Project Design Manager I Europe

Kirby Group Engineering; Dublin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kirby Group Engineering is seeking an experienced MEP Design Manager to lead electrical design across high-profile projects in Ireland, the UK and Europe. You will guide multidisciplinary teams, shape technical direction, and ensure safety, quality and on-time delivery. This senior role demands hands-on coaching, strong client communication, and the ability to balance design excellence with project constraints in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Strong electrical design engineering background.
• Experience leading design teams on big projects.
• Comfortable making calls when information isn’t perfect.
• Leads by example and knows when to back or challenge their team.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and engineering activity on major MEP projects – electrical systems and controls.
• Manage and coordinate design teams across Ireland, the UK and Europe.
• Be the primary technical point of contact for construction teams when complex issues arise.
• Improve design processes and ensure Kirby Way evolves with project demands.
• Recruit, coach and develop engineers so they’re stronger next year than today.
• Represent design and engineering in tender interviews and kick-off meetings with confidence.

Skills

Electrical design engineering

Leadership

Decision making

Team coaching

Job description

• Permanent position available with a considerable portfolio of works for the next 5+ years
• To build your career by assisting in the delivery of ‘leading edge’ engineering projects.
• To work with a vibrant, agile and multi-functional team in delivering projects on time, safely, to budget and to the required quality standards.
• To benefit from Kirby’s Career Development Programmes that will enhance your leadership capability.
• To work with the best.
• Excellent package on offer with room for negotiations

About Kirby Group Engineering

Kirby Group Engineering is an international multi-disciplinary engineering services contractor and leading provider of high-value engineering services to a number of ‘blue chip’ companies. Operating across Ireland, the UK, Europe and South Africa, Kirby has become the engineering service provider of choice in growth segments such as pharmaceuticals, data centres and power transmission and distribution. Our culture is innovative, collaborative and performance focused. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to grow and develop in a company committed to developing talent and rewarding performance.

MEP Design Manager

You probably don’t get excited by “roles and responsibilities” lists. Neither do we. So let’s cut to the chase.

We’re Kirby Group Engineering. 2,000+ people. €900m+ turnover. Projects across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. The stuff we design and build? Data centres, power transmission, pharma facilities, hyperscale projects. Big, complex, high-stakes engineering that makes the lights stay on and the internet keep working.

Now to you.

We need someone to take charge of mechanical and electrical design on some of the most technically demanding projects we deliver. Someone who doesn’t just manage engineers, but knows how to get the best out of them – across multiple regions, with different cultures, time zones, and approaches.

This isn’t a “check drawings and sign them off” type role. It’s leadership at project level. It’s building teams, improving processes, spotting design gaps before they turn into expensive mistakes, and making sure the whole thing runs like clockwork.

What you’ll actually do:

• Lead design and engineering activity on major projects – power, cooling, telecoms, controls.
• Manage teams across Ireland, the UK, and Europe.
• Be the person construction teams call when they hit something too complex to solve locally.
• Improve how we do design – and make sure the “Kirby Way” keeps evolving.
• Recruit, coach and develop engineers so they’re better next year than they are today.
• Front up to clients in tender interviews and kick-off meetings, representing design and engineering with confidence.

What you won’t do:

• Drown in bureaucracy.
• Sit in one office and never see the bigger picture.
• Be a small cog in a giant machine.

What we’re looking for:

• A strong electrical design engineering background
• Experience leading design teams on big projects.
• Someone comfortable making calls when it matters – even if the information isn’t perfect.
• A leader who knows when to back their team, and when to challenge them.

The deal:

• Salary and benefits that reflect the seniority of the role.
• Projects that stretch you – and give you the kind of experience most engineers only read about.

Kirby Group Engineering is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of race, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or age.