You’d lead the delivery of Environmental Impact Assessments for major infrastructure programmes in Ireland — managing multidisciplinary specialist teams, navigating planning consent processes, and keeping complex projects on track against regulatory and client timelines.
This is a pivotal moment for infrastructure in Ireland, and Jacobs’ EIA practice sits at the centre of it: wind farms, transport corridors, water infrastructure — projects that will shape the country’s physical landscape for decades. Your work is the mechanism by which these developments earn their social and environmental licence to proceed.
This suits a senior environmental professional who combines deep technical EIA expertise with the commercial instincts to contribute to winning new work and the leadership presence to represent Jacobs with government clients and planning authorities.
Job FAQs
What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?
The primary mission of the Senior Associate Director is to lead the delivery of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and securing development consents for major infrastructure projects across Ireland. This is a high-level leadership role where you will be responsible for the technical integrity of complex environmental workstreams, ensuring they comply with both local and national legislation while meeting the strategic goals of the client and Jacobs.Your day-to-day responsibilities involves managing multidisciplinary teams of specialists, including ecologists, hydrologists, and acoustics experts, to synthesize their findings into cohesive environmental statements. You will also be tasked with identifying and mitigating project delivery risks and overseeing tight governance procedures. Beyond technical delivery, you are expected to play a key role in business development and maintaining high-level client relationships.
Key learning opportunities for this job
In this role, you could gain unparalleled exposure to the regulatory nuances of the Irish planning system, particularly during a transformative period for infrastructure in the region. You will likely develop deep expertise in navigating the complexities of large-scale consents, which might include gaining insight into the latest digitized EIA techniques and innovative sustainability reporting standards used by a global leader like Jacobs.Furthermore, you might benefit from Jacobs' extensive internal network, offering mentorship opportunities in advanced project management and exposure to international best practices in environmental resilience. The role also provides a platform to refine senior leadership skills, specifically in the context of commercial strategy and business growth within the environmental sector.
How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?
The ideal candidate should have a strong executive presence and significant experience in leading large-scale EIAs within the Irish or UK market. Strategic thinking and the ability to simplify complex environmental risks for non-technical stakeholders are critical. You must hold Chartered status with a body such as IEMA or CIWEM, signifying a high level of professional competence and commitment to environmental ethics.Technical skills should be balanced with robust commercial acumen—the ability to manage budgets, project timelines, and bid for new work. From a soft-skills perspective, excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills are essential for managing diverse stakeholder groups and mentoring junior staff within a high-performance environment.
Advice to stand out and make a successful application
To stand out, you should move beyond listing projects and instead demonstrate your strategic impact on those projects. Provide specific examples of how you navigated complex regulatory hurdles or achieved favorable outcomes in public inquiries. Highlighting your experience with the Specific Infrastructure Developments (SID) process in Ireland would be a significant advantage, as this shows immediate technical readiness for the region’s largest projects.Additionally, align your application with Jacobs' focus on innovation and digitalization. Mentioning your familiarity with 'Digital EIA' or how you’ve used data-driven insights to improve environmental outcomes will mark you as a forward-thinking leader. Finally, emphasize your ability to act as a trusted advisor to clients, showing that you can integrate environmental objectives with their broader commercial and social goals.
What aspects of the company’s sustainability is this role likely to focus on?
This role is likely to focus heavily on the Environmental and Social Impact (ESI) aspects of sustainability, specifically focusing on how major infrastructure projects can achieve 'net gain' or zero-carbon objectives. You will likely be tasked with ensuring that projects are designed with climate resilience in mind, helping clients navigate the shift towards sustainable urban planning and green energy infrastructure.There is also a significant focus on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and the circular economy, as you will be crafting mitigation strategies that minimize habitat loss and maximize resource efficiency. Your role is at the intersection of infrastructure development and environmental preservation, making you a key architect of the company’s vision for a ‘connected and sustainable world’.
What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?
One of the main challenges could be managing the competing priorities of diverse stakeholders, such as balancing a client’s budget and schedule against stringent environmental protection requirements and public concerns. In the context of Ireland, navigating a rapidly evolving legislative landscape and potential legal challenges during the planning phase can be particularly demanding.Additionally, the sheer scale and complexity of the projects may lead to resource management challenges. Coordinating large, multidisciplinary teams across different geographic locations while maintaining technical consistency and meeting aggressive deadlines requires exceptional organizational ability and emotional intelligence.
How could a typical day could look like for someone in this position
A typical day might begin with a project board meeting to review the environmental risks and milestones of a high-profile transport or energy scheme. This could be followed by a strategic session with the business development team to refine a bid for a new infrastructure framework, focusing on how Jacobs’ environmental expertise can provide a competitive edge.Mid-day, you might spend time mentoring senior associates or reviewing technical chapters of an Environmental Statement for quality assurance. Your afternoon could involve a client-facing workshop or a meeting with regulatory authorities to discuss mitigation strategies, and the day might end with internal resource planning to ensure your multidisciplinary teams are adequately supported for the upcoming project phases.
What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?
As a Senior Associate Director, the path to Technical Director or Vice President level roles is highly accessible, especially given Jacobs’ scale and global reach. You have the opportunity to move into global practice leadership, where you could influence environmental standards and EIA methodologies across the company’s worldwide operations.There are also opportunities for lateral growth into broader strategic consulting or corporate sustainability leadership. Because this role is at the forefront of the most significant projects in Ireland, success here will elevate your professional profile significantly, establishing you as a key influencer in the national environmental and planning sector.
The main stakeholders you might be interacting with
You will regularly interact with High-level Client Representatives, such as project directors from government agencies or private developers, ensuring their strategic goals are met. Internally, you will collaborate with Technical Leads and Project Managers from other divisions like transportation, water, and energy to ensure environmental considerations are integrated into engineering designs.Externally, you will engage with Regulatory Bodies and Statutory Consultees (e.g., An Bord Pleanála or EPA), as well as local communities and public interest groups. Navigating these interactions requires a high degree of diplomacy and the ability to build trust through transparent and science-led environmental reporting.
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