Many thanks for your interest in a career at University College Cork, and in joining a dynamic group of talented people working to secure the future of our people and our planet.

UCC is one of Ireland’s oldest institutions of higher education, and our historic campus is in the heart of Cork City, a vibrant economic hub located in one of Ireland’s most scenic regions with a rich cultural heritage. Ranked in the top 2% of universities globally, UCC serves a community that is both local and global. In 2010, UCC was the first third level education institution in the world to receive the Green Campus award, and today we proudly fly our Green Flag over our Main Quadrangle following continued successful renewals. UCC has held a top ten place in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings since 2010 and is now ranked 4th in the world for sustainability.

UCC is a comprehensive university providing a broad research-based Connected Curriculum from archaeology to zoology across its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. UCC is the top Irish Higher Education Institution for graduate employability, and our more than 220,000 alumni excel in every walk of life across the globe. Our true strength lies in the people who work and study here, and UCC’s student body of more than 25,000 includes over 5,000 international students from more than 100 countries across all continents. Of the more than 3,500 professionals employed at UCC, over one third of academic staff have come from overseas.

UCC is a place of inclusion, and the diversity of our staff and students is key to realising our vision to connect and empower people to create knowledge that shapes a sustainable and inclusive world. UCC has held a bronze Athena SWAN award since 2016, and 17 of our Schools, Departments and Centres hold department-level awards.

With a strong focus on research and innovation, UCC is the leading Irish university for industry collaboration and for securing investment in Research and Innovation. The UCC Futures framework organises our research into thematic areas of excellence supporting the provision of impactful solutions to some of the most important global challenges of our time. UCC is home to several world class Research Centres including Tyndall National Institute, APC Microbiome Ireland and the UCC Sustainability Institute

As we build on our 175-year history, we remain a student-centred, connected university, committed to attracting and developing talented minds to secure our future.

This microsite contains information which I hope will be useful and informative. I trust that your experience of our recruitment process will be a positive one and I thank you, again, for considering a career at University College Cork.

Best wishes,

About UCC

University College Cork (UCC) is an internationally renowned university where excellence in teaching and research is aligned with an inclusive and respectful environment, where all staff and students can flourish and thrive. Founded in 1845, UCC is a comprehensive research-intensive institution comprising four academic Colleges, delivering a rich tradition of collaborative teaching, research and scholarship that has true global impact.

Click here to view the latest townhall presentation from the President. 

View our Strategic Plan here.

UCC Library is central to the ambitions and operations of University College Cork. It is fundamental to the University’s academic and research functions, enhancing the institution’s success by ensuring that information services and resources are well aligned with the changing research, learning, teaching, and business requirements of all users. The Library aims to provide the most comprehensive and technologically up-to-date resources for the whole University, including students, researchers, staff, postgraduates, and alumni. In addition, the Library plays a prominent role in national developments in services and strategies for the fields of library, information technology, media services, and academic publishing.

The Library organisation structure has evolved, into five portfolios: Academic Services, Research Services, Digital Services, Content Services and Business Operations. In addition to the above, a sixth independent portfolio comprising Cork University Press sits within the Library organisation structure. These portfolios and the overall structure are subject to constant review, with service improvement and innovation providing the impetus for all library organisation and service design. UCC Library currently operates with a staff of 65 and annual budget in excess of €6,000,000.

Cork University Press is the institutional academic press. The Press began publishing in 1925 and is the oldest and most active university press in Ireland. Its mission is to encourage a broad spectrum of enquiry in the field of Irish Studies by publishing research which engages with contemporary cultural debate.

This newly created role will bring together three distinct teams within the library’s operations: book buying & subscription management, cataloguing & search systems, and physical collections management. The goal is to unify these teams into one cohesive portfolio to streamline processes and enhance efficiency as part of a broader strategic vision.

The Head of Content Services will report to the University Librarian and manage a diverse team of around 20 staff, including four direct reports. The role will focus on managing both physical and digital collections, including rightsizing the physical collections, overseeing e-vendor subscriptions, and implementing a major transformation agenda.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the transformation of traditional library processes and workflows

• Managing a team through change, including staff development and addressing current personnel challenges

• Overseeing a €1.6m budget and making strategic decisions to optimize collections

• Implementing a new library services platform within the year

UCC Library has a strong reputation in delivering excellent support for students, researchers and the community. It has extremely high rates of satisfaction from both students and staff and is well regarded across the sector for its approach to sustainability.

