A reference for external candidates
Irish civil service glossary
New to the civil service? Look up the grades, abbreviations and workplace terms you meet in applications and practice scenarios.
Understand the words, then judge the situation
You do not need to have worked in a government department to use this guide. Each entry gives a meaning, a workplace example and a point to consider when reading a scenario. These are independent explanations, not official assessment rules or model answers.
Start with grades and reporting lines, then use the section links to find unfamiliar words. For the organisations themselves, open the guide to all 18 Irish government departments. The grades explained guide goes further into responsibilities and interview expectations.
In an SJT scenario, read the authority, urgency and risks stated in the question. A definition does not tell you that escalating, consulting or taking independent action is always the best response.
Browse all terms alphabetically
- AO: Administrative Officer
- AP: Assistant Principal
- Assistant Secretary and Secretary General
- Audit trail
- Brief or briefing
- Business plan and resource allocation
- Capability, competency and evidence
- Casework, backlog and turnaround time
- Circular
- Civil service and public service
- Clearance and sign-off
- CO: Clerical Officer
- Competition booklet and familiarisation material
- Confidentiality and need to know
- Conflict of interest
- Consultation and interdepartmental working
- Corporate services and shared services
- Delegated authority
- Department, office and agency
- Division, section, unit and business area
- EO: Executive Officer
- Escalate
- FOI: Freedom of Information
- GDPR, personal data and data breach
- Governance and accountability
- Grade
- HEO: Higher Executive Officer
- HR, learning and development, and employee support
- KPI, target and service standard
- Line manager and direct report
- Local authority
- Minister, Taoiseach and civil servant
- Oireachtas, Dáil and Seanad
- Ombudsman and complaint review
- Open, internal and interdepartmental competition
- Panel and order of merit
- Pilot, rollout and change management
- PO: Principal Officer
- Policy and operations
- PQ: Parliamentary Question
- Procurement, tender and value for money
- Reasonable accommodation
- Remit
- Risk register and contingency
- Service delivery, service user and frontline
- SJT: Situational Judgement Test
- SOP, procedure and precedent
- Stakeholder
- Submission
Grades and reporting lines
Grade
The level of a job, which helps describe its responsibility and pay scale.
Example: Two people can hold the same grade while doing very different jobs.
When reading a scenario: Use the responsibility given in the scenario, rather than assuming everyone at that grade does identical work.
CO: Clerical Officer
A general entry grade, often handling records, applications and customer enquiries.
Example: A CO checks whether an application includes the required documents.
When reading a scenario: A CO may need guidance or approval for a decision outside their authority.
EO: Executive Officer
A grade involving independent casework, administration or supervision, depending on the post.
Example: An EO coordinates a queue of applications and supports colleagues.
When reading a scenario: Read the stated role: some EOs supervise staff and others do specialist casework.
AO: Administrative Officer
A graduate entry grade commonly associated with policy, research and analysis.
Example: An AO compares evidence and drafts options for a policy proposal.
When reading a scenario: AO is not simply another name for HEO. Check the duties and reporting line.
HEO: Higher Executive Officer
A management grade that can involve leading a team or coordinating a function.
Example: An HEO allocates work, checks quality and helps staff develop.
When reading a scenario: Where you manage the team, routine supervision is usually part of your responsibility.
AP: Assistant Principal
A senior management grade, often leading a section or area of work.
Example: An AP agrees priorities with an HEO and decides an issue beyond the team’s authority.
When reading a scenario: An AP can be an escalation point; that does not mean every routine issue needs their intervention.
PO: Principal Officer
A senior grade commonly responsible for a division or significant policy or operational area.
Example: A PO coordinates several teams working on a national programme.
When reading a scenario: The scenario must tell you what decisions are yours and what needs senior approval.
Assistant Secretary and Secretary General
Senior leadership roles. The Secretary General generally leads a department’s civil service organisation; Assistant Secretaries lead major areas.
Example: An Assistant Secretary oversees several divisions.
When reading a scenario: Know that these are senior levels, without assuming a fixed reporting chain for every office.
Line manager and direct report
Your line manager supervises your work. A direct report is someone you supervise.
Example: You report to an AP; two EOs report directly to you.
When reading a scenario: Identify whose performance, workload and support you are responsible for.
Delegated authority
Permission to make specified decisions within defined limits.
Example: You may approve routine cases but a large financial exception needs another approver.
When reading a scenario: Taking initiative does not give you unlimited decision-making power.
Departments, bodies and teams
Civil service and public service
The civil service includes government departments and certain offices. The wider public service also includes areas such as health, education and local government.
Example: A department official and an HSE employee work in different parts of the public service.
When reading a scenario: Do not assume every public body has the same grades, rules or reporting arrangements.
Department, office and agency
A department supports a minister’s responsibilities. Offices and agencies have their own functions and organisational arrangements.
