Rick Kelley is set to step down as managing director of Meta Ireland just over a year since it was announced that he would head the Facebook parent's Irish business.

Kelley was one fo the first employees of Facebook Ireland when he joined as director of sales for EMEA in 2009, and he was appointed global vice president of Meta's gaming and app monetisation solution division in 2021.

Kelley's appointment as head of Meta Ireland was announced in February 2022 and he took up the role last April. The tech giant has since announced thousands of lay offs globally, including 350 job cuts in Ireland, with more to come imminently.

"This was not an easy decision, but over the holidays, when contemplating 'what’s next' for my career, I was most excited by the prospect of taking a break," Kelley said in a Facebook post.

"In every step of my career, I’ve given my full energy and it’s time to recharge my batteries," he added.

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"After 14 years, I have made the difficult decision that the time has come for me to leave Meta and I’ll be wrapping up in the next couple of months."

Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president of Meta's global business group, said Kelley had made a profound impact at the company in building and leading regional and global teams over the past 14 years.

"As one of Meta's first employees in Dublin, he is leaving behind a long-lasting legacy," Mendelsohn said. "We wish him every success in his future endeavours."

Meta directly employs around 3,000 people in Ireland, although the extent on the cuts on the company's Irish workforce remains unclear, with a further 6,000 people employed indirectly.

Photo: Rick Kelley.