NI Civil Service: Stormont in bid to find a new chief

A new process to find a permanent Head of the Civil Service in NI has begun, the Executive Office has confirmed.

Last year, the first and deputy first ministers failed to fill the position following a round of interviews.

In December, Jenny Pyper was installed temporarily for a period of eight months.

The NI Civil Service is offering a salary of up to up to £188,272 for its top job. Applications will close on Thursday 15 April.

The position had been vacant after David Sterling stepped down at the end of August.

The NI Civil Service employs about 23,000 staff and has a total annual budget in excess of £20bn.

The Head of the Civil Service in NI is also Head of The Executive Office and Secretary to the NI Executive.

First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the role was "right at the very heart of public life and public service for all our citizens".

"We want to recruit a highly-skilled leader as our principal policy adviser and leader of the civil service, providing support, counsel and challenge to us, the executive as a whole and to the civil service," they said.

"The issues we face are many and significant, but we are committed to delivering our priorities as set out in the Programme for Government and in New Decade New Approach."

Since taking up the role on an interim basis, Ms Pyper has been leading the executive's Covid-19 taskforce.

It helped draw up the pathway-to-recovery document and is working with Stormont departments to manage the response to the pandemic.