Director of Cartels

Director of Cartels

CCPC - Competition and Consumer Protection Commission

Dublin, Ireland

From € 107,081 per year

Grade: Principal Officer (PO)
Starting Salary: *€107,081
*Point of entry on this salary scale may differ from the minimum point of the scale if the successful candidate is a current public or civil servant.
Office Location: Bloom House, Railway Street, Dublin 1, D01 C576
Working Hours: 35 hours per week
Hybrid/Agile/Remote Working: You will be required to attend the office at least 40% of your time and can avail of remote working up to 60% of your time, this is subject to business requirements.
The CCPC generally operates on a fully remote basis during the month of August and fully remote over the Christmas period. This arrangement is subject to business requirements.
Closing Date: 3.00pm, Wednesday, 20^th May 2026
Annual Leave: 30 days
Tenure: Wholetime, Permanent

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC):

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“CCPC”) is the statutory body responsible for enforcing competition and consumer protection law in Ireland. The CCPC’s broad mandate, covering all sectors of the economy, gives it a vital role in ensuring that markets work better for consumers.

We are governed by an Executive Chairperson and three Commission Members (“the Commission”). The Commission is responsible for the strategic and operational management of the organisation to deliver on our mission and meet our regulatory objectives. The CCPC is overseen by the Commission, and our Senior Directors have responsibility for the organisation’s Divisions, and each Division is led by a Divisional Director and their senior management team. We are staffed with people from a wide range of technical backgrounds, including economists, lawyers, digital forensic specialists, investigators, communications professionals and more.

You can read our strategy statement which outlines the vision, mission, values and goals of the CCPC. Further information on the work of the CCPC to be found at www.ccpc.ie.

Equal Opportunities:

The CCPC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to championing an inclusive and diverse workforce that reflects modern Ireland and the people we serve. We strive to create a culture where everyone has equal access to opportunity and feels comfortable and confident to be themselves at work. Reasonable Accommodations will be provided, if required, during this process. To discuss and request reasonable accommodations in confidence please contact recruit@ccpc.ie.

Division Overview:

The Cartels Division delivers the CCPC’s administrative competition enforcement function as it relates to horizontal breaches of competition law. The Division investigates suspected breaches of competition law relating to anti-competitive agreements between competitors (e.g. bid-rigging, price-fixing and market-sharing cartels and other forms of horizontal explicit and tacit collusion). These investigations are undertaken under the new administrative competition enforcement regime introduced by the Competition (Amendment) Act 2022. As a result of new powers conferred by that Act, the CCPC – through independent adjudication officers – can impose administrative financial sanctions (fines) on businesses found to have breached competition law. The Division also investigates criminal breaches of competition law and the offence of merger gun-jumping.

The Role:

The CCPC is seeking to recruit a Director of Cartels to lead the delivery of the CCPC’s competition enforcement function as it relates to anti-competitive horizontal agreements between competitors. This is an opportunity for an experienced professional, with excellent strategic leadership skills and proven expertise in the area of enforcement, to take on a senior management role in a dynamic national competition authority that is growing in ambition and purpose.

The Director of Cartels will be responsible for leading a high-performing team in identifying and investigating potential breaches of EU and Irish competition law and referring cases to adjudication or to the DPP where appropriate. The Cartels Division currently has a sanctioned headcount of 18 staff (including the Director), with additional legal support provided by the CCPC’s Competition Legal Division and external legal services providers when required. As Director you will promote the Vision, Mission and Values of the CCPC. You will be responsible for leading and managing a dedicated team, undertaking meaningful and impactful work, providing strategic direction to the Division and delivering on its annual divisional workplan. You will have the opportunity to represent the CCPC at national and international fora and conferences. This may include European Commission Advisory Committee meetings, and OECD and European and International Competition Network meetings.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Competition Enforcement, the Director of Cartels will work closely with the wider Senior Management team (i.e. Members, Senior Directors and Directors) in the CCPC and will contribute to the development of the organisation through initiating, and constructive engagement in, cross-Divisional and organisation-wide projects.

The Successful Candidate:

The successful applicant will have a critical leadership role in managing for results and delivering enforcement outcomes to a high standard in a challenging and dynamic environment. The post holder will be self-driven with experience of contributing effectively to the strategic direction of an organisation and the ability to motivate staff to meet ambitious goals. They will have a proven record of strong leadership, people and case management experience, strong analytical skills and an ability to oversee multiple complex investigations/projects. They will have the ability to provide strong contributions and communicate publicly on emerging competition issues internally, nationally and internationally.

