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(Employment Programme Manager, Return to Work Advisor, Job Creation Advisor, Community Employment Coordinator)
Law & Public Service
Salary
€32,000 - €58,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Stable
Sector
Law & Public Service
As an Employment Programme Coordinator you design, manage, and evaluate government-funded employment activation schemes that help jobseekers return to work or develop new skills. You liaise with Intreo centres, Education and Training Boards (ETBs), community organisations, and local employers to match participants with appropriate programmes and supports. On a daily basis you monitor participant progress, maintain accurate records, prepare funding reports, and ensure that programmes comply with relevant policy guidelines from the Department of Social Protection. You also analyse local unemployment trends and contribute to the development of updated employment policies that respond to labour market needs.
Listen: a day as an Employment Programme Coordinator
You arrive at the ETB offices at half eight, make a coffee, and open your email to find a query from the local Intreo centre about three new referrals who need places on a JobPath-adjacent activation programme starting next week. You check the participant management system, confirm there are spaces, and send a brief reply before your nine o'clock team check-in. The morning meeting lasts twenty minutes. You and two colleagues review the week's caseload: forty-two active participants spread across a community employment scheme, a Skills to Advance training block, and a SOLAS-funded digital literacy course. One participant has missed two consecutive sessions, which triggers a welfare and compliance check under Department of Social Protection guidelines, so you flag it for follow-up.
A Level 8 Honours Bachelor degree in Social Science, Public Administration, Community Development, or a related field is the typical entry route, though a Level 7 Ordinary Bachelor degree combined with relevant experience can be sufficient for some roles. Leaving Certificate subjects such as Business, Economics, Sociology, and Irish are advantageous, as they develop the analytical and communication skills central to this work. Some coordinators enter through a QQI Level 5 or 6 PLC in Community Development or Social Studies followed by further study at degree level. Postgraduate qualifications in Public Policy, Employment Law, or Project Management at NFQ Level 9 are valued for more senior positions. No statutory professional registration body governs this role, but familiarity with the Department of Social Protection's operational frameworks and SOLAS programme guidelines is important. Relevant work experience in community employment schemes, Intreo, or ETB settings is highly regarded by employers.
Many coordinators begin in frontline roles such as employment support officer, case officer with Intreo, or community employment scheme supervisor before moving into coordination positions. With experience and further qualifications, progression into senior programme management, policy development, or regional management roles within organisations such as SOLAS, ETBs, or the Department of Social Protection becomes achievable. Some coordinators move into the community and voluntary sector, managing large-scale social inclusion projects funded through organisations such as Pobal or the Local Development Companies. A postgraduate qualification or chartered project management status can accelerate progression into national-level policy advisory roles.
AI tools are beginning to assist Employment Programme Coordinators in analysing labour market data, identifying skills gaps, and matching participants to appropriate training or employment pathways more efficiently. Administrative tasks such as report generation, scheduling, and case note summarisation may be partly automated, freeing coordinators to focus on complex, person-centred casework. However, the relationship-building, advocacy, and nuanced judgement required when working with vulnerable jobseekers means that human oversight will remain central to the role. Coordinators who develop digital literacy and learn to use data analytics tools will be well positioned as the sector evolves.
→ Employment Programme Coordinator (Current role)
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Nationwide
Manages Intreo-based activation programmes and employment schemes nationally
Dublin and Nationwide
Funds and oversees national employment and training activation programmes
Dublin City
Delivers and coordinates government-funded employment activation and training schemes
Cork City and County
Coordinates employment programmes and skills development for jobseekers in Cork
Dublin and Nationwide
Administers government and EU-funded community employment and activation schemes
Nationwide
Coordinates enterprise-linked employment programmes supporting jobseekers and SMEs
Nationwide
Runs employment support programmes targeting vulnerable and disadvantaged jobseekers
Nationwide
Frontline coordination of jobseeker activation, case management, and programme referrals
Nationwide
Delivers DSP-funded employment programmes for people with disabilities
Limerick and Clare
Manages funded employment activation and upskilling schemes across the mid-west region
Nationwide
Coordinates employment readiness programmes for jobseekers with additional support needs
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