INFORMATION BOOKLET
The State Laboratory intends to hold a competition for the position of
Laboratory Attendant
in the
State Laboratory
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UNESTABLISHED POSITION AS A LABORATORY ATTENDANT
IN THE STATE LABORATORY
INTRODUCTION
The State Laboratory is a scheduled office under the aegis of the Department of
Public Expenditure and Reform, which provides a chemical analytical and
advisory service to clients across a range of Government Departments and
Offices. The results of its analytical testing are primarily used to:



Ensure Ireland’s food and feed meet EU standards and are thus suitable
for export and consumption;
Support the Revenue in tax collection, particularly in collection of excise
duties in the alcohol and motor fuel areas;
Support Coroners in investigation of unexplained deaths.
The State Laboratory operates in accordance with a documented quality system
based on an international standard for competence of testing laboratories
(ISO/IEC 17025) and is accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board for
specific areas of work.
The State Laboratory is an EU National Reference Laboratory for additives for use
in animal nutrition, for dioxins and PCBs in food and animal feed, for heavy
metals and mycotoxins in animal feed, and for veterinary residues and
mycotoxins in food of animal origin.
The State Laboratory has a staff of approximately 90 people who are mainly
professional and technical.
The State Laboratory offers flexi-time; car parking; staff restaurant; on-site
crèche facility (subject to availability); and a limited local transportation service
to / from nearby railway stations at Hazelhatch and Leixlip (Louisa Bridge). The
Backweston Laboratory Campus is also on the No. 67 Dublin Bus Route.
Role and Key Duties
The key duties of the position are to:
 Receive samples and register them by assigning a unique sample number to
each sample;
 Prepare samples for analysis following appropriate procedures for grinding /
mincing of samples. This involves operating and cleaning grinding mills and
other sample preparation equipment as required;
 Follow section sampling handling procedures and dispose of completed
samples regularly;
 Maintain laboratory supplies;
 Clean dirty glassware following appropriate washing and drying procedures
and put away / store clean glassware appropriately;
 Maintain sample preparation equipment, dishwashers, fridges, freezers;
 Despatch and porterage of mail;
 Despatch and return of laundry items;
 Plan, structure, prioritise and manage the duties assigned by line manager, as
appropriate;
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 Participate fully in the Laboratory’s Performance Management and
Development System (PMDS).
Requirements and Attributes
The successful candidate should:
 Have an interest in working in a laboratory environment which requires good
attention to detail, an ability to follow standard operating procedures and a
commitment to taking all necessary precautions to prevent contamination or
mix-up of samples;
 Manage own time efficiently and carry out all work in a thorough and
organised manner, completing work on time and to a high standard;
 Be a good team worker and have good interpersonal and communication skills
in order to work effectively with colleagues from all parts of the organisation.
 Have a satisfactory level of IT literacy and be capable of using email and the
Laboratory’s Information Management System (LIMS) effectively;
 Be flexible and willing to adapt, positively contributing to the implementation
of change in the Laboratory
 Be capable of coming up with practical solutions to work problems
 Understand the importance of Health & Safety in the workplace and follow
safety guidelines.
Pay and Conditions
General
The appointment is subject to the Civil Service Regulations Acts 1956 to 2005
and the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004
and any other Act for the time being in force relating to the Civil Service.
The salary for the position is as follows:
New Entrants to the Public Service
This rate will apply where the appointee has never worked in the Public Service
and is required to make payments to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.
€386.74
€429.58
€443.86
€477.31
€520.19
€533.73
€557.74
€571.94
€508.27
Tenure
The appointment is to an unestablished position on a probationary contract in the
Civil Service. The probationary contract will be for a period of one year.
Hours of attendance
Hours of attendance will be fixed from time to time but will amount to not less
than 43 hours and 15 minutes gross or 37 hours net per week. The State
Laboratory operates a system of flexible working hours.
Annual Leave
In addition to the usual public holidays the annual leave for this position is 22
days, rising to 23 days after 5 years service and to 24 days after 10 years
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Information for Candidates
Application process
Postal address for applications
Please complete the attached application form and return 4 copies of the
completed and signed form in hard copy format to:
Mr Pat Fannin
State Laboratory
Backweston
Celbridge
County Kildare
Email address:
pat.fannin@statelab.ie.
