Micheál O'Connor, Vice President and General Manager, Jacobs Ireland; Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed and Steve Demetriou, Chair and CEO, Jacobs as Jacobs announced 200 new jobs for Ireland and unveiled its new office space in Mahon. Photo: JULIEN BEHAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Million euro investment unveiled

There was a significant jobs boost announced by Jacobs yesterday as it unveiled a €4.5million investment in its Cork office.

The company, which provides end-to-end solutions for infrastructure, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, semi-conductor, data centres and manufacturing clients, plans to fill the 200 positions in Cork as well as Dublin and Belfast.

The Mahon Industrial Estate office investment includes state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality technology, offering clients the ability to assess plans in 3D.

A complete change of office layout reflects the business’ move to a collaborative working environment, in line with strategic team-based planning operations, it says.

Executive Director of the IDA, Mary Buckley, said: “This is a very welcome investment from Jacobs, a company that is an important part of the support ecosystem for the biotechnology and biopharma sectors, among others. The company has demonstrated a strong commitment to Cork where it is a valued employer whose longevity has been of substantial benefit to the local economy. This expansion, as they celebrate 45 years in business in Cork, demonstrates further commitment by the company.”

The new roles will be professional services positions across a range of specialities, project and construction management, design, commissioning, qualification and validation. The announcement reflects the success and continued growth of the company in Ireland, as it marks 45 years since opening its office in Dublin in 1974 – its first operation outside of the US.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, officially opened the new offices, cutting the ribbon alongside Jacobs’ Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou.

Mr Demetriou said: “We opened our Dublin, Ireland, office 45 years ago to design and build a pharmaceutical plant. Today, we continue to capture attractive growth opportunities for complex work in the advanced facilities and infrastructure markets that we are uniquely positioned to perform.

“I attribute this to our highly talented people and their relentless commitment to providing world-class, high-value solutions for our clients.”

Jacobs employs more than 1,100 people on the island of Ireland, and says it is one of the largest firms in the country, focusing primarily on project delivery for advanced facilities, environmental and infrastructure clients.

Jacobs has almost doubled its Irish footprint in the past five years due to its growth in construction management, commissioning and validation.