UCC Library is excited to launch the Library’s new Vision and Plan 2024-2028, available to download in both English and as Gaeilge on the Library’s website.

This new Vision and Plan will guide the Library’s growth and transformation over the next five years, responding to and supporting the aspirations of the University’s Strategic Plan: Securing Our Future 2023-2028. It will significantly improve the Library’s support for researchers and teachers, enhance the student experience, and build our local and international engagement programmes.

The four Strategic Programmes were developed and refined in consultation with the University community and with significant input from the representative Library Vision & Plan Project Group, working on everyone’s behalf.

Recently identified as one of the top ten city destinations by the Lonely Planet guide, Cork is a place not just to visit, but to live and to learn; offering a quality of life and an academic and cultural experience. Cork is a UNESCO designated learning city where education and lifelong learning serve to reduce inequalities and improve social inclusion.

Cork city has a population of some 150,000, with a further 100,000 in its hinterland. Further details can be found at https://www.wearecork.ie/live/

Further information with regards to living and working in Cork & UCC can be found at: https://www.ucc.ie/en/hr/vacancies/

University College Cork is committed to being a fully inclusive global university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are core values under our Strategic Plan. UCC holds a Bronze Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advancing equality in higher education. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of age, care-giving status, disability, ethnicity, gender and/or gender identity or expression status, nationality, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion/creed, and/or sexual orientation. We are committed to supporting all staff through flexible working schemes, family-friendly policies, training and development, and staff networks. We value the enrichment that comes from a diverse community and seek to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of each individual in line with equality legislation. We encourage applicants to consult our Dignity and Respect Policy and learn more about our EDI related initiatives .

Salary: appointment may be made on the Admin I (Grade 7) Salary Scale: €81,947 – €107,950 (Scale B) / €79,128 – €102,551 (Scale A).

Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with public sector pay policy.

 * As required by public pay policy for the higher education sector, new appointments to a direct entry recruitment grade will generally be at the minimum (1st point) of the relevant scale.

For existing public servants, the restriction to the first point on scale may be varied where a person is appointed to the same or an analogous grade, role or position as their previous public service employment.

The rate of remuneration for all appointments may be adjusted from time to time in line with government policy

The working hours for administrative staff are 35 hours per week with normal hours of duty from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, with 1 hour for lunch break. Due to the nature and seniority of the post, however, it may be necessary to extend and vary these hours from time to time in order to meet the exigencies of the post.

Annual Leave will be 30 days per annum. This leave is exclusive of public holidays and Good Friday. The leave year commences on 1 July annually and four days annual leave must be held for the Christmas closure period.

Sick Leave: Sick leave will be granted in line with University policy in this regard which may change from time to time. You should familiarise yourself with the University Sick Leave Policy and University Sick Leave Management Policy.

The tenure of the post is permanent whole-time, based on the following provisions:

• A probationary period of twelve months shall apply from commencement of employment in the post during which the contract of employment may be terminated by either party in accordance with the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts, 1973 to 2005.
• Except in circumstances of gross misconduct justifying immediate dismissal, the appointee will receive one month’s notice of termination of employment, or, if greater, such notice as is provided for in a minimum notice in terms of Employment Act, 1973.
• The appointee is required to give three months’ notice of termination of employment.

Pension: The Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012 established the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. In general, anyone taking up pensionable public service employment on or after 1 January 2013 is a member of the Single Scheme. The Act provides that most members of the Single Scheme have a minimum pension age consistent with the age of eligibility for the State Pension (Contributory) and a compulsory retirement age of 70. A member of this group is generally referred to as a “Single Scheme member”. However, applicants who have previously worked in a pensionable post (non -Single Scheme terms) in the Irish Civil/Public service, may be offered membership of the UCC Pension scheme. The normal retirement date in this scheme is age 65. A compulsory retirement date of 70 may apply depending on date of first employment in the Irish Civil/Public service. The relevant pension scheme will be confirmed to the successful applicant on completion of the Pensions Declaration form prior to taking up employment.

