Project Co-Ordinator

THE COMPETITION

Galway County Council invites applications from suitably qualified persons for appointment as Project Co-Ordinator for the N6 Galway City Ring Road (N6 GCRR). The appointment will be on a specific purpose basis. A panel may also be formed from which related temporary or specific purpose vacancies may be filled during the lifetime of the panel.

Galway County Council is progressing the project in partnership with Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). TII is the Approving Authority for national road projects, and Galway County Council will be the employing authority for this post. The successful candidate will join the dedicated N6 GCRR project office and work across the project, the two local authorities, TII and the appointed design and delivery teams.

Project Context

An Coimisiún Pleanála granted approval for the N6 GCRR on 7 April 2026. The scheme is included in the National Development Plan and was designated as Critical Infrastructure in July 2026. It is a core component of the wider transport solution for Galway City and County, complementing BusConnects, rail enhancements, Active Travel, demand management and other measures under the Galway Transport Strategy.

The approved scheme is approximately 17.5 km in length and includes:

• approximately 11.9 km of motorway/dual carriageway from the existing N6 at Coolagh, northeast of Galway City, to the Ballymoneen Road area northwest of the city;

• approximately 5.6 km of single carriageway continuing to the R336 Coast Road west of Bearna;

• a new crossing of the River Corrib, together with major bridge, road and ancillary structures;

• grade-separated and at-grade junctions, link roads, side roads, accommodation works, drainage, landscaping, environmental mitigation and active-travel interfaces; and

• significant utility diversions and protection works, including interfaces with the 110 kV and 38 kV electricity networks and other statutory undertakers.

The project is a major national infrastructure investment with an overall value expected to exceed EUR 1 billion. TII has authorised the project to progress to Phase 5 under the TII Project Management Guidelines. The current Enabling, Procurement and Delivery stage includes detailed design, preparation of contract documents, procurement, property and utility readiness, advance works and progression to the main construction contract.

Current Delivery Context

The indicative programme provides for detailed design and procurement during 2026-2027, advance works from 2027 and commencement of the main construction contract from 2028, with an estimated main construction period of approximately 36 months. The programme is subject to statutory, legal, funding and gateway approvals.

THE ROLE

The Project Co-Ordinator will lead and project manage the delivery of the N6 Galway City Ring Road project on behalf of Galway County Council. The post holder will report to the Director of Services for Physical Infrastructure and will work closely with and in alignment with the Senior Engineer for the National Roads Office or another designated senior officer.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE POST

CHARACTER:

Candidates shall be of good character and demonstrate integrity, sound judgement, fairness and respect in dealings with colleagues, contractors, property owners and the public.

HEALTH:

Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service, including the ability to work in an active construction-site environment.

CITIZENSHIP:

Candidates must, by the date of any job offer, be:

a) A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway; or

b) A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or

c) A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or

d) A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA or UK or Swiss citizen and has a stamp 4 visa; or

e) A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015, or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a stamp 4 visa or

f) A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA member state or the UK or Switzerland and has a stamp 4 visa.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, ETC:

Each Candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:

(a) (i) hold an honours bachelors degree (level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)) in Engineering accredited at CEng or CEng with FL level by Engineers Ireland*,

OR

(ii) hold an ordinary bachelors degree (level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)) in Engineering AND a post-graduate masters degree (level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) in Engineering;

OR

(iii) hold a masters degree (level 9 in the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)) in Engineering attained after completing an integrated masters level programme of at least 4 years duration and which is accredited a CEng level by Engineers Ireland or an equivalent accreditation body internationally;

OR

(iv) have achieved the registered professional title of Chartered Engineer and be registered on the Register of Chartered Engineers of Engineers Ireland or of a professional institute of another country and recognised by Engineers Ireland as of equivalent status

(b) have at least eight years satisfactory relevant engineering experience including a period not less than six years satisfactory experience in the direction and supervision of major engineering work;

(c) possess a high standard of technical training and experience and of administrative experience;

(d) have satisfactory experience at strategic management level;

(e) have a satisfactory knowledge of public service organisation or the ability to acquire such knowledge.

*A Level 8 & 9 qualification (on the National Framework of Qualifications) must be accredited at Chartered Engineer (CEng) level by Engineers Ireland or an equivalent international body

*A level 7 degree will be assessed on the basis that the period of study undertaken should be equivalent to at least 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer Accumulation System) credits.

Non-Irish Qualifications must be accompanied by a determination from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to establish their comparability against the Irish National Framework of Qualifications, overseas qualifications must also be accompanied by a translation document.

