Civil Engineering Technician Grade I

publicjobs; Dublin; On-site; EUR 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Office of Public Works in Dublin is seeking a Civil Engineering Technician Grade I to support flood risk management activities. The role covers hydrometric data collection, site supervision, rainfall data handling, and installation of telemetry equipment.

The ideal candidate has NFQ Level 6 in Civil Engineering or related discipline with several years of post-qualification experience, strong IT skills, and the ability to supervise teams while working under tight deadlines.

Qualifications

• NFQ Level 6 in Civil Engineering or equivalent with 3+ years post-qualification engineering experience.
• Experience in two or more areas: Surveying, Hydrometric work, GIS, or telemetry.
• Ability to supervise staff and manage projects under pressure and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain hydrometric stations and data validation.
• Measure flows at stations and calibrate instruments.
• Monitor rain gauges and telemetry equipment and install new stations.
• Set out construction-related works and supervise related surveys.
• Forecast and plan works in hydraulic control structures and monitoring stations.
• Train and mentor staff and provide safety assessments.
• Undertake field and office duties to support Hydrometric, Arterial Drainage, and Survey sections.

Skills

Surveying

Hydrometric work

GIS

Telemetry

Data processing

Quality control

Team supervision

Problem solving

English fluency

Education

NFQ Level 6 in Civil Engineering

Related discipline e.g. Structural Eng / GIS

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job title: Civil Engineering Technician Grade I

Employer: Office of Public Works

Location: Dublin

Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 15th October 2026

About the Employer:

The Office of Public Works (OPW) is a key service provider to the Government. A core part of its remit is maintaining and presenting Ireland’s most iconic heritage properties and for the management and maintenance of the State’s property portfolio, providing accommodation to central Government Departments, An Garda Síochána and other State agencies.

OPW is also the lead agency in co-ordinating flood risk management policy, the flood relief capital programme, and the technical assessment of coastal change risks in Ireland.

OPW now requires the assistance of additional staff at Civil Engineering Technician Grade I level to support the flood risk management programme. Successful candidate(s) may be placed in any section across the OPW’s Flood Risk Management Divisions. These sections include:

• Survey and Coastal Monitoring Section

About the Roles:

Hydrometric Section

The OPW Hydrometric Section is responsible for the provision, operation and maintenance of a national hydrometric network and dataset and producing hydrometric data (water levels and river flows) and hydrological analysis to support the OPW in fulfilling its functions under the national flood risk management policy and the EU ‘Floods’ Directive. The core operations of the Section are the collection, processing, archiving, analysis and dissemination of hydrometric data.

The Role

Reporting to an Engineer Grade II or Engineer Grade III, the work of the Civil Engineering Technician Grade I in the Hydrometric Section primarily involves the collection, processing and management of hydrometric data, and the installation, monitoring and maintenance of hydrometric gauging stations.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities of the Role

The principal duties of the Civil Engineering Technician Grade I in Hydrometric Section are:

• Operating and maintaining of hydrometric stations, including calibration, data download/ collection and data validation;
• Undertaking flow measurements at hydrometric stations and where required;
• Monitoring and maintenance of rain gauges, including calibration, data download/collection and data validation;
• Establishing new hydrometric stations and rain gauges;
• Installing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of telemetry equipment;
• Examining, processing, quality assessing and management of hydrometric and rainfall data;
• Supervising operational staff and taking on of duties associated with line management contractors where required;
• Planning, setting out and supervision of works on hydraulic control structures and monitoring stations, measurement and recording of works progress, assuming role of Project Supervisor as required;
• Undertaking of surveys of rivers, lakes and coastal locations, and associated infrastructure such as embankments and channel structures, and preparing drawings;
• Setting out and levelling of construction-related projects;
• Implementing Safety systems and undertaking risk assessments;
• Undertaking technical auditing of peers;
• Training and mentoring new staff including apprentices, and students on temporary placement;
• Developing technical excellence in the use specialised equipment and systems;
• Undertaking other field and office duties as required to assist with the performance of the functions of the Hydrometric Section.

