Chief Technical Officer 2

Faculty /Department:             STEM Faculty 

Job Category and Level:        Technical, Chief Technical Officer 2 

Hours of Post:                          36.5 hours per week

The Purpose of the Role 

The CMU is Trinity College Dublin’s central animal services facility, supporting a wide range of biomedical and health sciences research through the provision of regulated, ethical animal care services. The unit is registered and approved under EU and national legislation (SI 543 of 2012), with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) designated as the Competent Authority under Directive 2010/63/EU. It provides critical infrastructure and technical expertise to support key scientific research across the entire University. 

The Chief Technical Officer 2 (CTO2) plays a key leadership role within the CMU’s technical team, with responsibility for the practical coordination, supervision, and day-to-day support of approximately 11 technical officers and laboratory attendants. Working closely with the Chief Technical Officer 1 (CTO1)— who holds formal line management responsibility—the CTO2 acts as a team leader, ensuring consistent delivery of high standards in animal welfare, technical service provision, and health and safety compliance. 

The role is central to maintaining operational continuity across multiple CMU sites, delivering hands-on training, supporting SOP implementation, and ensuring adherence to national and EU legislation. In the absence of the CTO1, the CTO2 will be requested to assume delegated responsibilities from the Director of Operations and Facilities to maintain service delivery and staff support.

Context of the Role 

The CMU consists of approximately 15 staff based across five locations on campus. It is jointly governed by the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (FSTEM) and the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). Within this structure, the Academic Director of the CMU leads on research and ethical compliance, while the Director of Operations and Facilities is responsible for operational oversight, staff development, regulatory preparedness, and promoting a strong culture of care. The technical staff team formally sits under the Director of Operations and Facilities. 

The CTO2 supports the CTO1 in leading this technical team across all CMU sites.

Person Requirements 

The role-holder will require the following knowledge, skills and attributes for successful performance in the role. 

Qualifications 

Candidates must meet one of the following qualification pathways, depending on the date of entry to the public sector: 

• For entrants from 1 January 2007 onwards: An honours degree and a Master’s degree (or equivalent postgraduate qualification), preferably in a veterinary or relevant biological discipline, along with substantial experiential learning of working with animals (ideally in an academic environment) and/or a minimum of Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) Level 6 qualification. 

• For entrants before 1 January 2007: A national certificate in Science and Health (i.e. a higher education qualification in a Science and Health discipline from an Institute of Technology or HETAC-designated institution in Ireland), substantial experiential learning of working with animals (ideally in an academic environment), and at minimum, an Institute of Animal Technology (IAT) Level 3 qualification or equivalent. 

• The minimum entry point will be the 1st point of the Chief Technical Officer 2 scale. Candidates should note that a different starting salary may apply if, immediately prior to appointment, the successful candidate is a serving public or civil servant.