A second recruitment competition has been launched to find a new head of Northern Ireland’s civil service.
It comes after First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill failed to agreed a permanent appointment last year.
Jenny Pyper was installed as interim chief in December for eight months.
The role includes serving as the Stormont Executive’s principal policy adviser and leader of 23,000 civil servants.
It comes with a salary scale of £160,563-£188,272 under review.
In a joint statement, Mrs Foster and Ms O’Neill said they want to recruit a “highly skilled leader”.
“We want to recruit a highly skilled leader as our principal policy adviser and leader of the NICS, providing support, counsel and challenge to us, the Executive as a whole and to the NICS.
“The issues we face are many and significant, but we are committed to delivering our priorities as set out in the Programme for Government and in New Decade New Approach.”
