The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is accepting applications for a Project Officer: Global Citizenship Education Trainer, an opportunity for an experienced education, training, youth work, or global citizenship professional to contribute directly to the organisation’s Youth 2030 Global Youth Work Programme.
Based in Dublin, Ireland, the full-time position combines training and facilitation, educational resource development, project coordination, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and work supporting the integration of Global Citizenship Education and Global Youth Work across Ireland’s youth sector.
The successful candidate will join the Youth 2030 team and contribute to efforts to ensure that young people become better informed about global challenges and more actively engaged in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The position comes with an annual salary of €35,779 to €48,408, depending on qualifications and experience, together with hybrid working arrangements, 27 days of annual leave, pension contributions, professional development opportunities, family-friendly working provisions, and a range of additional employee benefits.
Application Deadline: 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 28 September 2026
Applicants should note that NYCI’s general vacancy announcement gives a later deadline of 5:00 p.m. on the same date, but the organisation’s live recruitment and application page states 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 28 September 2026. Candidates are therefore strongly advised to treat 2:00 p.m. as the effective deadline and submit well before that time.
About the National Youth Council of Ireland
The National Youth Council of Ireland works to support and strengthen the youth sector in Ireland while promoting policies, services, programmes, and opportunities that improve the lives of young people.
Its work spans areas including youth work, global youth work, equality and intercultural engagement, youth health, international engagement, digital youth work, youth arts, child protection, advocacy, education, and professional development.
For professionals passionate about youth participation, equality, sustainability, social justice, global issues, and education, working with NYCI provides an opportunity to contribute to programmes capable of influencing practice across the wider youth sector.
The organisation also places significant emphasis on creating an inclusive workplace and states that it values different identities, perspectives, and experiences while providing opportunities for staff learning and professional growth.
About the Youth 2030 Global Youth Work Programme
The successful Project Officer will work within Youth 2030, NYCI’s major Global Youth Work and Development Education programme.
Youth 2030 is funded by Irish Aid and is intended to increase the integration, quality, and reach of Global Youth Work and Development Education throughout non-formal youth work organisations, programmes, and projects.
The programme is led by the National Youth Council of Ireland as part of a consortium involving Concern Worldwide, Trócaire, and Maynooth University.
At its core, Global Youth Work encourages young people to understand both their role within their local communities and their connection to an increasingly globalised world.
It gives young people opportunities to examine complex global issues including:
- Poverty
- Inequality
- Hunger
- Injustice
- Climate change
- Sustainable development
- Global interconnectedness
- Social and economic justice
- Equality
- International development
Rather than simply presenting information about these challenges, Global Youth Work seeks to encourage critical thinking, participation, and action among young people.
Purpose of the Project Officer: Global Citizenship Education Trainer Role
The Project Officer will play a key role in delivering the outcomes of NYCI’s Youth 2030 Global Youth Work Programme.
A central objective is ensuring that Global Youth Work becomes more fully integrated into non-formal youth work programmes and activities carried out by NYCI member organisations and the wider youth sector.
The programme aims to help young people become better informed about global challenges while empowering them to become active participants in efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The role will also contribute to ensuring Global Youth Work is incorporated into professional youth and community work training at third-level education institutions.
Another important area of work involves supporting innovation, research, and capacity development throughout the youth sector. This includes identifying and responding to challenges and opportunities that can broaden and deepen Global Youth Work, while developing stronger connections with the Global South.
Main Responsibilities of the Project Officer
This is a diverse role involving training, project administration, resource development, stakeholder engagement, monitoring, evaluation, and external representation.
Planning and Delivering Global Citizenship Education Training
One of the most significant responsibilities will involve working with Youth 2030 colleagues to identify training needs throughout the youth sector.
The Project Officer will then help plan, coordinate, design, and deliver workshops and training interventions addressing those needs.
Training will be delivered at different levels of the youth sector, meaning the successful candidate will need to adapt material and facilitation methods to different audiences and professional contexts.
Training delivery will take place through both in-person and virtual formats, while bespoke training may also be designed in response to specific organisational requirements.
Managing Training Administration
The position is not restricted to facilitation.
The successful applicant will also be responsible for administrative processes associated with training activities, including management of the programme’s training booking system.
Effective administration will therefore be important for ensuring that programmes are properly scheduled, coordinated, communicated, and delivered.
This means candidates should be comfortable moving between outward-facing facilitation responsibilities and detailed administrative work.
Developing Educational Resources
Another significant responsibility involves devising and developing educational resources for Ireland’s youth sector.
These resources can help youth workers, educators, organisations, and young people engage more effectively with Global Citizenship Education, sustainable development, global justice, and related issues.
The role therefore provides an opportunity for someone with experience translating complex social or global issues into accessible learning materials.
Educational resource development is particularly important because Youth 2030 seeks not only to deliver individual training sessions but also to strengthen the long-term capacity of youth workers and youth organisations.
Supporting the Global Youth Work Educators Network
The Project Officer will facilitate and support the Global Youth Work Educator’s Network.