Closing date
Closing date for receipt of applications is 4pm Friday 10th April 2015.
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. Candidates who
send their applications by post should allow sufficient time to ensure delivery not
later than the closing date.
Completed application form required
All applications for this post must be in the form of a completed and signed
application form received before the closing date. A CV (or other document)
will not be accepted in place of an application form. Applicants may send
in a CV or copies of qualifications etc. with their completed application form if
they wish but it is not necessary to do so. Applicants should ensure that they
answer all questions on the application form fully and correctly. The applicant is
advised to include all relevant information in the completed application form.
Selection process
Short listing:
The State Laboratory may decide, by reason of the number of applications
received, to carry out a short-listing procedure. The number of persons to be
short-listed for interview shall be determined by the State Laboratory. The shortlisting procedure will be on basis of a review of the application forms received.
This review will be done by a selection team in the State Laboratory.
Interview:
Short-listed candidates will be invited to attend for interview. Based on their
interviews candidates will be selected in order of merit for a panel. An interview
does not guarantee a place on the panel. The interview will be conducted by a
three person team.
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Competencies:
Interview will be to assess a candidate’s suitability for the post in terms of
the following competencies:
1)
2)
3)
Relevant skills and experience
Team working / communications
Initiative and Problem solving
References:
References will be sought in the case of candidates considered on the basis of
interview to be among the most suitable for the post. The seeking of references
does not guarantee a place on the panel. References will be required to confirm
any experience claimed by the candidate. Referees should be chosen where
possible to cover some or all of the most recent 5 years work experience.
Referees will be contacted by the Laboratory by letter initially seeking a written
reference. Following receipt of a written reference the referee may also be
contacted by telephone call if further clarification is needed.
The State Laboratory is an equal opportunities employer.
The information supplied in this form is held on the understanding of confidence
subject to the requirements of Freedom of Information Act 1997 or other legal
requirements.
NB:
Misrepresentation of, or failure to declare, any material
fact will invalidate your application and any job offer
SHEET AT APPLICATION STAGE
made asEVALUATION
a result of same.
Canvassing will disqualify candidates.
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JOB APPLICATION FORM
POSITION:
LOCATION:
Laboratory Attendant
State Laboratory
Backweston
Celbridge
Co. Kildare
CLOSING DATE: 10th April 2015
Name in full (Block Letters):
Backweston FarDunmore East Harbour Centre.
REF:
13/MAR/68
___________________________________
Postal address (Block Letters)
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
(If any change of address please notify at once in writing)
Telephone No(s).
Home:
____________________
Mobile:
____________________
Email Address:
__________________________________________________
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Education
School /College
attended
Years
Attended
Level of
qualification
achieved (e.g
Leaving Cert,
Degree, Technical
qualification
Main subjects
studied
Result
Other relevant training courses undertaken
Name of Course
Course Provider
Year Completed
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Work History
Give below, in date order beginning with the most recent, full particulars
of all employment or experience for the last ten years. Care should be
taken to indicate in column 3 the type of experience.
Length of
experience or
employment. The
inclusive dates
should be indicate,
e.g. from 1.1.2000
to 1.12.2001
Name and Address
of Employer
Type of
Employment or
experience
(short
description)
and particulars
of salary
Reasons for
leaving
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Other Information
What aspects of your career to date do you see as being most relevant to the
position applied for?
Referees:
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Please give below the names and addresses of your present or most
recent employers, or responsible persons, to whom you are not related,
whom we can contact for a reference.
Name: _____________________ Name: _______________________
Occupation: _________________ Occupation: ___________________
Address:
_________________ Address: _____________________
__________________
______________________
__________________
______________________
Tel No:
__________________ Tel No: __________________
Note the State Laboratory reserves the right to contact the referees
nominated above.
Before signing this form, please ensure that you have replied fully to the
questions asked. The State Laboratory cannot undertake to investigate
the eligibility of the candidates in advance of the interview/examination
and hence persons who are ineligible but nevertheless, enter, may thus
put themselves to unnecessary expense. The State Laboratory will not
be responsible for any expenses which may be incurred by the candidate
in attending for the interview.
I, the undersigned, hereby declare, all the foregoing to be true.
I have checked all eligibility criteria and confirm that I fulfil all
requirements:
Please tick box to confirm
Signature of applicant: _______________________
Date:
______________________________
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