Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer – Steel Structures, Southampton
Hybrid, 3 days per week on-site
Salary: £65-75K plus excellent benefits package (relocation assistance and visa sponsorship is available)
About the Opportunity for the role of Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer
Our client is a fast-growing maritime technology business. They are developing wind-assisted propulsion systems that help reduce fuel consumption and emissions across global shipping.
They are now looking to appoint a Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer to join their growing engineering team and be a lead engineer for their on-going success. This is a hands-on role with broad involvement across the design lifecycle, from concept development through to detailed design and production-ready hardware.
Working closely with the Head of Engineering, you will take ownership of key subsystems, helping to deliver designs that are robust, manufacturable, compliant, and ready for real-world use. This is an excellent opportunity to join a mission-driven business developing real climate-impact technology in a highly innovative environment and would suit someone genuinely motivated by sustainability and the opportunity to contribute to cleaner shipping.
Key Requirements for the role of Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer :
Degree qualification in Naval, Mechanical, Structural, or Marine Engineering
Experience designing and analysing marine structures approved by classification societies
Large steel structures analysis and design experience
Proficiency in Siemens NX, Autodesk Inventor, or similar 3D CAD tools
Confident in structural analysis, including FEA and hand calculations
Proven experience translating load cases into robust design requirements and validated structures
Experience working directly with classification societies and supporting technical approval
Experience with DNV, LR, NK or similar bodies
Strong understanding of DFMA, structural integrity, and manufacturability
Solution-driven approach
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, chaotic environment
Taking a lead role
Other experiences of interest but not mandatory :
Fatigue, buckling, and large welded structures
Aero-structural systems or other performance-led structural design
Validating models against real-world data
Structural testing, validation, and manufacturing techniques
Why Join?
Working on real climate-impact hardware
High levels of ownership within a small engineering team
Broad exposure from concept through to production
The opportunity to grow and progress with the business as the technology scales
Excellent salary and package
Relocation assistance and visa sponsorship
For more information, or to apply for the position of Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer, please contact Ewen on, ideally with a copy of your CV, or call 01768 800260.
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