel, you will be called. They are crying out for HEOs all over the place.

emermc · 13-01-2020 12:26pm

I'm staying in the same dept but moving teams. I am starting next week.

The Kurgan · 19-01-2020 10:42pm

TestLink wrote: »

Any one else have the offer?

Also any idea how many vacancies have been reported by various departments in Dublin?

Curious to know whether I have any chance!

Was emailed last week that I wad under consideration for an infra role in the DSP. Have submitted Garda and Health forms.Just waiting to see if I actually get an offer in the coming weeks.
I was in the late teens on the OOM so touch wood there's an offer pending.

Rdwrer · 20-01-2020 12:11pm

If you're told you are under consideration, then that is essentially your offer. They just can't officially offer you the job until you have passed Garda vetting etc.

TestLink · 21-01-2020 8:07pm

How would you compare HEO ICT at Civil Service with Grade 6 ICT role at Local Authority? Salaray, Benefits, Pension, Holidays - Which is better?

TestLink · 01-03-2020 4:59pm

Thread quiet for a while!

Any one recently joined as HEO in any department? Can you please share your experience?

forrest gump · 15-03-2020 1:38pm

Yep I got placed in a department in mid February. I was high teens on the panel I say it might be empty now. And there is talk of them running another competition again in the year.
As far as the work it is more management and seeing current projects through to completion. I am really enjoying it as I am doing more technical high level tasks day to day.

TestLink · 15-03-2020 9:22pm

forrest gump wrote: »

Yep I got placed in a department in mid February. I was high teens on the panel I say it might be empty now. And there is talk of them running another competition again in the year.
As far as the work it is more management and seeing current projects through to completion. I am really enjoying it as I am doing more technical high level tasks day to day.

Are you in ICT Support or Project Management Stream?

Did you get enough training in the new environment?

How many staff do you manage?

forrest gump · 15-03-2020 9:40pm

I'm in the ICT infrastructure stream.
I haven't received training as its just a step up from EO level where planning and management skills are needed.
Two staff that are working in ICT for a while.

un5byh7sqpd2x0 · 18-03-2020 5:23pm

Anyone else think the pay is terrible for what's described as a "Senior" position?

TestLink · 18-03-2020 8:03pm

Legend Vast Motor wrote: »

Anyone else think the pay is terrible for what's described as a "Senior" position?

HEO ICT is almost equivalent to Grade 6 officer in Local Authority and other bodies.

I think most of the work is done by 3rd party service providers and you have to liaise with and manage them.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

rostalof · 18-03-2020 11:21pm

TestLink wrote: »

HEO ICT is almost equivalent to Grade 6 officer in Local Authority and other bodies.

I think most of the work is done by 3rd party service providers and you have to liaise with and manage them.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, you're wrong.

Burgo · 19-03-2020 10:27am

TestLink wrote: »

HEO ICT is almost equivalent to Grade 6 officer in Local Authority and other bodies.

I think most of the work is done by 3rd party service providers and you have to liaise with and manage them.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

That is very much dependant on the department. I would like to say thats not the case but i know one or two places where you wouldnt be doing any IT work just managing contractors, not great for someone coming off an IT panel IMO

They'd have to pry management of the firewalls from my cold dead hands!
In our place we do manage support contracts, but it would be more for troubleshooting issues, helping on projects etc.

As for staff management, you would frankly be lucky as a HEO in IT to be managing 1 or 2 staff compared to a general grade HEO.

Legend Vast Motor wrote: »

Anyone else think the pay is terrible for what's described as a "Senior" position?

Yeah the pay itself isnt great, but I think flexi and job security are worth quite a lot. Especially in uncertain times like these.

rostalof · 19-03-2020 11:06am

Burgo wrote: »

That is very much dependant on the department. I would like to say thats not the case but i know one or two places where you wouldnt be doing any IT work just managing contractors, not great for someone coming off an IT panel IMO
They'd have to pry management of the firewalls from my cold dead hands!
In our place we do manage support contracts, but it would be more for troubleshooting issues, helping on projects etc.

As for staff management, you would frankly be lucky as a HEO in IT to be managing 1 or 2 staff compared to a general grade HEO.

Yeah the pay itself isnt great, but I think flexi and job security are worth quite a lot. Especially in uncertain times like these.

It definitely varies from department to department. However, from personal experience in both Revenue and DEASP on the Dev side of things anyway, HEO's can have up to 4 or 5, manage the admin side of things, contracts, invoicing, costing etc. and carry out technical work.

doc22 · 19-03-2020 11:59am

rostalof wrote: »

It definitely varies from department to department. However, from personal experience in both Revenue and DEASP on the Dev side of things anyway, HEO's can have up to 4 or 5, manage the admin side of things, contracts, invoicing, costing etc. and carry out technical work.

Ah common Revenue is absolutely littered with Contractors, and from my experience in another Big state IT department HEO's would be near a one to one with EO and would be overseeing contractors rather then getting hands dirty developing, Legacy IT HEO's just wouldn't have the skills.

rostalof · 19-03-2020 12:19pm

doc22 wrote: »

Ah common Revenue is absolutely littered with Contractors, and from my experience in another Big state IT department HEO's would be near a one to one with EO and would be overseeing contractors rather then getting hands dirty developing, Legacy IT HEO's just wouldn't have the skills.

I fully agree with you, I never said there weren't large numbers of contractors in Revenue. But there are HEO's and AO's there who work in technical areas, some with staff reporting to them. Mine had three EOs and was focused on project management, BA work and some legacy type coding. In DEASP both HEOs in the unit have 4 EOs each and on top of the staff and admin side, contracts, invoicing, as mentioned previously they carry out dev work.

My experience and your experience just proves that the situation varies from dept. to dept.

Senior Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Specialist in Civil Service

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