Senior Legal Advisor x 2

ComReg Overview 

ComReg is the statutory body responsible for regulating fixed and mobile communications, postal and premium rate services in Ireland. Our mandate is to create a competitive marketplace, to protect and inform consumers, and to encourage innovation. ComReg also manages Ireland’s radio spectrum resource on behalf of the State.

We are a professional, multi-disciplinary and diverse organisation, operating in a dynamic digital regulatory environment that is constantly evolving.

This will be an exciting time of growth for ComReg, as our mandate expands and we take on new statutory responsibilities arising from EU legislation including: the Network and Information Systems (NIS2) Directive, the Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive – addressing cybersecurity and network resilience – together with the EU Data Act and the EU AI Act.

While our regulatory role is evolving, our fundamental mission remains the same. ComReg’s mission is to implement effective regulation that supports the delivery of widespread, modern, and resilient digital infrastructure, including communications networks, products, and services which, ultimately, benefit users.

Division overview 

Wholesale Division

The Wholesale Division within ComReg works to progress competition in electronic communications markets. Specifically, it analyses markets, introduces regulation with a view to improving levels of competition and reducing barriers to entry, and monitors compliance with market regulation.

The role and responsibilities 

We are looking for a Senior Legal Advisor who will report to the Head of Legal of ComReg’s Wholesale Division. The Senior Legal Advisor will work within a multi-disciplinary divisional team, which includes industry experts, engineers, economists, accountants, data analysts and lawyers.

The person will be involved in the design and enforcement of economic regulation of digital networks arising, in particular, under the European electronic communications regulatory framework and competition law; they provide legal advice in respect of a range of regulatory and public law matters, of substantive or procedural nature, manage statutory appeals and other High Court actions. They have a key role in advising on and assisting with regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings.

The Wholesale Legal team works on a collaborative basis and the Senior Legal Advisor have the opportunity to be directly involved in a broad range of high-profile and interesting work and have direct engagement with decision makers. Personal development is promoted and supported. There are plenty of opportunities for further on the job training and education along with opportunities to lead or be involved in cross-divisional projects.

The role includes:

• Advising on sector-specific Irish and EU legislation, statutory interpretation, administrative and public law
• Advising on, and supporting, regulatory investigations and regulatory enforcement actions
• Drafting and reviewing consultation and decision documents of ComReg
• Drafting and reviewing regulatory policies, procedures and guidelines
• Drafting and coordinating submissions on proposed national or EU legislation impacting ComReg’s functions and objectives
• Managing public law litigation including statutory appeals, judicial reviews and other High Court actions including managing external legal counsel
• Liaising with legal and other staff in government departments, public bodies and national regulatory authorities as required
• Collaborating as part of multi-disciplinary teams across the division, the organisation and other public bodies

Qualifications and Experience 

Essential  

• Be enrolled and admitted as a Solicitor or Barrister in the State, or equivalent;
• Proven experience in regulatory law, competition law, EU law, public administrative law, investigations, or enforcement (prosecution or defence);
• Proven ability to operate collaboratively at all levels within an organisation

Desirable  

• 6+ years post-qualification experience, in a law firm, as a practising barrister, as in-house counsel, as a legal advisor in the civil/public service, or in a sector-specific regulator or in a regulated sector;
• Proven experience of regulatory enforcement or compliance management in a regulated industry including digital;
• Experience of High Court litigation;
• Proven experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team;
• Proven experience of operating at a management level including briefing senior management.

Core Competencies & Skills for the Role 

In addition to your qualifications and experience, you will bring professional competencies and skills in the following core areas:

• Communicating & Influencing Communicates clearly, confidently and respectfully. Engages, persuades and convinces others to follow a particular course of action. Ensures all relevant parties are appropriately updated and notified.
• Teamwork Promotes and enhances team performance through working collaboratively and in cooperation with others to achieve goals. Interacts in a manner that builds respect and fosters trust.
•  Planning and Organising Establishes and monitors priorities, systematically differentiating between urgent, important and unimportant tasks. Plans and manages activities to consistently deliver results. Meets objectives within agreed predetermined time frames and deals with urgent operational situations expeditiously.
• Decision Making & Judgement: Effectively builds evidence base to support the decision-making process. Assesses alternative options. Uses judgement to adapt to specific and challenging requirements of the organisation.
• Drafting: Uses a logical structure to draft documents. Communicates complex and technical information clearly and concisely. Ensures key messages are understood and have the desired impact on the target audience.

Our Package

We are offering an attractive package:

• Salary € 87,954.90- € 109,960.51* (entry will be at the minimum point and the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.)
• Dublin city centre location – IFSC
• Blended working environment – 2 days in the office (flexibility for more days may be required depending on business needs)
• 28 days Annual Leave per year increases with service
• Attractive pension scheme
• Fully paid Maternity, Paternity and Parent’s leave
• Income protection scheme
• Education assistance and Training Opportunities
• Professional membership fee pay
• ComWell Wellbeing Programme – Wellbeing and Respect Charter | Commission for Communications Regulation
• Online gym
• Travel tax saver scheme, Access to Cycle to Work Scheme
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a membership of sports and social club

*(entry will be at the minimum point and the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.)

Check out the Recruitment section of our Careers website if you have any questions or need further information about the role or the recruitment process -https://www.comreg.ie/about/careers/recruitment-faq/

Please Note (1)

We hope that our recruitment process supports applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We understand that having a diverse workforce contributes to making us stronger as an organisation. We are committed to positively supporting candidates with disabilities.

Please let us know if there are any reasonable accommodations we can make to enable you to take part in the process by creating the environment to give you the best opportunity to show your strengths and competencies. Rest assured that whatever information you disclose will only be used to enable us to provide the necessary support and will never have a bearing on the outcome of the process.

Please Note (2)

ComReg assesses all applicants fairly based on the requirements for the role. Due to the high volume of applications we receive for positions, we are unable to provide feedback to candidates who are not shortlisted for interview. If you are short-listed for interview, and are subsequently unsuccessful, you can request verbal feedback from your recruitment contact – if you are represented by an agency.