THE largest employer in Northern Ireland is again searching for a chief executive - having only had an interim boss since its creation.
The Education Authority (EA) replaced the old education and library boards in April 2015.
Since then it has been led by interim chief executive Gavin Boyd.
Previous attempts to find a permanent replacement have failed.
The EA has a budget of approximately £1.5billion and is the north's largest employer, with close to 40,000 people - most of them teachers in the state-controlled sector.
The top job has been described as "one of the most demanding chief executive appointments in Northern Ireland", and "one of the biggest educational leadership roles in the UK and Ireland".
EA chairperson Sharon O'Connor said the authority's work impacted on the lives of tens of thousands of young people and their families every day.
"EA is committed to ensuring that every child has the best opportunity to learn and to be the best that they can be. Our job is to help equip young people to succeed in life and work in the modern world," she said.
"We therefore want to appoint a chief executive who shares our commitment to providing excellent educational experiences, inspiring a love of learning, and delivering high quality services."
Applications are sought from individuals with "significant experience of operating at the top management level in a large and complex organisation and with a track record of the successful delivery of major change".
The successful candidate will demonstrate the "resilience, talent and skills to work in this demanding public facing role".
It is not an essential requirement for this experience to have been gained within the field of education. However, it is anticipated that the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a significant appreciation of the challenges faced by EA.
"We are entering an exciting new phase for the organisation, as EA continues to evolve and establish itself into a forward-thinking regional organisation that delivers excellent services for the benefit of all young people across Northern Ireland for generations to come," Ms O'Connor said.
"We are looking for a chief executive who can continue to build and develop EA as a world class organisation."
