My Job: Delivering €50bn of Ireland's infrastructure
Indicative view of Luas Cork on St Patrick's Street planned by Jacob's. Photo: LuasCork.ie
: Maurice Gillen
: Senior Vice President & General Manager Life Sciences Europe, Jacobs.
: Jacobs employs over 1,300 across Dublin, Cork and Belfast - the largest provider of engineering, procurement, construction management and commissioning services on the island of Ireland.
Amongst its recent infrastructure delivery contributions in Ireland, Jacobs includes the North Runway project at Dublin Airport, Irish Rail’s East Coast infrastructure protection program, Cork’s M28 Motorway project, the Dunkettle Interchange upgrade and the planning of Luas Cork.
In the UK, the company has supported the Thames Tideway Tunnel programme, the Crossrail project and London’s new Elizabeth Line. With well over €10 billion in annual revenue and a global workforce of up to 43,000, it provides end-to-end services in advanced manufacturing, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation and water.
Since opening its first international office in Dublin in 1974, Jacobs has supported the delivery of more than €50 billion in critical infrastructure. In his role as Senior Vice President & General Manager for Jacobs' Life Sciences businesses in Europe, Mr Gillen oversees all aspects of delivery, growth, and P&L management for a team of over 1,300 professionals across Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark. “We are entering 2026 with confidence. Our business in Ireland continues to perform strongly, and we have good visibility across our pipeline for the year ahead.”
From an infrastructure perspective, Ireland is moving firmly into a delivery phase, he explains: “The National Development Plan, supported by the work of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, provides clear direction, and the focus now is on turning that ambition into progress on the ground. Jacobs is well-positioned to support this phase, drawing on our global experience delivering complex infrastructure programmes at scale.” Across advanced facilities – life sciences, semiconductors, medical technologies and data centres – Ireland remains an attractive location for investment, with a solid workflow extending into 2026. “Delivery will require close coordination, including around utilities and grid readiness, but demand remains strong and we are confident in the opportunities ahead.”
In December 2025, Jacobs was awarded Engineers Ireland’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Accredited Employer Standard - designed to help organisations improve the competence of their engineering professionals, creating a workforce that is encouraged to create, innovate and develop new solutions.
“This is a very important award. One of our core values at Jacobs is that we do things right, and gaining accreditation from Engineers Ireland reinforces our long-standing commitment to continuous learning and professional development. It is a formal acknowledgement of the work our leadership has put into professional development over many years. It also sends a clear signal to the industry and to prospective team members that a career with Jacobs is one where continuous development is genuinely part of the culture,” he adds.
Given the company’s track record of key projects in the Cork and Munster area, Mr Gillen anticipates further activity into the future: “Munster is a core region for Jacobs in Ireland, and we are seeing a strong and sustained pipeline of work across both infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.”
The company is actively supporting several major programmes across the region, including public transport and rail investment in Cork and along the Cork–Limerick corridor, the M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy motorway, and ongoing programmes in water, wastewater, grid strengthening and clean energy. “Alongside this, the Life Sciences sector continues to be a significant driver of activity, with major projects progressing across Cork and Limerick through 2026 and 2027.
What gives us confidence looking ahead is not just the volume of work, but the depth of expertise we’ve built here. With more than 50 years of experience in the full range of pharmaceutical modalities developed in our Cork base, we’re now exporting that capability to support complex projects globally, while continuing to invest locally.” 2025 saw Jacobs move from its former base in Mahon to Navigation Square One in the city centre. “Bringing the business into the city and into a world-class office at Navigation Square has given people a genuine lift. It has also helped significantly with recruitment and visibility. Being centrally located, with excellent transport links and amenities on our doorstep, has made a big difference.”
Since joining Jacobs in 2005, Mr Gillen has held several key leadership roles, including Director of Engineering, Director of Project Management, and Director of Operations. A registered architect, he graduated with first-class honours degrees in both Science and Architecture from University College Dublin, and holds a Master's Degree in Management from UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School. Looking to the future, he sees the Government’s Accelerating Infrastructure Strategy and Action Plan as hugely important.
“The strategy and action plan provide clear direction on how Ireland can accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure, and that clarity is very welcome as the country moves firmly into a delivery phase. We were pleased to contribute through our formal submission and engagement with the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce, and to see several of our recommendations reflected in the final plan.” The plan reflects the depth of experience across the 1,300-strong Jacobs team in Ireland, and the strength of collaboration between Government, industry and delivery partners, he says. “For Ireland’s Life Sciences sector in particular, one of the country’s most important engines of growth, the focus on electricity grid capacity, water and wastewater connectivity, and planning reform will be critical to supporting future manufacturing investment. The focus now must be on execution, turning plans into outcomes.”
Overseeing of delivery, growth, and P&L management for a team of Life Sciences professionals across Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark is a task mixing variety and challenge. “I love it. I’m continually impressed by the work our teams deliver day in, day out across Europe and beyond in our Global Life Sciences and Advanced Facilities business. We help bring critical medicines to patients as quickly and safely as possible within a highly regulated environment. The projects are complex and challenging, but that’s what makes the work so motivating. There’s a real sense of purpose – what our teams do every day genuinely matters, and many of us have seen first-hand how these medicines benefit our own families, friends and communities. The role does involve a degree of travel, but I really enjoy working with different teams, learning how things are done in other markets and developing solutions that work across multiple locations.” Jacobs employs many Irish third-level graduates – a reflection of the nation’s world-class education system.
“Ireland has built a strong reputation for producing highly capable, well-educated people, and our universities do a good job of aligning courses with the needs of industry.” Graduates today have more choice, so culture, values and early-career experience matter more than ever, he says: “At Jacobs, we invest heavily in development, mentoring and on-the-job learning, and we have a strong track record of retaining people well beyond their early careers. I’ve been with Jacobs for more than 20 years myself, and those early, varied experiences were hugely formative.”
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