Sonas Technical recruits civil and structural engineers for contractors, consultancies, utilities and public bodies across Ireland. Permanent, executive search and contract hiring.
Ireland is delivering transport, water, energy and residential infrastructure at the same time, from a civil engineering workforce that did not grow to match. Every contractor and consultancy is hiring the same people.
The roles we recruit
- Site engineer. Setting out, quality records, day to day delivery on site.
- Senior and project engineer. Package delivery, subcontractor coordination, technical queries, programme.
- Design engineer. Consultancy side design, modelling and documentation.
- Structural engineer. Temporary works, permanent works design, inspection.
- Site manager and contracts manager. Delivery ownership across a site or several.
- Clerk of Works and Technical Services Officer. Client side inspection and supervision, common in public bodies.
Where the demand is
- Transport. Rail, light rail, bus infrastructure and the national road programme. See our MetroLink guide for how that hiring is phased.
- Water and wastewater. Treatment plants and network upgrades nationwide, with civils and MEICA running together.
- Energy and grid. Renewables, substations and grid reinforcement.
- Residential and social housing. Continuous delivery pressure across every region.
- Public estate. Health, education and state property capital programmes.
What to be specific about in a civil brief
“Civil engineer” covers a very wide range. The briefs that get filled fastest are specific about four things.
- Contractor side or consultancy side. The day job is different and most engineers have a preference.
- Form of contract. Public works, NEC, FIDIC or bespoke. Say which.
- Asset type. Roads, rail, water, marine, energy or buildings. Water experience does not read across to rail.
- Site based or hybrid. This decides your candidate pool more than salary does.
Timing
| Level | Typical notice |
|---|---|
| Graduate to junior, 0 to 3 years | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Mid level, 3 to 8 years | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Senior, 8 to 15 years | 2 to 3 months |
| Director level | 3 to 6 months |
If a programme milestone will not wait for a three month notice period, hire on contract for the gap and run the permanent search alongside it.
Returning engineers
A meaningful share of the senior civil engineering talent available to Ireland is currently in the UK, the Middle East, Australia and Canada. They do not read Irish job boards. They answer a direct approach with a specific project attached to it. We run that search continuously.
How we work with you
- Permanent recruitment. A search commencement fee, then a placement fee when your hire starts. Committed search time, a mapped market and a shortlist rather than a pile of CVs.
- Executive and senior search. Confidential, mapped and fully managed, for roles you cannot advertise.
- Contract and temporary staffing. An hourly or daily charge rate with pay, employer PRSI, holiday pay, insurance and payroll inside it.
See the fees page. Public bodies, see public sector recruitment.
Hiring a civil engineer?
Tell us the level, the asset type and whether it is permanent or contract. You will hear back within 24 hours.
Send us your requirement or call 01 443 3917. Benchmarks are in our 2026 Salary & Benefits Guide.