ARE YOU SAVVY with your cash? Or maybe you are great at doling out money advice tips? Well, there’s a government job that might be for you. 

The government is looking to hire a Financial Literacy Ambassador. However, it should be noted, this is an unpaid position. 

The job will entail communicating key messages around financial literacy and helping empower Irish citizens to take control of their finances.

The person will be supported in their role by the Department of Finance. 

So, what kind of person is the Finance Minister Simon Harris looking for?

Finance influencers? 

There are plenty of financial ‘influencers’ out there, so perhaps one of them might be a fit? Or perhaps more of an academic figure? 

Asked about who his choice would be, the finance minister said under a European Commission initiative he has been empowered to hire a number of ambassadors.

This new financial literacy ambassador would have to work at a national level, but would also have to be “plugged into the EU network of financial literacy”, Harris said this week.

The finance minister said he has an “open mind” on who might get the gig, but said the “nub of the issue” is this person will need a diverse range of skills.

“So of course, we want people with financial expertise, but we also want people who are going to be able to engage with a new generation of people, communicate with them and reach them where they are at, in terms of platforms that they have a presence on,” he said.

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“So I think there’s a whole variety of skill sets,” said Harris, who added that he was “very struck” at the Savings and Investment Forum in the Central Bank this week at the “diversity of ages, backgrounds, experiences in the room”.

While the job description outlines that this role comes with no salary, the person must be an influential, trusted and relatable public figure, who is a dynamic communicator with access to major media channels, both online and offline.

They must also be comfortable addressing both everyday money management and the longer-term benefits of saving and investing.

Ideally ambassadors will also be able to travel to Brussels, when needed, to engage with the EU Network of financial literacy ambassadors.