Professional networks can provide important opportunities for educators and practitioners to exchange experiences, learn from one another, identify emerging challenges, develop good practice, and improve the overall quality of Global Youth Work.
The successful candidate will therefore need strong facilitation and relationship-management abilities alongside technical knowledge of Global Citizenship Education and youth work.
Building Relationships Across the Youth Sector
Stakeholder engagement represents another major dimension of the position.
The Project Officer will engage with NYCI member organisations and with the broader youth and Development Education community.
This will involve maintaining relationships with existing stakeholders while potentially developing new connections and collaborative opportunities.
The work may include interaction with youth organisations, educational institutions, trainers, educators, youth workers, community organisations, development organisations, and other actors involved in Global Citizenship Education and Global Youth Work.
Contributing to the Youth 2030 Team
The successful applicant will become an integral member of the NYCI Youth 2030 Global Youth Work team.
They will contribute both to the specific objectives of the Youth 2030 programme and to implementation of NYCI’s wider strategic direction.
This means the role requires someone capable of looking beyond isolated training activities and understanding how individual projects, resources, partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives contribute to wider organisational outcomes.
The Project Officer will work toward the objectives established within the Youth 2030 Global Youth Work Results Framework while contributing to the delivery of NYCI’s Strategic Plan.
Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Measurement
Monitoring and evaluation forms a defined part of the role.
The Project Officer will work with other staff to implement the programme’s monitoring and evaluation framework and help assess the effectiveness and impact of Youth 2030 activities.
This may involve gathering evidence, reviewing programme outcomes, assessing training effectiveness, analysing feedback, and contributing information that helps the organisation understand whether its interventions are creating the intended results.
This dimension makes the position particularly interesting for professionals who combine training and facilitation experience with an interest in evidence-based programme management.
NYCI’s original vacancy announcement specifically asks whether prospective candidates have experience using monitoring and evaluation tools, demonstrating the importance of this capability to the position.
External Representation
The selected candidate will also represent Youth 2030 externally within Global Citizenship Education arenas.
External representation may involve engaging with professional networks, partner organisations, educational institutions, development-sector stakeholders, youth organisations, and other communities involved in Global Citizenship Education.
As a result, the successful applicant will be expected to represent NYCI and Youth 2030 professionally while communicating effectively with different audiences.
Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals
The position has a particularly strong connection with sustainable development.
Youth 2030 aims to ensure that young people become more informed about global challenges and more active in helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Through training, education, capacity building, youth participation, and resource development, the Project Officer will therefore contribute to creating greater awareness of issues connected with global justice, sustainability, climate change, inequality, and development.
The position provides an opportunity to translate the SDGs from international policy frameworks into practical youth education and engagement activities.
Training and Continuous Professional Development
Training and continuous professional development are established elements of NYCI’s Global Youth Work activities.
Youth 2030 provides tailor-made training designed to strengthen the knowledge and practical capabilities required to deliver high-quality Global Youth Work.
The wider programme also supports learning through initiatives including online education, professional development activities, and educational programmes developed with partner institutions.
The Project Officer will therefore operate within an established training ecosystem rather than developing activities in isolation.
Location and Working Arrangements
The position is based at:
National Youth Council of Ireland
3 Montague Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Travel will be required as part of the role.
NYCI is also currently operating a hybrid working model, which provides some flexibility between office-based and remote work.
Candidates should nevertheless understand that this is not advertised as a fully remote position.
The role involves in-person training, stakeholder engagement, travel, and other professional responsibilities requiring physical presence.
Working Hours
The position is full-time and involves:
35 hours per week
Some flexibility will be required, including the possibility of working during evenings and weekends when programme activities require it.
Applicants should therefore consider whether they can accommodate occasional working patterns outside conventional office hours.
Contract Duration
The position is offered on a one-year contract running to December 2027.
There is potential for the contract to be extended, but any extension will be dependent on continued funding.
The recruitment documentation describes the appointment as a specified-purpose contract.
This means applicants should not interpret the vacancy as an automatically permanent appointment.
Salary
The advertised annual salary range is:
€35,779 – €48,408 per annum
The actual salary offered will depend on the successful applicant’s qualifications and relevant professional experience.
This gives experienced candidates some scope to enter above the bottom point of the advertised salary range, subject to NYCI’s assessment and applicable employment arrangements.
Employee Benefits
NYCI provides employees with a substantial package of benefits and professional supports intended to contribute to financial security, personal wellbeing, professional development, and work-life balance.
Benefits listed for this position include:
- 27 days of annual leave
- Access to sick leave arrangements
- Parental leave schemes
- Bereavement leave provisions
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Death-in-service benefit equivalent to four times salary
- Family-friendly flexible working hours
- Hybrid working arrangements
- Tax Saver commuter ticket arrangements
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Staff supervision
- Staff training and professional development opportunities
- Pension contributions
NYCI states that these benefits and supports are intended to enhance staff wellbeing and promote a healthy balance between professional and personal responsibilities.
