Job Summary:
An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police and security service, is growing, reforming
and changing.
Being a Deputy Commissioner is a rewarding and challenging senior leadership role, in a
unique environment with the opportunity to be at the forefront of a transformation of policing
in Ireland. This is an opportunity to support the Garda Commissioner in leading and
shaping the police service, to meet the internal and external challenges of the fast-
moving environment in which policing and security services operate in the 21st century.
In order to fulfil the role, the successful candidate will be a senior and experienced police
officer, with a proven track record of working at a strategic level, including the leadership of
policing and law enforcement officers and staff at senior organisational level. The candidate
will also have a keen understanding of, (or the capacity to acquire), the considerations of
policing on the island of Ireland.
Main Duties of the Job:
The successful candidate will:
- Actively support the Garda Commissioner in leading the Garda Síochána organisation,
communicating a clear direction, ensuring required cultural shifts, setting an example
and expectations in relation to integrity, values, ethics, high standards of professional
conduct and respect for human rights and diversity to enable an effective and
professional policing and security service;
- Provide strategic direction on identifying and managing threat, risk and harm and
developing organisational and policing and security strategies and responses;
- Take a leading role in the setting of policing plans to deliver an effective, efficient, visible
and responsive policing and security service, in an independent and impartial manner,
that respects human rights and diversity, is victim focused and supports the proper and
effective administration of justice;
- Work collaboratively across government, statutory agencies and community partners to
design and deliver initiatives that enhance community safety and reduce harm;
- Set, and ensure high standards of behavior, performance and delivery in relation to
policing and security priorities, based on defined performance indicators in the annual
policing plan;
For a full list of duties and essential requirements please see the competition
information booklet.
Information About the Organisation:
An Garda Síochána is a largely unarmed, community-based policing and security service
comprising more than 18,000 employees with over 14,250 Gardaí (sworn officers), 3,600
Garda staff (civilian) and 300+ Garda Reserves working in four regions across the State
and in a number of national, regional, specialist and administrative units.
The 2026 budget for An Garda Síochána is over €2.59 billion.
The Garda mission is “Keeping People Safe” and its statutory functions are set out in
Section 9 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, i.e. to provide policing
and security services for the state with the objective of:
- Preserving peace and public order;
- Protecting life and property;
- Vindicating the human rights of each individual;
- Protecting the security of the State;
- Preventing crime;
- Preventing harm to individuals, in particular those who are vulnerable or at risk;
- Bringing criminals to justice, including by detecting and investigating crime;
- Protecting and supporting victims of crime; and
- Regulating and controlling road traffic and improving road safety.
Benefits:
See Information Booklet
Selection Process Details:
Further details on this significant opportunity including information on how to apply and a full
list of essential requirements are available on www.publicjobs.ie
The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 19 th March
2026.
If you feel you would benefit from a confidential discussion about this role, please contact
Ms. Niamh McGuinness at niamh.mcguinness@publicjobs.ie
We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine
grounds of the Employment Equality Act.
