Adjudication Officer

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission

Dublin

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) invites expressions of interest from suitably qualified individuals with relevant expertise for consideration for nomination to the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for appointment to a panel of Adjudication Officers in accordance with section 15O of the Competition Act 2002 (as amended) and the Competition Act 2002 (Adjudication Officers) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 476/2023).

Closing date: 12 noon on Tuesday, 12th August 2025

Title of Position: Adjudication Officer

Location: Dublin

Remuneration: Daily rate - €788.27 (pro-rated for part days)
The one person, one salary principle will apply to this role

Tenure: 5-Year term, renewable once only

Working Pattern: No fixed work pattern
(This will be dependent on assignment, and appointment does not guarantee assignment to cases)

Contracting Authority: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)
Adjudication Officers are appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on the nomination of the CCPC. The contractual relationship will be between the CCPC and the Adjudication Officer.

Contract Type: Contract for Services

Key Purpose of the Role

Adjudication Officers (“AO”) will be nominated by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“CCPC”) for appointment by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment under section 15O(1) of the Competition Act 2002, as amended (the “2002 Act”) and the Competition Act 2002 (Adjudication Officers) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 476/2023) (the “2023 Regulations”) to make administrative competition enforcement decisions on behalf of the CCPC or otherwise exercise any powers of an adjudication officer under Part 2D of the 2002 Act.

CCPC Background

The 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.

For many years the CCPC argued that the Irish competition regime needed increased enforcement powers in order to be able to deliver for consumers. The Competition (Amendment) Act 2022 gives greater powers to the CCPC. This means that, for the first time, the CCPC, through independent adjudication officers, can impose administrative financial sanctions for breaches of Irish and EU competition law, subject to Court confirmation. This is an important and exciting time to be involved in the new adjudication function at the CCPC. As the CCPC’s decision-makers, Adjudication Officers will play a vital part in ensuring that the Irish competition regime delivers for consumers and the whole economy.

The CCPC consists of a Chairperson and up to six (currently two) Members (together the “Commission”). The Commission is responsible for the strategic and operational management of the organisation to deliver on our mission and meet our statutory and regulatory objectives. Each Division of the CCPC is overseen by a Member of the Commission, led by a Divisional Director and managed by a senior management team from within the Division. We are staffed with people from a wide range of technical backgrounds, including economists, lawyers, digital forensic specialists, investigators, communications professionals and more.

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

Adjudication Function Overview

The 2022 Act, which transposes Directive (EU) 2019/1 (known as the ‘ECN+ Directive’), establishes a landmark new administrative enforcement regime in Ireland for breaches of EU and Irish competition law. Part 2D of the 2002 Act (as inserted by the 2022 Act) creates a new administrative adjudication regime under which the CCPC, through independent adjudication officers, has the power, subject to court approval, to make decisions concerning alleged infringements of competition law and to impose administrative financial sanctions of up to €10 million or 10% of total worldwide turnover. The CCPC Commission will refer cases for adjudication following the conclusion of investigations by CCPC investigation teams.

Part 2D of the 2002 Act creates the role of Adjudication Officers that are nominated by the CCPC and appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Part 2D also provides for the role of Chief Adjudication Officer (“CAO”). A CAO was appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on 26 March 2025. The CCPC now intends to nominate a panel of AOs for appointment by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.

The CCPC has established a Competition Adjudication Unit, responsible for supporting the set-up and operation of the new adjudication function under Part 2D of the 2002 Act. The Competition Adjudication Unit is led by a Director, and it will provide support and assistance to the CAO and AOs in the exercise of their functions. Robust arrangements are in place to ensure clear separation between the CCPC’s investigative and adjudication functions in relation to breaches of competition law and to safeguard the independence of the adjudication regime.

Role Summary

The CCPC requires talented and suitably experienced individuals to act as Adjudication Officers on behalf of the CCPC under Part 2D of the 2002 Act. The successful nominees to the panel will have a demonstrable track record of making objective, proportionate and reasoned high-level decisions in a legal, regulatory and / or business environment.

AOs will play a key role in delivering on the CCPC’s mandate by making decisions on behalf of the CCPC in accordance with Part 2D of the 2002 Act. A referral for decision will be made by the CCPC in accordance with section 15M of the 2002 Act following the conclusion of an investigation by the CCPC’s investigation teams. Some of the detail around this decision-making role is set out in Appendix 3. A fundamental requirement of the 2002 Act is that there must be adequate separation between the CCPC’s investigative and adjudicative functions: that is, between the individuals investigating a suspected infringement and the individuals deciding whether an infringement has, in fact, occurred and imposing a fine or other sanction. The 2002 Act contains stringent requirements to ensure that the adjudication function shall be independent, including a requirement that it shall not be accountable or answerable to any person when performing these functions.

In practical terms, the CCPC expects that the AOs will:

Act as AO for assigned cases, which includes being available to sit in oral hearings
Make high quality, consistent, proportionate and fair decisions
Ensure that adjudication of any potentially assigned cases is conducted in accordance with the 2002 Act and best practice case management
Maintain an open and productive relationship with the CAO and the Adjudication Unit of the CCPC.

It is the CCPC’s intention to nominate approximately 15 Adjudication Officer candidates for the role of Adjudication Officer. These individuals will be selected to ensure a wide range of skills and experience, to enable the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to form a balanced panel, reflecting different areas of expertise including competition law, competition economics, regulatory, legal and international experience in these areas, across the panel of Adjudication Officers.

Following appointment to the panel, individual Adjudication Officers (or Divisions of more than one Adjudication Officer) will be assigned to matters by the Chief Adjudication Officer as they arise.

The CCPC’s process for selection of candidates is set out in Appendix 1 of the booklet linked below.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must satisfy the Adjudication Officer eligibility criteria set out in Regulation 3 of the 2023 Regulations. These are set out in full in Appendix 2 of the booklet linked below.

Essential Criteria

Applicants must have a proven ability to:

analyse, understand and assess complex legal and economic arguments by reference to evidence
assimilate large quantities of detailed information to make evidence-based decisions and provide cogent reasoning for same
conduct hearings and make fair judgments based on relevant evidence
understand the legal environment within which AOs will be deciding issues
work effectively both individually and collaboratively as part of a division of AOs
act professionally, ethically and with integrity
have necessary administrative skills.

Desirable Skills

previous experience of competition decision-making at a senior level, such as other panels, committees or tribunals

How to apply

Expressions of interest should be submitted by email to recruit@ccpc.ie by 12 noon on Tuesday, 12th August 2025.

An expression of interest must include:

1. The accompanying Expression of Interest form outlining how the applicant meets the eligibility and essential criteria for the role; and
2. A detailed CV.

Click here to download the full Expression of Interest booklet