Principal Design Engineer

Principal Design Engineer

Location: Southampton - hybrid, 3 days per week on-site

Salary: £70-85K+ (neg) plus excellent benefits package. More may be available for the right candidate. A relocation package and Visa/Sponsorship support is available for this role if required.

About the Opportunity

Our client is a leading fast‑growing maritime technology business developing wind‑assisted propulsion systems that help reduce fuel consumption and emissions across global shipping. They are now looking to appoint a Principal Design Engineer to join their growing engineering team. 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

• Degree qualification in Naval, Mechanical, Structural, or Marine Engineering
• Around 5‑10 years’ experience designing marine structures approved by classification societies
• Strong proficiency in Siemens NX, Autodesk Inventor, or similar 3D CAD tools
• 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

Desirable Experience

• Experience in fatigue, buckling, and large welded structures
• Exposure to aero‑structural systems or other performance‑led structural design
• Experience validating models against real‑world data
• Knowledge of structural testing, validation, and manufacturing techniques

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