Europe’s AI capacity won’t deliver itself. Interviews are open now.
Tier 1 contractors are mobilising delivery teams for hyperscale and high-density AI campuses across Ireland, the UK, the Nordics and mainland Europe. I’m speaking to construction and engineering professionals in New Zealand now. Data centre experience helps, but you don’t need it. You do need the right to work, through a UK, Irish or EU passport, or ancestry.
Project or Construction Director? See leadership appointments
Immediately
Interview slots available now
Direct
You deal with me from the first call
Transferable
Major-project delivery counts. Data centre experience is not essential.
Your structure
Rotational FIFO, contract rates or permanent relocation
For directors ready to take a campus-scale build across the line.
A Tier 1 contractor delivering campus-scale data centre projects in the Nordics is appointing Project Directors and Construction Directors in Sweden and Finland. These are permanent appointments, and the scale of delivery is rarely available from New Zealand.
The mandate
Senior leadership of campus-scale delivery for a Tier 1 contractor.
The profile
A third-level engineering qualification and 10+ years at senior executive level.
The terms
Permanent, full-time appointments, with relocation packages.
At this level I don’t expect you to apply through a web page. Ask for a confidential briefing and I’ll take you through the mandate one to one. Nothing goes to the client without your approval.
If you’ve held a fast-track programme together, you’re already who they want.
Infrastructure, high-rise, major commercial: the discipline transfers. Dense services coordination and fixed handover dates are pressures you already know.
Quantity surveying and commercial
- Senior QS and QS
- MEP QS
- Senior Commercial and Commercial Managers
- Senior Contracts and Contracts Managers
- Assistant Contracts Managers
- Estimators and Bid Coordinators
Engineers
- Senior Engineers (CSA, RC frame)
- Senior Civil Engineers
- Site Engineers
- Temporary Works (precast frame)
- Electrical and mechanical leads
- Senior and Building Services Managers
Planners
- Lead and Senior Planners
- Planners and schedulers
- BIM Managers
- Document Controllers
Construction managers
- Project and Construction Directors
- Senior Project Managers and Project Managers
- CSA Project Managers
- Site Managers and Site Agents
- Foremen, civils and piling supervisors
Design management
- Senior Design Managers
- Design Managers
Quality and HSE
- Quality Managers
- Quality Improvement Managers
- Senior H&S Managers and H&S Managers
- H&S Advisors and campus leads
If your discipline isn’t listed, call me anyway.
The kind of project that changes your CV.
Programme, power and precision carry more weight on a data centre than on a commercial build, and the methods used here are where the industry is heading. That experience stays with you for the rest of your career.
Campus-scale programmes
Multi-building hyperscale campuses delivered on fast-track programmes.
High-density compute
Facilities engineered for AI training and inference workloads, and the power and cooling loads that come with them.
Mission-critical MEP
Complex power, cooling and critical systems, where coordination decides the programme.
Offsite and MMC
DfMA, prefabricated MEP, precast frames and offsite manufacture as standard practice.
Civils and enabling works
Prefabricated duct banks, MV chambers, modular civils, groundworks and externals.
Sustainability standards
Buildings targeting LEED Gold certification.
What’s in your passport drawer?
Right to work decides which programmes you can be put forward for. Many New Zealand-based professionals hold more access than they realise.
Irish passport
Live and work in Ireland, the UK and across the EU and EEA. The widest access of the lot.
EU or EEA passport
Live and work across the EU and EEA, including the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium and Spain.
UK passport
Work in the UK and Ireland straight away. Roles on the continent will usually need a work permit.
Irish grandparent
A grandparent born in Ireland may entitle you to citizenship through the Foreign Births Register. It takes time, so start early.
UK-born grandparent
Commonwealth citizens, including New Zealanders, may qualify for a five-year UK Ancestry visa.
Not sure where you stand? Ask me. This is a general guide, not immigration advice, and your own circumstances decide what applies.
Base yourself in Europe on a roster, or move for good.
Rotational FIFO
Base yourself in Ireland, the UK or elsewhere in Europe and mobilise to site on a defined roster. It’s a European base, not a commute from New Zealand.
- Pay comparable to FIFO, including a 30% uplift on base
- Rosters such as 17 days on, 4 off
- Flights, accommodation and site transport covered
- Monthly subsistence, plus car allowance at senior level
Permanent relocation
A permanent position in a major city or campus location, with structured mobilisation support for you and your family.
- Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Nordic campus towns
- Mobilisation flights and help shipping your belongings
- Serviced accommodation while you find a home
- Help with schools, banking and registration
- European leave, pension, bonus and life cover
Contract rates are also available. Packages vary by role, employer and location, and I’ll take you through the detail when we speak.
Live in nine countries, and you don’t have to pick one yet.
Tell me your discipline and your passport, and I’ll show you where you could go.
Ireland and the UK
QS, estimating, MEP, bids and engineering leads
Netherlands
Project management, site leadership, planning, BIM, quality and CSA engineering
Denmark
Site management, civils, commercial, planning and HSE
Norway
Commercial management and quantity surveying
Sweden and Finland
Project Directors and Construction Directors
Belgium and Spain
Data centre projects. Call for current roles.
How quickly this can move.
Initial call
A direct conversation about your project history, right to work and what you want next.
Role mapping
I’ll align you to live requirements and tell you candidly where you fit.
Interview
Slots are available immediately, and I’ll arrange the logistics with you.
Mobilisation
Package, notice period, start date and logistics managed through to site.
Don’t rule yourself out before we’ve spoken.
Plenty of good people will see “data centre” and assume it isn’t for them. The contractors I’m working with don’t see it that way. They want people who can deliver, and that’s who I want to speak to.
I’ve recruited across New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Europe and the GCC for more than 23 years, and moving overseas is rarely just about the job. It’s the family, the notice period and the paperwork. That’s the conversation I want to have with you before you commit to anything. It stays confidential, and your CV goes nowhere until we’ve talked it through.
Kieran O’Shaughnessy
The questions you’d ask me first.
Who would I be working for?
Tier 1 contractors delivering data centres in Europe. I’ll name the employer and the project when we speak, before your CV goes anywhere.
What does it pay?
Comparable to FIFO, and it varies by role and country. Rotational roles include a 30% uplift on base. You’ll be paid in euro, krona, krone or sterling, and I’ll give you the range for your level on our first call.
What sits around the salary?
Rotational roles cover flights, accommodation, site transport and a monthly subsistence allowance. European permanent contracts typically include 25 days’ leave, pension, bonus and life cover.
What do the rosters look like?
Examples include 17 days on and 4 off, or travelling home every third weekend, with five-day working weeks on site.
Is this a short stint?
No. AI and cloud demand is driving a multi-year pipeline across Europe, and contractors are planning their workforce through 2027 and beyond.
When would I start?
Interviews are available immediately. Your start date is then planned around your notice period and, if you’re relocating, your move.
If Europe is on your radar, let’s speak this week.
Call or text. You don’t need a CV for a first conversation.
Tallann Group runs this New Zealand campaign with its European delivery partner.