In addition to the immediate appointment from this campaign, an order of merit may be established. This may be used to fill any future vacancies at the same level within this or other Divisions of the CCPC where roles have similar responsibilities and/or similar skills are required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and drive the strategy and workplan of the Cartels Division, providing strategic leadership and guidance to the team, managing risk and pro-actively contributing to the CCPC achieving its strategic objectives;
• Lead and manage the development of a strong case pipeline for investigations;
• Lead the Cartels Division in conducting administrative and criminal investigations into potential breaches of EU and Irish competition law concerning anti-competitive horizontal agreements contrary to Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002, as amended, and Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU;
• Lead and manage the Cartels Division to ensure its operational effectiveness, setting high standards and implementing strategies to drive team performance, including implementation of project management tools, appropriate resource allocation and robust and timely decision making to deliver successful outcomes in investigations;
• Monitor and develop capability and capacity across the Cartels Division through effective delegation, coaching and mentoring and identification of learning/development needs;
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to advocate for necessary policy or legislative change to support the delivery of the CCPC’s competition enforcement function;
• Build and maintain excellent working relationships with the Members of the CCPC, Senior Directors, other Divisional Directors and staff, and key external stakeholders including government officials, other national competition authorities, other regulatory and enforcement agencies, and the European Commission;
• Develop CCPC positions on competition policy and emerging issues and represent the CCPC at national and international fora, conferences and media events;
• Promote the Mission, Vision and Values of the CCPC though self-management and team management and contribute to the development and achievement of the strategic goals of the organisation generally by participating in cross-divisional projects as and when required.

Essential:

Please note: In order to satisfy the shortlisting panel that you meet these criteria you must explicitly reference how you meet same in your CV. Failure to demonstrate these may prevent your application progressing to future shortlisting stages.

• A third level qualification (at Level 8 or above) in Law, Economics, Business or other related discipline;
• At least 4 years’ demonstrable experience of leading and managing teams in a legal, economic, regulatory, compliance, enforcement area and/or related discipline;
• Knowledge of or professional experience in the area of enforcement;
• Strong drafting skills including the ability to understand and analyse information and deliver clear, focused reports;
• Strong verbal communication skills including the ability to influence senior management and present complex information to multiple audiences with different backgrounds;
• Proven ability to lead and deliver on cases/projects within tight time frames.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of or professional experience in competition law;
• Knowledge of or professional experience in administrative enforcement regimes or administrative investigations;
• Qualifications and/or experience in procedural or administrative law;
• Professional experience in advising and managing litigation;
• Experience in leading a multidisciplinary team;
• A post graduate qualification in Leadership and/or Management;
• Relevant qualifications and/or experience in law, enforcement, economics or business above the essential requirements;
• Experience of issues and challenges concerning Irish competition enforcement policy and the related legislative environment;
• Relevant experience of implementation and/or knowledge of Irish and/or European legislation and policies.

Application Process:

To apply for this role using the link on the CCPC careers page, please submit an up-to-date CV clearly demonstrating how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria. Additionally, please submit a cover letter explaining your motivation for applying for this position and what you would offer in the role (maximum 300 words). Applicants should note that canvassing will result in your exclusion from the process.

Shortlisting:

Shortlisting of candidates will be based on the information provided in their application. In order to satisfy the shortlisting panel, you need to clearly highlight within your application how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria. If this is not clearly displayed, it may prevent your application progressing to the shortlisting stage.

Interview Process:

There will be two interviews for this role, the first-round interview will take place in early June. During the first-round interview, the CCPC will conduct competency style interviews based on the Principal Officer (PO) competencies below:

1. Strategic Awareness;
2. Persuasive Communication;
3. Decision Making;
4. Resilience;
5. Leading People;
6. Result Orientation.

Full details of these competencies can be found on the CCPC careers page under FAQ.

The second-round interview will take place in late June and will involve an assessment using practical methods such as presentation skills, writing assignments or role play.

To find out more about what it is like to work in the CCPC, FAQ’s, terms and conditions and the benefits on offer, please visit our CCPC careers page.