Company Description
Navantia UK is a new force in British industry, supporting the UK’s defence, energy and maritime ambitions. Established in 2022, Navantia UK is a subsidiary of Navantia SA, a Spanish state‑owned company with over 300 years of naval shipbuilding history. In January 2025, Navantia UK completed the acquisition of Harland & Wolff and its four historic facilities in Belfast, Appledore, Methil, and Arnish, positioning the company to strengthen Britain’s defence, maritime and energy industrial capabilities.
Senior Structural Engineer – Naval Ship Design
Bristol, UK / Navantia UK
Full‑time / Part‑time considered / Hybrid working
Help shape the future of naval ship design.
Navantia UK is expanding its engineering capability and is looking for an experienced Senior Structural Engineer to join our growing team in Bristol. This is a key technical role where you will take ownership of structural design, analysis, and modelling for complex naval and government vessels.
Part of the globally recognised Navantia Group, you will work on cutting‑edge maritime programmes, applying advanced FEA and 3D structural modelling (Siemens NX) to deliver robust, buildable, and high‑performance ship structures.
What you’ll be doing
- Leading and delivering structural design and analysis for naval and complex commercial vessels
- Producing high‑quality outputs including models, drawings, calculations, BOMs, weight estimates and reports
- Developing and owning the team’s finite element analysis capability, including standards, workflows and verification
- Building and maintaining a 3D ship structures modelling capability in Siemens NX
- Performing global and local analyses (strength, vibration, fatigue, buckling, stiffness)
- Optimising designs for safety, performance and manufacturability
- Applying MOD, Naval Ship Rules and Classification Society standards
- Providing technical leadership and mentoring to junior engineers
- Supporting design reviews and driving structural best practice
What we’re looking for
- Strong experience in steel ship structures, ideally naval or complex commercial vessels
- Proven FEA expertise and structural analysis capability
- Confidence using 3D CAD/CAE tools (Siemens NX desirable)
- Deep understanding of fabrication, fatigue, failure modes and ship structural behaviour
- Excellent problem‑solving and communication skills
- Degree (or HNC/HND with experience) in Structural Engineering, Naval Architecture or a related discipline
- Eligibility for BPSS (SC clearance required for some roles)
Why join Navantia UK?
- Competitive salary and benefits
- Hybrid working (minimum three days in the office, project dependent)
- A pivotal technical role with scope to shape structural engineering capability
- The opportunity to work on high‑profile naval and maritime programmes
- A collaborative, inclusive culture where technical excellence is valued
Interested?
Apply with your CV (and cover letter if you wish) and help deliver the next generation of naval ships.
Navantia UK is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
If you experience difficulties or are unable to apply for a role online please contact us at people.skills@harland-wolff.com and one of the team will be in contact to help you.
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