Principal Design Engineer
Location: Southampton – hybrid, 3 days per week on-site
Salary: £70-75K+ (neg) plus excellent benefits package. More may be available for the right candidate.
Relocation package and Visa/Sponsorship support available if required.
About the Opportunity
Join a fast-growing maritime technology business developing wind-assisted propulsion systems that help reduce fuel consumption and emissions across global shipping.
This is a hands-on opportunity for a Principal Design Engineer to join a growing engineering team, 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 role would suit someone genuinely motivated by sustainability and the opportunity to contribute to cleaner shipping.
Key Requirements
• Degree qualified in Naval, Mechanical, Structural, or Marine Engineering
• Around 5-10 years’ experience designing marine structures approved by classification societies
• Strong 3D CAD skills, ideally Siemens NX, Autodesk Inventor, or similar
• Strong experience 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
Role & Responsibilities
• Lead the design and structural development of key product subsystems
• Lead the mechanical design of subsystems in line with programme objectives
• Own the development of wing geometry, balancing performance, structural integrity, and manufacturability
• Develop and manage load cases across classification and real-world operating conditions
• Translate load cases into clear design requirements
• Define structural design philosophy and ensure compliance with classification standards
• Perform and oversee structural analysis and design verification
• Develop and improve in-house structural analysis tools and methods
• Lead technical engagement with classification societies
• Act as the internal authority for stress and fatigue analysis
Why Join?
A rare opportunity to join a business developing real-world clean technology for the global shipping market.
You will benefit from working on real climate-impact hardware, enjoying high levels of ownership within a small engineering team, gaining broad exposure from concept through to production, and having the opportunity to grow and progress as the technology scales.
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