Support for Candidates Attending Interviews
NYCI has introduced a practical measure intended to reduce financial barriers for applicants attending face-to-face interviews.
Candidates invited to attend an in-person interview may receive reimbursement for public transport costs within Ireland, subject to providing receipts.
The organisation specifically connects this measure with the financial challenges that people on lower incomes can experience when attending interviews and with wider cost-of-living pressures.
Child Safeguarding Responsibilities
Because the role involves the youth sector and activities affecting children and young people, safeguarding responsibilities are particularly important.
The successful applicant will be required to demonstrate a commitment to protecting children and young people.
This includes:
- Participating in relevant safeguarding training
- Undergoing required Garda vetting
- Following child safeguarding policies and procedures
- Following relevant reporting arrangements
- Ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of young people remain paramount
Candidates should therefore understand that safeguarding is a substantive professional responsibility attached to the position rather than merely an administrative recruitment requirement.
Reporting Arrangements
The successful Project Officer will report directly to the Youth 2030 Global Youth Work Programme Manager at the National Youth Council of Ireland.
Overall accountability sits with the Director and Board of NYCI.
This structure places the position within a wider programme and organisational accountability framework.
Probationary and Notice Periods
The position comes with a:
Six-month probationary period
and a:
One-month notice period.
Applicants should take these employment conditions into consideration when assessing the opportunity.
Expected Starting Date
NYCI expects the successful applicant to commence the role in:
November 2026.
Because recruitment is taking place during September 2026, shortlisted candidates should be prepared for a relatively quick appointment process.
Recruitment Timeline and Interviews
According to the live recruitment portal, shortlisted applicants are expected to be informed by 1 October 2026, with face-to-face interviews anticipated during the week beginning 5 October 2026.
There is an inconsistency in NYCI’s separate vacancy announcement, which states that interviews are expected during the week beginning 12 October 2026.
Applicants should therefore remain available for further instructions from NYCI rather than relying exclusively on either indicative interview week.
Application Process
Applications must be completed through NYCI’s online recruitment system.
The organisation clearly states that applications submitted through other methods will not be accepted.
The application form requests substantial information from candidates, including educational background, professional training, employment history, voluntary experience, availability to take up the position, references, driving-licence status, and information demonstrating how the applicant meets the specific requirements of the role.
Candidates are also asked whether they currently have the right to work in Ireland.
Applicants should therefore allow sufficient time to complete the application carefully rather than treating it as a simple CV upload.
The application form also asks for two referees, with one normally being the applicant’s current or most recent employer and at least one referee having knowledge of the candidate in a working environment, whether paid or unpaid.
Apply for the NYCI Project Officer Position
Applications can be submitted through the official NYCI recruitment portal:
Apply for the Project Officer: Global Citizenship Education Trainer position
Application Deadline
Candidates should submit their applications no later than:
2:00 p.m., Monday, 28 September 2026
The live NYCI recruitment portal gives this as the deadline.
NYCI’s accompanying news article instead states 5:00 p.m. on 28 September 2026.
Because the two official pages conflict and the recruitment portal is where applications are actually submitted, prospective applicants should use the earlier 2:00 p.m. deadline to avoid any risk of submitting too late.
Why This Opportunity Stands Out
The Project Officer: Global Citizenship Education Trainer position offers a distinctive combination of practical training, education, sustainable development, youth engagement, project management, stakeholder relations, research, and monitoring and evaluation.
The successful applicant will not simply deliver workshops. They will contribute to strengthening the capacity of the wider youth sector to engage young people with some of the most important global issues of the present decade.
The opportunity may be particularly meaningful for professionals who want their training and education experience to contribute directly to social justice, equality, sustainability, global citizenship, and youth participation.
The position also offers the chance to work within an established national programme supported by Irish Aid and delivered with major organisations including Concern Worldwide, Trócaire, and Maynooth University.
At the same time, the combination of a competitive salary, hybrid working, 27 days of annual leave, pension contributions, professional development support, and family-friendly working provisions strengthens the overall employment package.
Conclusion
The NYCI Project Officer: Global Citizenship Education Trainer 2026 position presents a significant professional opportunity for an experienced trainer or education practitioner seeking to advance Global Citizenship Education, Global Youth Work, sustainable development, and youth participation in Ireland.
Based in Dublin and working within the Youth 2030 Global Youth Work Programme, the successful applicant will design and deliver training, develop educational resources, coordinate training activities, strengthen professional networks, build relationships with youth-sector stakeholders, contribute to monitoring and evaluation, and represent Youth 2030 within the wider Global Citizenship Education community.
With an annual salary ranging from €35,779 to €48,408, hybrid working, substantial annual leave, pension contributions, staff development opportunities, and a role directly connected with the Sustainable Development Goals, this position offers both professional development and an opportunity to contribute to meaningful social change.
Candidates interested in applying should prepare their online application carefully and submit it through NYCI’s recruitment portal before 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 28 September 2026.
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