Higher Executive Officer 2026 · Vacancy 8195
Make your strongest
experience count
at HEO level.
Find the examples that prove your level, map them to the HEO capabilities and strengthen what is still vague before you submit.
Start with one real work example. Your first Experience Coach run is free. Premium is €39 per month.
The Experience Coach
Start with what happened.
See what it proves.
Give the coach a rough account of something you genuinely handled at work. It structures the facts into STAR, finds the strongest match in the official HEO capability framework and assesses how well the evidence currently holds up at HEO level.
- 01
Bring the real work
A difficult project, a team problem, a service improvement or a decision you owned. Rough notes are enough to start.
- 02
Find the strongest fit
See the capability this example demonstrates best and whether the evidence is strong, solid or still needs work at HEO grade.
- 03
Strengthen the proof
Get specific prompts for the missing decision, scale, accountability or result, while the facts are still fresh.
The first decision
A title does not prove HEO management experience.
The live eligibility gate is at least three years of relevant management experience at an appropriate level. The evidence needs to show what you formally managed, for how long, at what scale and with what accountability.
01 People or teams you formally managed
02 Workloads, projects or processes you owned
03 Judgement, targets and competing demands
04 Stakeholders, standards and measurable outcomes
Important: candidates without the required experience should not be persuaded around the rule. Read the evidence test before buying.
Check the three-year management requirementThe live application
The form is not paperwork.
It is the first assessment.
Every campaign response is required. Every response is capped at 350 words. Publicjobs asks for the candidate's experience in their own words.
Management eligibility
Three years of formal people or team management
Leading and empowering
A strategic objective, people leadership and knowledge sharing
Evidence informed delivery
Projects, resources, analysis, judgement and delivery
Communicating and collaborating
Influence, negotiation, consultation and relationships
Supplementary evidence
Relevant CPD, achievements, experience and involvement
Stronger evidence, not invented experience
The coach can structure a real work event, map its capability fit and show what is missing. It never invents the scale, decision or result. You check every fact and decide what belongs in your final application.
One evidence bank, four stages
Do the work once.
Keep using it.
Your strongest application examples should not vanish into a submitted form. Preserve the facts, decisions and results, then reshape them for the next stage when the official instructions arrive.
- 01
Now
Application
Build the five candidate-authored responses and preserve the evidence behind them. - 02
Expected October
Assessment
Use the official familiarisation material to decide the preparation route. The format is not yet confirmed. - 03
Expected January
Interview
Turn the same strongest examples into a capability map, interview plan and rehearsed answers. - 04
Demand-led
Panel
Keep the evidence bank current while the two-year panel moves in batches.
The HEO campaign desk
Answer the question you have now.
Every guide feeds the same measured HEO pathway. No separate platform and no generic diagnostic detour.
The complete campaign guide
Eligibility, salary, dates and selection sequence.
The five application questions
The exact prompts, required structure and 350-word limits.
What counts as three years of management?
A practical evidence test that does not rely on job title.
The publicjobs AI rule
What preparation tools can safely do and what remains entirely yours.
Choosing your two locations
The two-location rule and the decision you cannot change later.
HEO assessment watch
What is confirmed, what is not, and what to wait for.
Straight answers
Before you start.
What does the Experience Coach actually do?
It takes one real event from your work, structures it into STAR, suggests the official capability it demonstrates best, assesses the evidence at HEO level and shows what is strong or still missing.
Does it invent or write my HEO application?
It structures and evaluates the work example you provide. It cannot add facts you did not give it, and it is not a finished application generator. You check the facts and decide what goes into your final response.
Can I try the coaching before paying?
Yes. Create a free account and use the Experience Coach on one work example. Continued coaching and the full HEO pathway are included in Premium at €39 per month.
Are numerical, verbal or SJT tests confirmed?
No specific test type is confirmed in the current booklet. The familiarisation material sent to invited candidates will be definitive.
Can applicants from outside the Civil Service apply?
Yes. This is an open competition, subject to the published qualification, experience and appointment requirements.
Can I change my locations later?
The booklet says candidates may choose no more than two locations and cannot change them after the closing date.
Is PublicServicePathway part of publicjobs?
No. PublicServicePathway is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by publicjobs or the Public Appointments Service.
Vacancy 8195 · closes 10 September
Do not let your strongest example stay buried.
Start with one real work event. See which HEO capability it proves best and what detail would make the evidence stronger.
Find my strongest HEO examples