Engineering and Manufacturing recruitment
Engineering and Manufacturing
Mechanical, electrical, automation and process engineers, plus the operations leaders who run modern plants.
What sets this desk apart
- Lean and automation literate consultants
- Permanent and contract
- Multi site and international mobilisation
How we recruit
From precision engineering and electronics to packaging, energy and advanced manufacturing, we recruit the engineers and managers who design, build and improve how things are made. We understand lean, Six Sigma, automation and the reality of a plant that cannot stop.
We recruit design and project engineers, maintenance and reliability teams, automation specialists, EHS professionals, planners and plant leadership for permanent and contract positions.
Roles we recruit
- Mechanical and Electrical Engineer
- Automation and Controls Engineer
- Maintenance and Reliability Engineer
- Manufacturing and Industrial Engineer
- Project Engineer and Project Manager
- EHS Manager
- Continuous Improvement Lead
- Production Planner
- Plant Manager
- Engineering Director
Where hiring gets stuck
Hiring in engineering is hard. Here is where it sticks.
- 01
Automation skills are thin
SOLAS listed mechanical, electrical and automation engineers as shortage occupations in its National Skills Bulletin 2025, and every plant upgrading its lines wants the same people. We search directly, test for the controls platforms you run and say plainly where the salary needs to be.
- 02
Maintenance shifts are hard to fill
Maintenance and manufacturing technicians also appear among the shortage occupations in the SOLAS National Skills Bulletin 2025, and shift patterns narrow the field further. We are clear with candidates about rosters, premiums and overtime from the first call, so those you interview will take the shift.
- 03
Roles sit open for months
Indeed Hiring Lab reported in January 2026 that 48% of electrical engineering job postings in Ireland stayed open for 60 days or more. We agree a search plan and interview timetable at the start, and we tell you early if the brief or the salary is the obstacle.
- 04
Bigger projects pay more
Engineers and technicians are pulled towards large capital projects and regulated manufacturing, where rates are often higher. We compare your offer with those sectors and present what you can give that a project cannot, such as permanence, a shorter commute and a route into management.
Open in the market
Engineering roles employers are advertising now.
These roles are being advertised by employers in Ireland. FH Recruitment has not been instructed on them. If one suits you, tell us which. With your agreement we approach the employer on your behalf, and nothing is sent anywhere without your say so.
Questions
Engineering hiring, answered.
Practical answers to the questions employers and candidates ask most.
Which engineering roles are hardest to fill in Ireland?
SOLAS lists mechanical, electrical, automation, process, design and quality engineers, along with maintenance and manufacturing technicians and welders, as shortage occupations in its National Skills Bulletin 2025, published in October 2025. Job posting data points the same way: Indeed Hiring Lab reported in January 2026 that 48% of electrical engineering postings stayed open for 60 days or more. For these roles a direct search, a clear salary range and a short interview process usually matter more than another advert.
Can we recruit engineers from outside the EEA on an employment permit?
Yes, where the role and salary meet the permit rules. From 1 March 2026 the Critical Skills Employment Permit minimum salary is €40,904 for a candidate with a relevant degree, according to the Department of Enterprise, and the occupation must be one the Department treats as eligible. Thresholds and lists change, so check before relying on them. Allow time as well: 47% of organisations reported ongoing permit and visa difficulties in CIPD Ireland's HR Practices in Ireland 2026 report, published in May 2026. We check eligibility before you interview.
How do we hire maintenance technicians for shift work?
Be specific and start early. Put the shift pattern, shift premium, overtime and call out arrangements in the advert, because candidates screen on those before anything else. Say which equipment and controls they will work on and what training you will fund. Consider technicians from other industries with strong fault finding skills, and apprentices close to qualifying. We ask each candidate about shift preference on the first call and only put forward people who have agreed to the roster you run.
Can I move into pharma or medical device manufacturing as an engineer from another industry?
Often, yes. Skills that carry over include automation and controls, maintenance and reliability, lean and continuous improvement, project delivery and any work done under documented procedures. What changes is the amount of documentation and validation in a regulated plant, so show examples where you followed or wrote procedures and recorded results. We tell you honestly which roles are realistic now and which need a first step, and we never charge candidates a fee.
Other sectors
Hiring in engineering?
Brief a named consultant who will run your search from start to finish. We aim to send a first shortlist within 48 hours on permanent searches.