Key Manager Support

About this scheme

Innovation is about people as much as process, and Key Manager Support helps a business attract the right senior talent to drive change, by contributing to the salary cost of a 'Key Manager' whose skills are critical to Growth. The Key Manager must contribute to significant, measurable improvements in company productivity and/or changes in output to meet defined market requirements; example roles include Chief Financial Officer, Chief Technical Officer, R&D Manager, and Production Manager. It covers salary costs up to a maximum annual salary of €150,000 for a full-time role, or between €75,000 and €150,000 for a part-time role; grant aid for salaries is based on the Regional Aid Map and paid over 2 years.

Who can apply

• Business must be seeking to attract senior leadership talent
• The Key Manager must contribute to significant, measurable improvements in company productivity and/or changes in output to meet defined market requirements
• Example eligible Key Manager roles: Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Technical Officer (CTO), R&D Manager, Production Manager, and similar senior management functions
• Maximum eligible annual salary is €150,000 for a full-time role, or between €75,000 and €150,000 for a part-time role
• A company may receive a maximum of two Key Manager approvals in a rolling 12-month period
• Grant aid for salaries is based on the Regional Aid Map and paid over 2 years; a guideline minimum salary of €45,000 outside Dublin and €50,000 within Dublin is recommended, reflecting the strategic, senior-management nature of the role
• A maximum of 2 claims may be made against this grant: the first when the Key Manager is recruited, and the second when the job has been in place for 12 months

How to apply

1. 1Company identifies a critical skills gap at senior management level and, working with its Enterprise Ireland Development Advisor, defines the Key Manager role and the measurable productivity/output improvements it will deliver
2. 2Company applies via Enterprise Ireland's online application process and, if approved, receives a Letter of Offer confirming the grant, Project Number, approved expenditure (based on the Regional Aid Map, paid over 2 years) and Final Claim Date, before recruiting the Key Manager
3. 3First claim: submitted when the Key Manager is recruited
4. 4Second claim: submitted once the Key Manager's role has been in place for 12 months
5. 5For each claim, company downloads and completes the Key Manager Checklist, Claim Form and Director Statement (one Excel workbook); only the Director Statement needs to be printed, signed and returned as a PDF, and the Excel claim worksheets must not be converted to PDF before submission or they will be returned
6. 6Company emails the completed claim to IndustryGrantClaims@enterprise-ireland.com
7. 7If in order, the claimed expenditure and supporting documentation are desk inspected; any queries are passed to the company's Client Advisor, who reviews and instructs the Payment Officer to pay or disallow the claim; the Payment Officer authorises the claim and submits a payment request to Finance, and a letter issues via email from Grant Payments confirming the approved payment will follow to the company's bank account