Facilities Director - Global CRU & Laboratory Facilities

ICON Clinical Research; Ireland; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Health insurance

Retirement planning

LifeWorks program

Life assurance

Country benefits

Job summary

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization seeking a Facilities Director to lead global facilities strategy for CRUs and laboratory operations. You will be the technical authority for critical infrastructure, driving standards, reliability, compliance, and capital investments worldwide.

You will oversee a dispersed team, manage a ~$30M facilities budget, ensure GMP-regulated support, and guide asset lifecycle across multiple sites with emphasis on

Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership experience in facilities, engineering, or critical infrastructure environments.
• Strong mechanical and electrical facilities management expertise.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical research, healthcare, laboratory, or other highly regulated environments.
• Proven success leading multi-site operations, engineering governance, asset management, and reliability programs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement global engineering and maintenance standards across laboratory and clinical research facilities.
• Drive infrastructure reliability, asset management, and business continuity programs.
• Provide technical leadership for critical systems including HVAC, BMS, emergency power, and mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
• Lead facility compliance, inspection readiness, and support GMP-regulated operations.
• Oversee contractor and vendor performance, facilities governance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage a global facilities budget of approximately $30M and support strategic capital investment programs.
• Lead and develop a geographically dispersed team, building capability and engineering excellence across the organization.

Skills

Leadership

Facilities management

Engineering governance

Asset management

Reliability programs

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related discipline

Chartered Engineer status

Job description

Facilities Director - Global CRU & Laboratory Facilities

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We're proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development.

We are seeking an experienced Facilities Director to lead the global strategy, governance, and performance of facilities supporting our Clinical Research Units (CRUs) and Laboratory operations.

As the technical authority for critical infrastructure, you will be responsible for establishing engineering standards, driving infrastructure reliability, and ensuring our facilities support safe, compliant, and uninterrupted clinical and laboratory operations worldwide.

Reporting into senior leadership, you will oversee a global facilities organization, lead asset lifecycle and maintenance strategies, and provide expert guidance on major infrastructure investments, business continuity, and operational risk management.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement global engineering and maintenance standards across laboratory and clinical research facilities.
• Drive infrastructure reliability, asset management, and business continuity programs.
• Provide technical leadership for critical systems including HVAC, BMS, emergency power, and mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
• Lead facility compliance, inspection readiness, and support GMP-regulated operations.
• Oversee contractor and vendor performance, facilities governance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage a global facilities budget of approximately $30M and support strategic capital investment programs.
• Lead and develop a geographically dispersed team, building capability and engineering excellence across the organization.

About You

• 10+ years' leadership experience within facilities, engineering, or critical infrastructure environments.
• Strong mechanical and electrical facilities management expertise.
• Experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical research, healthcare, laboratory, or other highly regulated environments.
• Proven success leading multi-site operations, engineering governance, asset management, and reliability programs.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Building Services, Facilities Engineering, or a related discipline preferred.
• Chartered Engineer status or relevant professional certifications are advantageous.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to shape the global facilities strategy of a growing, science-led organization. You'll play a critical role in ensuring the reliability, compliance, and future readiness of facilities that support life-changing research and clinical operations around the world.

What ICON can offer you:

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That's why we've made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family's needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, LifeWorks, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialized professionals who are there to support you and your family's well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidized travel passes, health assessments, among others.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We're dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.