Senior Sustainability Engineer

Gaia Talent; Clonee; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

Permanent senior position

Office in Clonee

Leadership role

Job summary

Gaia Talent in Clonee, Co. Dublin, is actively seeking a Senior Sustainability Engineer to lead the sustainability department. This is a senior, hands-on role focused on building performance, Part L compliance and energy modelling across projects.

You will work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers, lead IES VE analyses, BER assessments and NEAP reviews, mentor junior staff and help expand sustainability services within the practice. This is a permanent, office-based position.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering or related discipline.
• 7+ years' sustainability/building-performance experience in Ireland.
• Registered SEAI Non-Domestic BER Assessor and NEAP knowledge.
• Extensive Part L compliance experience for nondomestic buildings.
• Strong IES VE proficiency and energy modelling experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead sustainability and building-performance work across projects.
• Carry out and review IES VE dynamic simulation models.
• Prepare Non-Domestic Part L compliance assessments and BERs.
• Develop energy and decarbonisation strategies for projects.
• Mentor junior staff and coordinate with design teams.

Skills

Building performance

Dynamic simulation modelling

Client leadership

Project management

Energy modelling

Education

Engineering degree (Building Services)

Tools

IES VE

Job description

This is a full-time, office-based position in Clonee, Co. Dublin. It is not a remote or hybrid role.

Applicants must:

• Be currently based in Ireland
• Have an existing legal entitlement to work in Ireland
• Be available to work full-time from the Clonee office
• Have a minimum of 7 years’ relevant professional experience
• Have substantial practical experience with Irish Building Regulations, Non-Domestic Part L and NEAP
• Be currently qualified/registered to undertake SEAI Non-Domestic BER assessments
• Employment permit sponsorship and relocation assistance are not available for this position.

Applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.

The Position:

A growing engineering consultancy is looking to appoint a Senior Sustainability Engineer/ Sustainability Lead to lead and develop the sustainability department within the practice. This is a senior, hands-on position for someone with strong experience in building performance, dynamic simulation modelling and Part L compliance. The successful candidate will work closely with the mechanical and electrical engineers and will take responsibility for sustainability input across a wide range of projects. We are looking for someone who is technically very strong, comfortable dealing directly with clients and design teams, and capable of taking ownership of the sustainability function as it grows. The role may suit an experienced Senior Sustainability Engineer, Building Performance Engineer or Sustainability Consultant who is ready to take on greater responsibility and lead this area of the practice.

The Role:

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Leading sustainability and building-performance work across projects
• Carrying out and reviewing IES VE dynamic simulation models
• Preparing Non-Domestic Part L compliance assessments
• Carrying out and issuing Non-Domestic BER assessments
• Undertaking and reviewing NEAP assessments
• Carrying out overheating, thermal comfort, natural ventilation and energy-performance studies
• Advising architects and design teams on building fabric, glazing, solar gain, air permeability and other energy-related design issues
• Advising on low-energy and low-carbon building design
• Assessing heat pumps, renewable-energy systems, PV and other low-carbon technologies
• Preparing energy and decarbonisation strategies for new and existing buildings
• Undertaking feasibility studies and option appraisals
• Preparing technical reports and sustainability submissions
• Attending client and design-team meetings
• Coordinating sustainability requirements with our mechanical and electrical design teams
• Reviewing project designs for compliance with energy and sustainability requirements
• Developing internal sustainability procedures, standards and QA processes
• Providing technical guidance and support to other members of the team
• Supporting and mentoring junior staff
• Helping develop and expand the sustainability services offered by the practice

Applicants should have:

• A degree in Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Sustainable Energy, Building Physics or a related discipline
• A minimum of 7 years’ relevant professional experience in sustainability, building performance, energy or building-services consultancy
• Significant experience delivering sustainability and energy assessments for projects in Ireland
• Substantial practical experience with Irish Building Regulations and the Irish building-energy regulatory framework
• Extensive experience carrying out Part L compliance assessments for non-domestic buildings in Ireland
• Current SEAI Non-Domestic BER Assessor registration
• Excellent working knowledge of NEAP
• Expert-level competence in IES Virtual Environment (IES VE) with substantial experience developing and analysing dynamic simulation models
• Experience with complex building-performance analysis
• Strong knowledge of building physics, thermal performance, overheating, natural ventilation and low-energy design
• Good understanding of mechanical and electrical building services and their interaction with building energy performance
• Experience working as part of multidisciplinary design teams
• Experience taking technical responsibility for projects
• Strong technical report-writing and communication skills
• Ability to manage several projects at the same time
• Confidence dealing directly with clients, architects, engineers and other consultants
• Ability to provide technical leadership and review the work of others
• Previous experience supervising, mentoring or leading other staff would be advantageous, but previous experience as a formal department head is not essential

Additional Experience:

Experience with any of the following would be an advantage:

• BREEAM
• LEED
• WELL
• Embodied carbon assessment
• Life-cycle assessment
• Operational energy modelling
• Energy audits
• Digital tools or automation used in building-performance analysis
• Chartered Engineer status, or progress towards an appropriate professional qualification, would also be beneficial

Leading the Sustainability Department:

This role is intended for someone who can take responsibility for the sustainability function within the company. As well as delivering project work, the successful candidate will help develop how sustainability services are delivered within the practice. This will include improving internal standards, reviewing technical quality, supporting junior staff and identifying areas where we can expand our sustainability offering. The successful candidate will work closely with company management and will have a significant input into how the department develops. We are also interested in making better use of digital tools, automation and AI where they can genuinely improve modelling, analysis, reporting or QA. Experience in this area would be useful but is not essential.

What We Offer:

• Salary of €70,000–€80,000 depending on experience
• Company pension scheme
• Permanent senior position
• Responsibility for leading and developing the sustainability department
• Direct involvement with company management
• Varied project workload across education, healthcare, commercial, residential and public-sector projects
• Strong client and design-team exposure
• Opportunity to develop and expand the sustainability services offered by the practice
• Good long-term progression within a growing consultancy
• Office based in Clonee, Co. Dublin

If you have strong experience in IES VE, Non-Domestic Part L and BER assessment and are looking for a senior role with responsibility for developing a sustainability function, we would be interested in hearing from you.