Announcement of Senior Civil Service leadership appointments
Date published:
Jayne Brady, the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, has announced appointments to the positions of Permanent Secretaries as well as the Departmental Solicitor and Head of Government Legal Service for Northern Ireland. These appointments follow recent open recruitment competitions.
Grainia Long, currently Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, will take up the post of Permanent Secretary in the Department for Communities.
David Malcolm is appointed as Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education.
Emer Morelli is appointed as Permanent Secretary in the Department for Infrastructure.
Louise Crilly has been appointed as the Departmental Solicitor and Head of Government Legal Service for Northern Ireland through a separate recruitment process.
All appointees will take up post over the coming months and join the NICS Board.
Notes to editors:
- The Permanent Secretary external recruitment competition was advertised from 16 September – 6 October 2025. The Departmental Solicitor external recruitment competition was advertised from 13 – 31 October 2025.
- The salary scale for both the Permanent Secretary and Departmental Solicitor positions is between £146,469 and £163,267.
- Permanent Secretaries are the principal advisers to departmental Ministers for all departmental activities; they are responsible for managing their NICS department, its staff and resources and are members of the NICS Board.
- As Accounting Officer, Permanent Secretaries are responsible to the NI Assembly (through the Public Accounts Committee) for the sound management of public funds.
- The Departmental Solicitor leads the legal profession in the NICS, advises on key issues for the Northern Ireland Executive and Departments, and serves as an NICS Board member.
- Biographies
Grainia Long – Grainia is currently the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, a post she had held since February 2021 where she leads 3,500 colleagues in a complex range of statutory duties and has a responsibility for an annual budget of £1.2bn. She provides strategic advice to the Board, policy advice to the Minister and departmental officials and is the senior spokesperson for the organisation.
David Malcolm - David is currently the Interim Permanent Secretary in The Executive Office, a position he has held since June 2024 where he leads 430 people and manages a budget in excess of £260million. He is the Principal Policy Advisor to the First Minister and deputy First Minister for departmental policy areas, such as Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG), Good Relations and Race and Equality policy.
Emer Morelli - Emer is currently the Deputy Secretary of the Engaged Communities Group in the Department for Communities, a position she has held since July 2022 where she leads 390 staff across a wide-ranging portfolio that includes responsibility for the Active Communities Division, State Care Monuments and Statutory Planning Consultee and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Louise Crilly – Louise Crilly has been temporary Departmental Solicitor and Head of Government Legal Services since April 2024. As Departmental Solicitor she leads the legal profession within the NICS and oversees a large and talented team of legal professionals, fostering excellence, integrity and collaboration across NICS. She works with 164 colleagues and a budget £12.6 million to provide a highly professional service to all nine Departments. She is a member of both the NICS Board and the DoF Board.