Example: A department develops policy while a separate body administers a particular programme.
When reading a scenario: Check which organisation owns the task and which can make the decision.
Local authority
A city or county council delivering local services and exercising local government functions.
Example: A council handles a local housing application.
When reading a scenario: A local authority is not a branch office of a central government department.
Division, section, unit and business area
Names for parts of an organisation. Their size and order vary between bodies.
Example: Your unit handles enquiries within a larger operational division.
When reading a scenario: Business area means an area of work, not necessarily a commercial business.
Policy and operations
Policy concerns the rules, aims and approach. Operations concerns carrying out the work or delivering the service.
Example: A policy team designs a scheme; an operational team processes its applications.
When reading a scenario: An operational manager may improve a process without having authority to change the scheme’s rules.
Minister, Taoiseach and civil servant
A minister is a political office-holder. The Taoiseach is head of government. Civil servants support lawful government work through advice and administration.
Example: Officials prepare evidence and options for a minister’s decision.
When reading a scenario: Keep professional advice accurate and impartial.
Oireachtas, Dáil and Seanad
The Oireachtas is Ireland’s national parliament, comprising the President, Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. A TD is a member of the Dáil.
Example: Officials gather verified information for a parliamentary response.
When reading a scenario: A request linked to parliament still requires accurate information and the proper handling of sensitive material.
Everyday workplace language
Remit
The work or decisions that fall within someone’s responsibility.
Example: Your remit includes assigning cases but not changing eligibility rules.
When reading a scenario: Separate what you can resolve from what needs another decision-maker.
Stakeholder
A person or group affected by the work or able to influence it.
Example: Applicants, colleagues and partner organisations can all be stakeholders.
When reading a scenario: Find out whose needs and information matter before deciding.
Brief or briefing
A concise explanation of the issue, relevant facts and what is needed.
Example: You brief your manager on a delay, its impact and your proposed response.
When reading a scenario: A useful briefing gives verified facts and a clear decision or action request.
Submission
A formal document put forward for consideration or approval; in other contexts it can mean material sent in by an applicant.
Example: A team prepares a submission setting out options and costs.
When reading a scenario: Use the context to tell whether this means an internal proposal or an incoming application.
Clearance and sign-off
Clearance can mean review or permission to proceed. Sign-off means the required approval. Recruitment clearance means checks before appointment.
Example: A draft response needs a manager’s sign-off before it is issued.
When reading a scenario: Check who must approve and do not treat a draft as an authorised decision.
Escalate
Bring an issue to someone with the authority or expertise to help resolve it.
Example: You tell your manager about a serious risk beyond your authority and outline what you have already tried.
When reading a scenario: Escalate proportionately. Passing on every routine management problem can avoid your own responsibility.
Service delivery, service user and frontline
Service delivery is providing the service. A service user receives it. Frontline staff deal directly with the public.
Example: A frontline team answers applicants’ enquiries and processes requests.
When reading a scenario: Consider accuracy, fair treatment and accessibility as well as speed.
Casework, backlog and turnaround time
Casework means handling individual files or requests. A backlog is work waiting to be completed. Turnaround time is how long completion takes.
Example: A team has 200 applications waiting and needs a realistic recovery plan.
When reading a scenario: Reducing a queue by skipping necessary checks creates another problem.
KPI, target and service standard
A key performance indicator measures performance. Targets state intended results; service standards state the expected level of service.
Example: A team tracks processing time and the proportion of decisions corrected after review.
When reading a scenario: Read quality and timeliness together; a single measure rarely captures the whole service.
Business plan and resource allocation
A business plan sets priorities and intended results. Resource allocation means deciding how staff, time or money will be used.
Example: You move trained staff to urgent work while protecting essential services.
When reading a scenario: Match priorities to capacity and explain the effect of moving resources.
SOP, procedure and precedent
A standard operating procedure explains how a task should be done. A precedent is an earlier case or decision that may help inform the current one.
Example: You consult the written procedure and compare a similar earlier case.
When reading a scenario: An earlier decision is not permission to repeat an error or ignore current rules.
Circular
A formal notice setting out guidance, instructions or rules on a particular subject.
Example: A circular explains the arrangements for a type of leave.
When reading a scenario: Check that the circular applies to the person and situation, and that it is the current version.
HR, learning and development, and employee support
Human resources supports employment matters. Learning and development supports staff skills. Employee assistance services provide confidential personal support within their arrangements.
Example: A manager seeks HR advice about a formal process while continuing to support the employee.
When reading a scenario: Specialist advice can help, but it does not automatically transfer your normal management duties to HR.
Pilot, rollout and change management
A pilot is a limited trial. Rollout introduces a change more widely. Change management helps people adopt the new approach.
Example: A team tests a revised form, gathers feedback and trains colleagues before wider use.
When reading a scenario: Check evidence, support staff and review results rather than assuming a new process will work.
