Project Design Manager I Europe

Kirby Group Engineering
Dublin +1 more
On-siteCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience leading MEP design teams on large-scale projects across Europe.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with leadership experience in MEP design on technically complex projects
    — “Experience leading design teams on big projects.”
  • Individuals who thrive in roles that require proactive problem-solving and decision-making
    — “Someone comfortable making calls when it matters – even if the information isn’t perfect.”

Things to consider

  • The role requires frequent cross-border coordination and client-facing engagement
    — “Front up to clients in tender interviews and kick-off meetings, representing design and engineering with confidence.”
  • Travel and on-site presence may be necessary due to the multi-regional team setup
    — “Manage teams across Ireland, the UK, and Europe.”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your ability to lead and develop engineering teams in your resume and interviews
    — “Recruit, coach and develop engineers so they’re better next year than they are today.”
  • Emphasize your track record in identifying and resolving design issues proactively
    — “Spotting design gaps before they turn into expensive mistakes.”
  • Showcase your experience with power, cooling, telecoms, and controls systems in major projects
    — “Lead design and engineering activity on major projects – power, cooling, telecoms, controls.”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • leading design and engineering activity on major projects
  • managing teams across regions
  • improving design processes
  • recruiting and developing engineers
  • representing design and engineering to clients
Typical background
project managementteam leadershipmechanical and electrical design

Skills & requirements

Required

Project ManagementTeam LeadershipMechanical And Electrical DesignRisk ManagementProcess ImprovementRecruitmentCoachingClient Communication

Preferred

Data CentersPower TransmissionPharma FacilitiesHyperscale ProjectsKirby Way

Stack & domain

Electrical Design EngineeringProject ManagementTeam LeadershipLeadershipProblem-solvingCommunicationTeamworkEngineeringConstruction

About the role

Original posting from Kirby Group Engineering via Greenhouse

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.

If you want to lead design on projects that keep the modern world running, let’s talk.

For more information on this role, or other Construction / Engineering opportunities across Ireland, the UK, Europe, or South Africa please review our careers page (Vacancies - Kirby Group Careers) or contact the Talent Acquisition Team at Kirby Group in confidence on +353 (0)1 454 0411.

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.

Source: Kirby Group Engineering careers (Greenhouse)

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