The Ideal Candidate will:

• Have a strong record in the planning, design, procurement and delivery of major road, bridge or comparable linear infrastructure projects of significant scale and complexity;

• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the TII Project Management Guidelines, the Infrastructure Guidelines, the Capital Works Management Framework and the associated public-sector gateway and approval processes;

• Have significant experience in procuring and managing multidisciplinary engineering consultants, technical advisers and specialist service providers, including defining scopes, agreeing deliverables, monitoring performance and programme, managing fees and change, and assuring the quality of outputs;

• Be capable of leading and co-ordinating detailed design, technical assurance, design-risk, constructability, value-engineering and construction-readiness reviews;

• Have a detailed working knowledge of public procurement, including the preparation of procurement strategies, tender documentation, tender evaluation, contract award and mobilisation for consultancy services, investigations, advance works and major construction contracts;

• Have practical knowledge of major civil-engineering forms of contract, including Public Works Contracts and other approved delivery models where relevant, together with experience in contract administration, change control, payment assessment, programme management, claims, disputes and contractual record-keeping;

• Demonstrate strong project controls and financial-management capability, including the management of budgets, cost forecasts, programmes, critical-path activities, risks, opportunities, change and value for money;

• Have experience of establishing and implementing quality management systems;

• Be capable of managing complex project interfaces, including property acquisition, utilities, planning and environmental requirements, archaeology, traffic management, active travel, legal matters, advance works, statutory undertakers and third-party approvals;

• Have a strong understanding of statutory planning and environmental compliance, including planning conditions, EIAR and NIS commitments, licences, consents, climate obligations and environmental mitigation measures;

• Have detailed knowledge of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, including the respective responsibilities of the Employer, PSDP, PSCS, designers, consultants and contractors;

• Be capable of leading and motivating a multidisciplinary project team, setting clear objectives and deliverables, managing performance and ensuring effective co-ordination between internal staff, consultants and specialist advisers;

• Possess excellent communication, negotiation, presentation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with TII, government departments, elected members, property owners, utilities, businesses, institutions, affected communities and other stakeholders;

• Have excellent reporting, digital and information-management skills, including the preparation of gateway submissions, tender reports, technical briefings and governance reports and the use of programme-management tools, project data systems and common data environments; and

• Demonstrate sound judgement, resilience, professional independence and political and organisational awareness, with the ability to make timely decisions and deliver results in a complex and publicly accountable environment.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Chartered Engineer status with Engineers Ireland or an equivalent recognised professional institution;

• Senior client-side project-management or project-coordination experience on a major national road, bridge, transport or comparable linear infrastructure project;

• Direct experience of applying the TII Project Management Guidelines and relevant Infrastructure Guidelines, including the preparation of gateway submissions and cost, programme and risk-assurance material;

• Experience in the procurement and management of multidisciplinary design consultants, technical advisers and specialist service providers, including scope definition, fee management, performance monitoring, change control and quality assurance;

• Experience in developing procurement strategies and contract packaging and in preparing and evaluating tenders for consultancy services, site investigations, advance works, utility works and major construction contracts;

• Experience in administering or supporting the administration of Public Works Contracts or other major civil-engineering contracts, including programme assessment, payments, variations or compensation events, claims, delay, disruption and dispute avoidance or resolution;

• A broad technical understanding of the design and construction of major road infrastructure, including earthworks, geotechnical matters, pavements, drainage, bridges and structures, junctions, traffic management and active-travel interfaces;

• Experience in managing complex project interfaces involving property acquisition, land access, utilities, statutory undertakers, archaeology, environmental mitigation, accommodation works, advance works and third-party approvals;

• Experience in managing compliance with planning approvals, EIAR and NIS commitments, environmental conditions, statutory consents, climate obligations and construction health and safety requirements;

• Strong project-controls and digital information-management experience, including programme and critical-path analysis, cost forecasting, risk and change management, project reporting, common data environments and geographic or project data systems;

• Experience in leading multidisciplinary teams and co-ordinating the work of internal staff, consultants, contractors and specialist advisers to achieve defined quality, programme and budget outcomes; and

• Experience representing a client or public authority in dealings with TII, other local authorities, government departments, elected members, property owners, businesses, institutions, affected communities and other stakeholders on a complex or high-profile infrastructure project.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The duties of the Project Co-Ordinator will include, but will not be limited to, the following:

• To Lead and Project Manage the delivery of the N6 Galway City Ring Road project on behalf of Galway County Council;

• To work effectively with colleagues to deliver the project, often as part of a multidisciplinary team, collaborating and engaging with other teams within the organisation to deliver on the project objectives;

• To set targets, objectives, reporting and key performance indicators and to assist with the development of project strategies and delivery plans;

• To identify and agree work programmes, targets and deadlines and ensure their subsequent implementation;

• To implement the systems necessary and co-ordinate the resources to support the service. This includes systems for budgetary and financial management, procurement and internal controls and to provide information on the pattern of demand and activity, and to schedule work programmes and to ensure value for money.

REMUNERATION:

Entry to the scale shall be determined having regard to Departmental Circulars. Starting pay for new entrants will be at the minimum of the scale. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy.

Point 01/06/2026

1 €93,698

2 €95,995

3 €98,283

4 €100,582

5 €102,874

6 €105,177

LSI 1 €108,641

LSI 2 €112,107

A taxable site allowance and/or travel and subsistence may be payable where the qualifying conditions are met, in accordance with applicable Departmental circulars, national agreements and Galway County Council policy.

WORKING HOURS

The standard working week will be 35 hours and you will be required to work contractor hours. The role will involve flexible working hours and may include evening and weekend work. Overtime rates will not apply to additional hours worked outside of normal hours. Holders of the post may be called for duty at any time in accordance with arrangements made by the local authorities. The Council reserves the right to alter hours of work. All hours worked will be subject to the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act, 1997 and the Organisation of Working Time Act (Regulations) 2001.

ANNUAL LEAVE:

30 Days per annum.