Consultation and interdepartmental working
Consultation seeks views before a decision. Interdepartmental work involves more than one department.
Example: Two departments agree responsibilities before changing a joint process.
When reading a scenario: Coordination does not remove each organisation’s own responsibilities.
Rules, information and accountability
Governance and accountability
Governance is how decisions are directed and checked. Accountability means being answerable for decisions and results.
Example: A project records who approves spending and who reviews delivery.
When reading a scenario: Know who decides, document the basis and report problems honestly.
Audit trail
A record showing what happened, who acted and why.
Example: A case file records the evidence used and the reason for a decision.
When reading a scenario: Keep a clear record rather than relying only on an informal conversation.
FOI: Freedom of Information
A legal process for requesting access to records held by covered public bodies, subject to rules and exemptions.
Example: An FOI officer coordinates a request for records held by several teams.
When reading a scenario: Preserve records and follow the responsible team’s process; do not release or withhold them on a guess.
GDPR, personal data and data breach
GDPR is part of data protection law. Personal data identifies or can identify a person. A breach can include loss or unauthorised access or disclosure.
Example: A file containing applicants’ details is sent to an unintended recipient.
When reading a scenario: Act promptly through the organisation’s breach process, limit further exposure and involve the appropriate specialists.
Confidentiality and need to know
Protecting information and limiting access to people who need it for their work.
Example: A colleague requests a sensitive file unrelated to their duties.
When reading a scenario: Working in the same organisation does not automatically justify access.
Procurement, tender and value for money
Procurement is buying goods, services or works. A tender is an offer in a purchasing competition. Value for money considers results and costs.
Example: A team needs external training and checks the approved purchasing route.
When reading a scenario: Follow the applicable process; the cheapest quote alone may not offer the best outcome.
Conflict of interest
A personal or other interest that could compromise, or appear to compromise, impartial judgement.
Example: A relative’s business applies for a contract you help assess.
When reading a scenario: Disclose the connection and follow the process for managing it.
Risk register and contingency
A risk register records possible problems, their impact and controls. A contingency is a prepared response if something goes wrong.
Example: A project records the risk of a system outage and agrees a fallback process.
When reading a scenario: Identify an owner and practical controls rather than just listing risks.
PQ: Parliamentary Question
A question put by a TD to a minister through the parliamentary process.
Example: A team checks figures for a draft reply to a PQ.
When reading a scenario: Accuracy, deadlines and the approval process all matter.
Ombudsman and complaint review
The Ombudsman examines certain complaints about public services. Internal complaint reviews are an organisation’s own process.
Example: A service user challenges how their application was handled.
When reading a scenario: Explain the appropriate review route and handle the complaint fairly; not every body or dispute falls within the same remit.
Recruitment and assessment terms
Open, internal and interdepartmental competition
An open competition accepts eligible candidates from outside as well as inside the service. Internal and interdepartmental competitions have specified staff eligibility conditions.
Example: An external applicant checks the eligibility section of an open competition booklet.
When reading a scenario: Open does not mean there are no qualification or experience requirements.
Competition booklet and familiarisation material
The official documents explaining the particular role, eligibility, stages and assessment instructions.
Example: Your invitation supplies familiarisation exercises for the next assessment.
When reading a scenario: Follow your own current instructions; another competition’s format is not proof of yours.
Panel and order of merit
A panel is a list of candidates available for appointment under that competition’s rules. Order of merit is the ranking used in the process.
Example: A candidate receives a rank and waits for a suitable vacancy.
When reading a scenario: Being placed on a panel does not by itself guarantee an appointment.
Capability, competency and evidence
Capabilities and competencies describe behaviours or abilities relevant to a role. Evidence is what shows that you demonstrated them.
Example: An interview example explains your actions and their result.
When reading a scenario: Check the framework named in your own competition rather than treating every framework as identical.
SJT: Situational Judgement Test
An assessment asking you to evaluate responses to workplace situations.
Example: A scenario asks you to rate possible actions by an HEO.
When reading a scenario: Use the stated facts, responsibilities and response scale. Vocabulary knowledge is support, not a substitute for judgement.
Reasonable accommodation
An adjustment intended to remove a disability-related barrier in recruitment or work.
Example: A candidate contacts the recruitment team about an assessment adjustment.
When reading a scenario: Use the official request route and discuss individual needs without making assumptions.
Sources and next steps
Names and public guidance checked on 18 October 2026. Workplace examples are original and illustrative; reporting arrangements vary by organisation.
- Government directory of departments, agencies and local authorities.
- How the Oireachtas works.
- Freedom of Information guidance and Data Protection Commission principles.
- Office of Government Procurement and Office of the Ombudsman.
- Which department does what? Read the directory alongside this glossary.
- Compare civil service grades, read the HEO assessment guide, or try a free SJT scenario.