Lead Offshore Cable Installation ENgineer

Summary

• Client: Major Irish energy utility – Engineering and Major Projects (EMP) division – client identity disclosed at NDA / interview stage
• Comp. No.: 268
• Contract type: Contingent Labour – daily rate
• Start date: November 2026
• Duration: 12 months with option to extend
• Location: One Dublin Airport Central, Dublin Airport, Co. Dublin, K67 XF72 – hybrid (max. 2 days/month in office for team meetings). Majority remote. Work assignments associated with Offshore Wind projects in Ireland; flexibility required for UK assignments.
• Rate: TBC – to be confirmed
• Level: Senior specialist / Lead – minimum 10 years' relevant experience in submarine cable installation engineering and marine/offshore operations
• Work authorisation: Must hold valid right to work in Ireland. EU/EEA or Irish/UK passport holders strongly preferred. UK tax residents: inside IR35 classification applies.
• SafePass: Required – Irish Health & Safety Authority (HSA) SafePass card mandatory for all site/offshore access
• Equipment: Candidate must provide own phone and laptop/PC with internet

Context

The client is a major Irish energy utility operating across generation, transmission, and distribution in Ireland and the UK, with a growing portfolio of offshore wind projects through its Engineering and Major Projects (EMP) division. As Ireland expands its offshore wind programme to meet 2030 renewable energy targets, the EMP division is building specialist engineering capacity to oversee the design, procurement, and delivery of offshore cable systems — including export cables linking offshore platforms to shore and inter-array cables connecting individual turbines within the wind farm.

The Offshore Lead Cable Installation Specialist will join the EMP Cables package team with specific ownership of the installation and marine operations dimension of the cable package — from tendering and commercial evaluation of cable installation contractors and vessels, through to active supervision and technical oversight during the installation campaign. This is a Lead-level position requiring both deep technical expertise in cable installation engineering and the commercial acumen to manage complex marine contracts involving cable laying vessels, burial equipment, survey vessels, ROVs, and specialist HDD contractors.

Key Responsibilities

Tender, Design and Engineering

• Review contractor cable system designs and installation methodologies with respect to the Employer's Requirements — assess the technical adequacy of proposed installation procedures (cable laying sequences, tension management, bend radius control, burial methods, protection measures), identify non-conformances, and produce formal technical comments.
• Co-ordinate all aspects of the tendering phase for cable installation contracts — manage and respond to technical and commercial clarifications from contractors, lead the technical and commercial evaluation of tender responses, and prepare evaluation reports to support Package Manager decision-making. This covers both export cable installation and inter-array cable installation packages.
• Review offshore site investigation data (geotechnical and geophysical surveys) and provide design input to the Cable Burial Risk Assessment (CBRA) and Burial Assessment Study (BAS) — assess seabed conditions, burial feasibility, and cable protection requirements along the cable routes, and work with contractors to optimise burial methodologies and cable protection strategies.
• Produce and maintain the cable Route Position List (RPL) — compile, manage, and update the RPL that defines cable route coordinates, water depths, burial targets, protection requirements, and key waypoints for each cable circuit.
• Work with other package teams to ensure cross-package interfacing is managed efficiently — coordinate cables installation inputs and outputs with foundations, substation, and marine survey package teams to ensure installation sequencing, vessel traffic management, and interface requirements are resolved without conflicts.
• Prepare technical documentation and specifications for cable installation — including installation contractor specifications, vessel and equipment requirements, installation procedure review checklists, cable laying tolerance tables, and burial verification criteria.
• Review and comment on detailed costing of all materials, production, and technical services provided by installation contractors — provide technical input to commercial evaluation, challenge unnecessary cost items, and support project optimisation.
• Participate in meetings with contractor representatives at all stages of concept refinement and FEED phases — ensure contractor installation proposals are compliant with Employer's Requirements and contractual obligations from an early stage.

