News & Insights
Mercury gives you the chance to become a leader”: Shane Connolly’s rise from Graduate to Project Director
As Project Director on a flagship Mercury data centre project in Frankfurt, Shane Connolly leads a busy daily life. His job involves managing risks, reviewing the project schedule and planning. The project is set to get underway in the coming months and Shane’s favourite part of the role has been “building our core project team. It’s crucial that they work well together because this is going to be a fantastic project to be a part of.”
Climbing the ranks
These skills have been developed throughout Shane’s career with Mercury over the last seven years. Having studied Mechanical Engineering at TU Dublin, he joined the company’s graduate programme in September 2018 as a Junior Planner on a data centre project in Amsterdam and has made impressive progression on several projects across Europe since. “My experience is testament to the real opportunities that Mercury equips graduates with. I’ve learned a lot and grabbed the chance to get involved at every turn.”
Three months into his graduate role and “still very much learning the ropes,” Shane was given an opportunity to step up and take on more responsibility when the team structure changed. “I learned all about progress monitoring, tracking and the importance of feeding information to the project manager and wider team, who were so supportive. I was collaborating with every department on the project and that helped bolster my skills.”
When the graduate programme came to an end in early 2020, Shane was promoted. He began to oversee more and more of the project planning and scheduling, and shortly after moved to a new Mercury project in Munich, as a Senior Planner. Shane enjoyed “being involved at every stage of the construction cycle” but his sights had long been set on a move to project management.
Ready to make it happen
After growing his expertise in Munich during pandemic times, Shane received an offer from Mercury management to take up the role of Project Manager on a new state-of-the-art data centre project in Berlin in early 2022. “I knew I was ready for more, but I didn’t know if I would get the chance to become a Project Manager this early in my career, I was still only 26.” He continues, “Mercury really supported me and gave me that chance to move into my dream role. I was hungry for more- I knew from my Planning background how to form the plan, now I was ready to drive that plan and make it happen.”
A critical role in any construction company, Shane notes the key skills required for a Project Manager include organisation and people management. “As Project Manager you need to have perspective in dealing with problems, that responsibility is serious but it’s a very rewarding role.”
After further stretching his skills in the German capital, Shane was ready to take on a new, personal adventure when the project began to wind down. He set off on a career break, travelling Asia and working in Australia. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, my manager and team were all so supportive and accommodating. We stayed in touch while I was away, and I always knew that I wanted to return to Mercury.”
If you show initiative, ask questions and embrace the challenges, Mercury gives you the chance to become a real leader. They invest in your success and back you to realise your vision at every step of the way.
A hunger for more
Earlier this year, Shane did return and applied for a new position of Project Director. Having gained further experience and skills in the data centre sector during his time in Australia, Shane’s development was recognised, and he began the new role on what will be a milestone project for Mercury in January.
“It was great to have my career growth recognised and rewarded, I’ve really enjoyed taking on more responsibility than before” he notes. What does the role involve? “At the moment, my days consist of being involved across all areas such as Quality, Safety, CSA, MEP, Procurement, Planning and Design.” As he prepares to oversee what will be a multi-year long project, Shane is invigorated- “I’m always ready for a new challenge and I think that drive comes from successfully completing my goals in the past.”
Any words of advice for those ready to develop their own career with Mercury? “If you show initiative, ask questions and embrace the challenges, Mercury gives you the chance to become a real leader. They invest in your success and back you to realise your vision at every step of the way.”
