The Northern Ireland Civil Service has kicked off a recruitment drive to bolster its assistant-officer ranks by 300, spread across eight work regions.

Its campaign for first-rung roles, pay banded at £20,951 to £23,023, does not specify particular departments that would host new staff.

If all 300 roles were filled, it would increase the size of the NI Civil Service by around 1.3%, based on its current headcount of 23,000. The service said the intake from the campaign could rise above 300 if more vacancies arise.

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Civil servants have effectively been running the country in the absence of ministers since a power-sharing agreement collapsed in 2017. Last month demonstrators marked 1,000 days without a functioning executive in Northern Ireland with a rally at Stormont.

Unions representing staff have also been harshly critical of updated NICS pay policy, which gave departments flexibility on awarding annual rises – so long as the cash came from existing budgets.

Would-be AOs have the opportunity to suggest up to three areas of the country that they are interested in working in from a list of eight. They are: the Belfast area; Bangor, Newtownards and Ballynahinch; Fermanagh; Armagh, Portadown, Lurgan and Banbridge; Downpatrick, Newcastle, Kilkeel & Newry; Omagh, Dungannon & Cookstown; Strabane, Londonderry/Derry & Limavady; and Coleraine, Ballymoney, Antrim, Ballymena & Magherafelt.

The recruitment pack identifies “protestants and men” among the under-represented groups at AO grade in the NI Civil Service – along with under 35s, people with a disability and people from minority ethnic communities.

The campaign is open to applications until 12pm on 23 December.

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