9348 - Secretary to the Independent Statutory Inquiry into the Omagh Bombing
| Posting date: | 26 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £81,000 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Fixed Term, Loan, Secondment for a period of up to 2-years, extendable by mutual consent until the Inquiry’s conclusion. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 15 September 2025 |
| Location: | London, UK |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Ministry of Justice |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 9348 |
Summary
Background
On 2 February 2023, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that he would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the Real IRA bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998, in which 31 lives were lost.
The Inquiry was formally established on publication of its Terms of Reference in February 2024. Since then, it has conducted a number of preliminary and commemorative public hearings in Omagh and Belfast
The Role
The post holder will report to the Chair of the Inquiry in terms of line management but will also be overseen by the Senior Sponsor for the Inquiry in the Northern Ireland Office.
The Secretary of an inquiry is one of the Chair’s key advisers, alongside the Solicitor and Counsel to the inquiry. The Secretary role provides leadership to the inquiry team and works alongside the Chair in delivering the Inquiry’s terms of reference (which have yet to be published). The post holder will be responsible, alongside the Inquiry Chair, for leading the inquiry team. The team is made up from a mixture of civil servants, solicitors, paralegals and barristers. The Secretary is the key contact between the Inquiry and the sponsor team at the Northern Ireland Office, ensuring that the sponsor is provided with governance assurance while maintaining the independence of the Inquiry.
This Inquiry Secretary role offers the opportunity to work on an extremely interesting issue which is of wide public interest and is likely to attract significant media and political attention.
On 2 February 2023, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that he would establish an independent statutory inquiry into the Real IRA bombing of Omagh on 15 August 1998, in which 31 lives were lost.
The Inquiry was formally established on publication of its Terms of Reference in February 2024. Since then, it has conducted a number of preliminary and commemorative public hearings in Omagh and Belfast
The Role
The post holder will report to the Chair of the Inquiry in terms of line management but will also be overseen by the Senior Sponsor for the Inquiry in the Northern Ireland Office.
The Secretary of an inquiry is one of the Chair’s key advisers, alongside the Solicitor and Counsel to the inquiry. The Secretary role provides leadership to the inquiry team and works alongside the Chair in delivering the Inquiry’s terms of reference (which have yet to be published). The post holder will be responsible, alongside the Inquiry Chair, for leading the inquiry team. The team is made up from a mixture of civil servants, solicitors, paralegals and barristers. The Secretary is the key contact between the Inquiry and the sponsor team at the Northern Ireland Office, ensuring that the sponsor is provided with governance assurance while maintaining the independence of the Inquiry.
This Inquiry Secretary role offers the opportunity to work on an extremely interesting issue which is of wide public interest and is likely to attract significant media and political attention.