Applicants that have previously availed of an Irish Public Service Scheme of Incentivised early retirement or enhanced redundancy payment should ensure that they are not precluded from re-engagement in the Irish Public Service under the terms of such Schemes. Queries should be directed to an applicant’s former Civil/Public Service Employer in the first instance. Applicants who are in receipt of an ill-health pension from an Irish Civil/Public Service body are required to declare that they are in receipt of such a pension.

Pension Abatement: If an appointee has previously been employed in the Civil or Public Service and that appointee is entitled to or in receipt of a pension from the Civil or Public Service or where a Civil/Public Service pension comes into payment during the appointee’s re-employment that pension will be subject to abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012. Please note: In applying for this position, you are acknowledging that you understand that the abatement provisions, where relevant, will apply. It is not envisaged that the employing Department/Office/Body will support an application or an abatement waiver in respect of appointments to this position.

Additional dependants’ benefits can be provided by membership of the Supplementary Life Assurance Scheme. You will be automatically included as a member of the scheme on commencement of your employment but you may elect to opt out of the scheme at any stage. The current membership rate is 0.26% of your salary.

Membership of the Group Personal Accident Scheme shall apply to all employees, subject to individual acceptance by the Insurance Company. The salary quoted is subject to a deduction from salary at the rate of .06%.

The UCC Income Continuance Plan (ICP) provides a source of income in the event of long or short-term temporary disability. As part of your contract of employment you will be automatically included in the ICP with effect from the same date provided you have not previously opted out of the plan or you have been declined for cover under previous contracts of employment with UCC. The cost of membership of the plan will be deducted from your salary. The current membership rate is 1.05% of your salary.

The Pay Related Social Insurance Class A1 rate of Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) applies to the post.

Voluntary Health Insurance: VHI /Laya Healthcare & Irish Life Healthcare offer group schemes. Premiums must be paid via the UCC payroll.  The Laya Group No is 32805 and VHI Group No is 137.

Additional benefits: We offer progressive employment and training policies including opportunities for further studies. Staff can avail of membership of a variety of clubs and societies and a wide range of facilities on campus, including a leisure centre.

As an equal opportunities employer we offer a comprehensive suite of Work Life Balance Policies. A list of such initiatives is available on our webpage.

UCC welcomes applications from non-EEA citizens. However, regulations regarding employment permits are set by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment and must be strictly adhered to. An offer of appointment to Non-EEA candidates is subject to the granting of a Work Permit by the Department of Enterprise Trade & Employment.

Candidates are requested to make a personal assessment against their own eligibility as to whether they should apply for this post.

Certificates and Testimonials: These documents should not be sent with the application. Candidates who are selected for interview will be requested to submit the necessary documentation.

References: Following completion of the interview process and the identification of the preferred candidate, any offer of appointment will be subject to receipt of satisfactory references. For internal candidates, the Department of Human Resources will seek a reference from a candidate’s line manager once the preferred candidate has accepted a conditional offer of employment. Additional references may be sought on the request of the hiring manager.

Shortlisted candidates for posts shall be required to appear before a Board of Assessors.

Shortlisted candidates for posts may be entitled to claim expenses incurred while travelling to, and staying in, Cork. In the event that candidates are entitled to make a claim for reimbursement this will be clearly indicated in the email invitation for interview along with the remit of that entitlement.

A successful candidate will be required to submit a birth certificate, documentary evidence confirming academic qualifications, and to undergo a medical examination. Garda vetting and/or an international police clearance may also be required.

Candidates may be required to produce documentary evidence to support any statements made by them on their application form or any supporting documentation.

Note: Candidates should note that any inaccurate information will invalidate their application.

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to University College Cork. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.

The closing date for applications is noon on Tuesday 27 May 2025.

Applications should consist of:

• A full CV.
• A covering letter outlining your motivation to apply for this role, your relevant experience and how you meet the criteria of the person specification.
• Please include details of two referees on your CV, though please note that we will not approach your referees without your prior consent and only should you be shortlisted.

Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact Aino Betts on aino.betts@andersonquigley.com +44 (0)7743 934 723 or Ed Pritchard on ed.pritchard@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7980 817 927.