Principal Naval Architect​/Design Engineer

Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer

Full time | Mac Arthur Recruitment | United Kingdom

Posted On 18/05/2026

Work Experience 5+ years

Manufacturing

65000 - 75000

City Southampton

Province Hampshire

Postal Code SO15

Principal Naval Architect / Design Engineer – Steel Structures, Southampton

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.

• 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
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, chaotic environment
• Taking a lead role

• 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

• 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

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