Principal Design Engineer

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Overview

Principal Design Engineer – Location: Southampton hybrid, 3 days per week on-site

Salary: 65-85K plus excellent benefits package. A relocation package and Visa/Sponsorship support is available for this role if required.

About The Opportunity

Our client is a 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.

Responsibilities

  • Leading the mechanical design of subsystems in line with programme objectives
  • Owning the development of wing geometry, balancing performance, structural integrity, and manufacturability
  • Developing and managing load cases across classification and real-world operating conditions
  • Translating load cases into clear design requirements
  • Defining structural design philosophy and ensuring compliance with classification standards
  • Performing and overseeing structural analysis and design verification
  • Developing and improving in-house structural analysis tools and methods
  • Leading technical engagement with classification societies
  • Acting as the internal authority for stress and fatigue analysis
  • Supporting and reviewing the work of more junior engineers where appropriate
  • Promoting high standards of engineering integrity, safety, and sustainability

Why Join

This is 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
  • 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

Qualifications

Key Requirements

We are looking for an experienced Mechanical / Structural / Marine Engineer with strong expertise in marine structural design, analysis, and classification-led approval.

You Should Bring

  • 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
  • Solution-driven approach
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, chaotic environment

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

Salary

Salary Type: Annual Salary
Salary Min: £65,000
Salary Max: £75,000
Currency Type: GBP

#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-04-28”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “NPAworldwide”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__416676310__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=493” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “Southampton” } } }
Company: NPAworldwide
Apply for the Principal Design Engineer
Location: Southampton
Job Description:

Overview

Principal Design Engineer – Location: Southampton hybrid, 3 days per week on-site

Salary: 65-85K plus excellent benefits package. A relocation package and Visa/Sponsorship support is available for this role if required.

About The Opportunity

Our client is a 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.

Responsibilities

  • Leading the mechanical design of subsystems in line with programme objectives
  • Owning the development of wing geometry, balancing performance, structural integrity, and manufacturability
  • Developing and managing load cases across classification and real-world operating conditions
  • Translating load cases into clear design requirements
  • Defining structural design philosophy and ensuring compliance with classification standards
  • Performing and overseeing structural analysis and design verification
  • Developing and improving in-house structural analysis tools and methods
  • Leading technical engagement with classification societies
  • Acting as the internal authority for stress and fatigue analysis
  • Supporting and reviewing the work of more junior engineers where appropriate
  • Promoting high standards of engineering integrity, safety, and sustainability

Why Join

This is 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
  • 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

Qualifications

Key Requirements

We are looking for an experienced Mechanical / Structural / Marine Engineer with strong expertise in marine structural design, analysis, and classification-led approval.

You Should Bring

  • 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
  • Solution-driven approach
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced, chaotic environment

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

Salary

Salary Type: Annual SalarySalary Min: £65,000Salary Max: £75,000Currency Type: GBP

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Posted: April 28th, 2026