Arterial Drainage Maintenance and Construction Section

The Arterial Drainage Maintenance and Construction Section is responsible for the management of the maintenance requirements on drainage schemes completed under the Arterial Drainage Act, 1945 and for the construction and maintenance of capital flood relief schemes executed under the 1945 & 1995 Arterial Drainage Acts. The Section is responsible also for the maintenance of coastal protection schemes completed under the Coast Protection Act, 1963.

The Role

Reporting to an Engineer Grade II or Engineer Grade III, the work of the Civil Engineering Technician Grade I in the Arterial Drainage Maintenance and Construction Section is to provide support to the Engineer in the development, implementation and supervision of all aspects of the maintenance and capital works programmes.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities of the Role

The principal duties of the Civil Engineering Technician Grade I in Arterial Drainage Maintenance and Construction Section are:

• Undertaking surveys of rivers, lakes and coastal locations, and infrastructure such as embankments and channel structures, and preparing drawings;
• Setting out and levelling of construction-related projects;
• Investigating of complaints and claims;
• Preparing and monitoring of works programmes;
• Measuring, supervising and recording of works progress;
• Implementing Safety Systems and undertaking risk assessments;
• Supervising operational staff and taking on of duties associated with line management and contractors where required;
• Undertaking other field and office duties as required to assist with the performance of the functions of the Arterial Drainage Maintenance and Construction Section.

Survey and Coastal Monitoring Section

The Survey and Coastal Monitoring Section is responsible for the development and implementation of coastal monitoring programmes, analysis of coastal monitoring data, research and piloting of innovative monitoring techniques and development and management of a coastal defence asset database and asset management system. The Section is also responsible for the inspection of schemes constructed under the Coast Protection Act, 1963.

The Role

Reporting to an Engineer Grade II or Engineer Grade III, the work of the Civil Engineering Technician Grade I in the Survey and Coastal Monitoring Section primarily involves the collection, processing, quality control and management of coastal monitoring data.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities of the Role

The principal duties of the Civil Engineering Technician Grade I in the Survey and Coastal Monitoring Section are:

• Undertaking of coastal monitoring surveys and preparation of survey reports and drawings;
• Reviewing and quality control of survey data, including data provided by external contractors;
• Preparing and monitoring of works programmes;
• Measuring, supervising and recording of works progress;
• Implementing Safety Systems and undertaking risk assessments;
• Undertaking other field and office duties as required to assist with the performance of the functions of the Survey and Coastal Monitoring Section.

About You:

Candidates must have on or before 15th of October 2026:

1. (a) A qualification at minimum Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) (or NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications equivalent) in Civil Engineering

and (b) A minimum of three years’ relevant post-qualification engineering experience, including relevant experience in two or more of the following areas:

• Surveying
• Hydrometric work
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Maintaining and operating technical equipment, systems and telemetry.

OR 2. (a) A qualification at minimum Level 6 on the NFQ (or NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications equivalent) in a related discipline such as Structural Engineering, Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Digital Mapping, Civil and Water Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Construction Management or Construction Studies.

and (b) A minimum of four years’ relevant post-qualification engineering experience, including relevant experience in two or more of the following areas:

• Surveying
• Hydrometric work
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Maintaining and operating technical equipment, systems and telemetry

Candidates must also have:

3. The ability to supervise staff in an operational environment.

4. The ability to tackle problems of a technical and/or management nature with a practical approach.

5. The ability to work independently, capable of operating under own initiative and ability to motivate and support others.

6. The ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines with attention to detail.

7. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

8. Excellent oral and written communication skills with fluency in English.

9. A commitment to achieving quality results and ensuring all tasks are completed to a very high standard.

10. Good Information Technology (IT) skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

11. A commitment to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) including keeping updated and fully informed on developments in relevant areas.

12. A current full driving licence (Category B), valid in Ireland and have access to a car.

Further information including details on how the Capability Framework for this position is available on www.publicjobs.ie.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 15th October, 2026.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.