Project Execution Phase

• Participate in and/or lead audits of contractor cable manufacturing facilities and installation vessels, including key sub-contractors such as cable protection system manufacturers and HDD contractors — assess technical and operational readiness for campaign mobilisation, and produce formal audit reports.
• Provide active technical oversight during cable installation and burial campaigns — monitor contractor installation operations (cable laying tensions, laying speeds, burial tool performance, survey data), identify deviations from the installation procedure, and support resolution of installation issues in real time.
• Manage submersible vehicle operations, vessel positioning, and commercial diving activities as relevant to cable installation — coordinate ROV and cable trenching tool deployment, review vessel positioning data to confirm cable route compliance, and oversee commercial diving operations where applicable.
• Support Package Managers in the execution of cable installation contracts — prepare formal technical reports, track open technical issues, and provide engineering input to contract administration (change orders, technical deviation requests, non-conformance management).
• Participate in regular technical and update meetings across multiple packages — maintain situational awareness of the broader project schedule and proactively flag cable installation risks to the wider team.

General

• Apply SHEQ standards relevant to marine and offshore cable installation — including CDMC requirements, IMO regulations, and IMCA guidelines for marine contractor management, offshore safety, and environmental management during cable campaigns.
• Input to risk registers, HSE assessments, and engineering decision logs for the cable installation package — integrate HSE and environmental requirements into the cable delivery strategy.
• Support value management and project optimisation — identify and document opportunities to reduce installation cost or programme risk, and track optimisation activities within the cables package team.

Required Profile

Essential experience and qualifications

• Minimum 10 years' relevant experience in submarine cable installation engineering — with direct involvement in offshore cable laying and burial campaigns as either a cable installation engineer (contractor or client side), marine warranty surveyor, or specialist technical advisor for offshore wind or oil & gas cable projects. Experience on HVAC export cables and/or inter-array cable systems for offshore wind is strongly preferred.
• Cable installation and testing — demonstrated experience managing or overseeing cable installation campaigns, including cable laying from cable lay vessels (CLV), burial operations using cable ploughs or ROV-deployed burial tools (jet trenching, mechanical cutting), cable pull-in at offshore platforms, and post-lay inspection surveys. Experience with cable hydrostatic testing, high-voltage testing after installation, and final acceptance testing is required.
• CBRA and BAS — experience in cable burial risk assessment and burial assessment study methodology, including interpretation of geotechnical and geophysical data for cable route engineering, burial depth optimisation, and cable protection selection (concrete mattresses, rock dumping, secondary burial, HDD).
• Route Position List (RPL) — practical experience producing, managing, and updating cable RPLs for offshore installation projects, including coordination of RPL data with survey teams, cable manufacturers, and installation contractors.
• Marine operations — direct experience with offshore marine operations relevant to cable installation: vessel positioning systems (DP, DGPS, transponders), ROV operations, HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling) for cable landfalls, submersible vehicle deployment, and commercial diving supervision.
• Technical and commercial evaluation of submarine cable installation contracts — experience evaluating tender submissions for cable lay vessel contracts, including technical assessment of vessel specifications, equipment capability, and proposed installation methodologies; and commercial assessment of mobilisation costs, day rates, and risk allocation.
• Contract preparation and evaluation for vessels and subsea operations — experience preparing scope of work documents, technical specifications, and evaluation criteria for complex marine contracts involving cable lay vessels, survey vessels, ROVs, and specialist offshore contractors.
• SHEQ standards — proficiency in SHEQ standards for marine and offshore projects, including CDMC obligations, IMO regulations, and IMCA recommendations for marine contractor management, offshore safety management systems, and environmental management during installation campaigns.
• Level 8 engineering qualification (or equivalent relevant work experience) in Engineering, Marine Science, or related discipline.

Desirable

• Experience in subsea surveys and engineering, including interpretation of geotechnical and geophysical investigation reports in the context of cable burial assessment and route engineering.
• Project Management or MBA qualification.