THE NORTH'S chief electoral officer is to step down ahead of May's local government election.
Virginia McVea is to take up a new role as chief executive of the UK-wide Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
She is due to begin her new Southampton-based job on April 3, leaving the Electoral Office next month, a matter of weeks before the council elections.
Ms McVea was appointed regional chief electoral officer in February 2017, succeeding former RUC officer Graham Shields.
Her six-year tenure has been largely uncontroversial compared to that of her predecessor, who faced criticism over slow counting in the 2011 assembly elections just six months into his new job.
She has overseen two Westminster elections, two assembly polls, and the 2019 local government election, as well as the 2018 recall petition triggered by Ian Paisley's 30-day suspension from the House of Commons for paid advocacy on behalf of the Sri Lankan government.
The 52-year-old mother-of-three, who is regarded by staff and members of the media as approachable and personable, is a qualified solicitor who previously served as the director of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and as a legal adviser to the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority.
She was reappointed to her current role in March 2021 by the then secretary of state Brandon Lewis.
Ms McVea told The Irish News that recruitment of her successor had already begun, with interviews for the post expected to take place in the coming weeks.
She said it was required by law that a returning officer is in place for the May 18 local government election, when candidates will contest 462 seats across 11 councils.
Among the highlights of the past six years, she said, were receiving make-up advice from RTÉ veteran journalist Tommie Gorman.
"Then there was standing on a platform with three women during the European election result in 2019 and being amazed by the team in the wee polling station in Greencastle in Co Tyrone who kept on working after a man had pulled a gun," Ms McVea said.
The departing chief electoral officer said she was "absolutely thrilled" to be taking up her new role, while she paid tribute to colleagues at the Electoral Office and the casual workers who staff polling stations and count centres.
"I have loved my time at the Electoral Office – it's a fantastic job," she said.
"I don't know if you could say it has been an unprecedented period but there were an awful there was an awful lot of electoral activity – and the staff and volunteers have been outstanding."
In her new role at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Ms McVea will oversee a team of 1,150 staff and 3,500 volunteers.
She will primarily be based in England but will return to the north to visit Coastguard facilities in Bangor and Kilkeel.