Assistant Secretary - Health Infrastructure Department of Health

Job title: Assistant Secretary - Health Infrastructure Employer: Department of Health Location: Dublin Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 8th October 2026 Starting Salary: €171,517 About the Employer: The Department of Health’s vision is a healthier Ireland, with improved health and wellbeing for all, and with the right care delivered in the right place at the right time. • The Department’s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Ireland by supporting people to lead healthy and independent lives; ensuring the delivery of high quality and safe health and social care; creating a more responsive; integrated and people-centred health and social care service; promoting effective and efficient management of the health and social care service and ensuring best value from health system resources. • The Department is engaged in an ambitious and wide-ranging programme of reform under the umbrella of Sláintecare, the ten-year plan for the health service. Through Sláintecare there are a range of strategic actions which are being progressed to improve safe and timely access to care, promote health and wellbeing and address health inequalities. • The Department Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 is available here. • The Department’s Vote encompasses the entire publicly funded health budget, including the financial allocation to the HSE and as well as those of other funded health agencies. For 2026, the total gross voted health allocation is approximately €27.4 billion, comprising €25.8 billion in current spending and €1.6 billion in capital spending, reflecting ongoing year-on-year increases driven by service expansion, pay and workforce pressures, the implementation of major reform programmes, and the continued delivery of significant capital projects. The capital allocations for the Health vote is €9.25bn over the period 2026-2030. • The Department provides advice on all health and social care related matters including analysis, formulation and implementation of policy as directed by the Minister. The Department engages fully with EU and international policy on health and social care in particular with the EU institutions and the World Health Organisation. • The Department of Health currently has a staff of approximately 700 WTE. About the Role: The Assistant Secretary – Health Infrastructure will provide strategic leadership for the planning, governance and delivery of the State's health infrastructure, capital investment and digital health agenda. The role is responsible for overseeing the Health Capital Programme, ensuring robust appraisal, assurance and delivery arrangements for major infrastructure and Digital/ICT investments, in line with Government policy, the National Development Plan and the Infrastructure Guidelines. The postholder will lead the development of health capital infrastructure and digital health initiatives that support Health Service reform, including oversight of the Sláintecare Programme Office and engagement with the HSE and other key stakeholders to drive system transformation and improved healthcare delivery. This will include providing strategic direction for the Sláintecare PMO as a central reform-enabling function, ensuring that reform priorities are translated into clear implementation plans, measurable milestones, strong programme governance and effective cross-system delivery. The postholder will be expected to provide system-level leadership for a nationally significant investment and reform portfolio, integrating physical infrastructure, digital health, data, equipment, sustainability and delivery capability. The role will require close collaboration with the HSE, Health Regions, DPER, other Government Departments and delivery partners to ensure that investment decisions are evidence-based, deliverable, regionally balanced and clearly focused on patient safety, equitable access, productivity, resilience and long-term public value. A particular emphasis will be placed on delivery: strengthening the Department’s ability to drive implementation, unblock barriers, support timely decision-making and ensure that the health sector is positioned to benefit from wider Government reforms arising from the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce and related national infrastructure delivery initiatives. About You: As well as the key competencies for Assistant Secretaries, the person appointed will have: • Strong ability to translate Government policy and strategic investment priorities into deliverable programmes with clear governance, sequencing, risk management and accountability that translate into improvements in access, integration, quality, safety and patient experience. • Proven capacity to lead complex national programmes involving infrastructure, digital transformation, public expenditure or service delivery at scale with proven delivery orientation, with the ability to move complex programmes from strategy and approval into implementation, while maintaining pace, discipline, accountability and value for money. • Strong awareness of national infrastructure delivery challenges and reform agendas, including the ability to engage with the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, DPER and other central actors to address barriers in planning, procurement, governance, market capacity and project execution. • Demonstrated experience of working across organisational boundaries to influence senior stakeholders, resolve delivery barriers and maintain momentum in a complex system. • Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in complex commercial, procurement or infrastructure delivery environments, including engaging with delivery partners, professional advisers, suppliers or market actors to support realistic, value-for money delivery. • Ability to integrate physical infrastructure, digital technology, data, climate, resilience and workforce considerations into coherent strategic investment 7 decisions. • A clear commitment to patient-centred, equitable and sustainable health service reform, with the ability to keep public value and outcomes at the centre of decision making. • The ability to provide clear strategic direction at senior level in a complex policy and delivery environment, aligning programmes with Government priorities and contributing effectively to corporate leadership as part of a senior management team. • A strong track record of delivering complex programmes or portfolios, including oversight of major projects, budgets or public expenditure, and experience establishing robust governance, assurance, risk management and value-for money arrangements with the ability to public value and outcomes at the centre of decision-making. • Well-developed policy capability, including experience advising Ministers or senior decision-makers, and the ability to quickly acquire and apply deep knowledge of complex policy, governance and public spending frameworks. • Significant experience leading and developing senior management teams in demanding environments, with strong people management capability, including driving performance, managing change and fostering an inclusive workplace culture. • Highly developed communication and influencing skills, with experience engaging effectively with Ministers, senior officials and external stakeholders, and the ability to represent an organisation credibly at senior national and/or international fora. • Strong commitment to public service values, integrity and ethical leadership, with demonstrated capacity to operate effectively in a reform-focused environment and to contribute beyond the immediate remit of the role. • A career history which demonstrates the ability to contribute positively as a member of the Management Board in the Department of Health and the capacity to contribute strategically to the overall leadership and future development of the Department and the wider health sector at Assistant Secretary level. Further information including details on how to apply for this position is available on www.publicjobs.ie. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 8th October, 2026. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.