EDI & Wellbeing Co Ordinator

EDI & Wellbeing Co Ordinator

Role Objective:

As part of The Bar of Ireland’s commitment to building an inclusive and diverse profession, as well as a supportive workplace, we are seeking a suitably qualified professional to drive key projects that have strategic importance to the profession and legal services in Ireland. Allied to EDI, the issue of mental health and resilience of professionals is increasingly a focus of our work, empowering members achieve a sustainable career and manage risk.

The objective of the role is to assess, deliver and embed a number of agreed reforms of the Council, as well as provide ongoing input and leadership across the organisation on EDI & wellness priorities, drawing from best practice and industry experience.

A key remit in shaping a supportive and responsive culture for our members and staff, will be to advance the Bar of Ireland’s Equality Action Plan, to support the Bar’s Equality & Resilience Committee and the relevant pillars of our Future Bar Strategic Plan 2025-26 and to be a key point of contact with internal and external stakeholders on relevant EDI matters.

Hybrid working arrangement following successful probation.

Role Responsibilities:

Implementation of EDI Strategy

·       Prioritise actions against available resources and competing priorities.

·       Manage stakeholders, both internal and external in respect of EDI goals.

·       Act as Secretary to the Equality & Resilience Committee of the Council of The Bar of Ireland; and advance its priorities in tandem with the Chair and Committee.

·       Establish and maintain a leadership standard in the field of EDI for the organisation.

·       Ability to project manage organisation wide strategies, in particular the objectives of our Equality Action Plan:

1. To enhance public awareness of a positive equality, diversity and inclusion culture at the Bar

2. To introduce and embed diversity awareness training at the Bar

3. To enhance access to the profession

4. To support fair and equitable practice development and career progression opportunities

5. To enhance the accessibility of member services at the Bar across all Departments, including through refinement of our Disability Support Statement.

Stakeholder Management

• Experience of effectively engaging, influencing and collaborating with sector wide stakeholders, through personal contact and online modes.

• Work with members, Committees, staff and HR function to embed a culture of EDI best practice and guidance across the Bar of Ireland organisation and its sites.

• Lead and support Staff EDI Committee.

Wellness & Resilience

• Assess current wellbeing supports and initiatives.

• Apply a holistic approach in strengthening the culture of collegiality through application of wellness and community orientated practices.

• Professionalise and deliver a long-term mental health strategy for the membership based on the work undertaken by the Council and best practice.  This includes building on our Dignity at Work Protocol, and our existing mental health and personal supports.

Sector-wide Awareness

Contribute EDI best practice and perspectives to the leadership team in respect of the following:

• Contribute to our University Outreach & Access initiatives

• Delivery of Events and effective Professional Development opportunities

• Monitor developments in Mental Health. Resilience and EDI supports in other jurisdictions and professions.

• Contribute to responses to consultations arising from related bodies (LSRA, Court Service, etc.)

Governance

• Identifying key metrics to measure progress in the area of Equality

• Standardised reporting to Committees, Council and membership

• Implementation of statutory and regulatory obligations that may arise via the LSRA or otherwise.

• Integrate with our Strategic Planning and Risk Management processes.

Person Specification:

• A degree in equality studies, disability studies or cultural diversity or a discipline relevant to the role.

• Good knowledge of the field of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion with a minimum of 3 years working in this area, ideally in the legal or professional services sector.

• Demonstratable experience of managing and implementing initiatives at both strategic and operational levels; ideally within a membership body environment.

• Experience of working in an area providing close interaction with external interest groups, event management, training, and working with minority groups.

• Demonstrable experience of engaging and influencing senior leaders and stakeholders on issues and supporting widespread accountability.

• Previous experience with the application of a range of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion analysis tools with the ability to conduct high-quality and comprehensive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion analysis from a workplace perspective.

• Strong attention to detail and well-developed organisational skills, with the ability to manage own workload in line with changing priorities.

• Strong ICT skills, including a high level of proficiency and experience in the use of MS packages.