Principal Design Engineer

📍 Hampshire (Hybrid - 3 days onsite)
💰 £65,000 - £85,000 + Benefits + Relocation + Visa Sponsorship (if required)

Work on real climate-impact engineering. Not theory.

We’re hiring a Principal Design Engineer to join a fast-growing maritime technology company developing propulsion systems that reduce fuel consumption and emissions across global shipping.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll own key subsystems from concept through to production.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead mechanical and structural design of critical subsystems
• Own wing geometry development — balancing performance and manufacturability
• Develop and manage load cases (real-world + classification)
• Translate requirements into robust, production-ready designs
• Perform and oversee FEA and structural analysis
• Act as technical lead with classification societies such as DNV and Lloyd’s Register
• Be the go-to expert for stress and fatigue analysis
• Work hands-on with CAD tools to develop and refine designs
• Support and mentor junior engineers

What you’ll need

• Degree in Naval, Mechanical, Structural or Marine Engineering
• 5-10 years’ experience designing marine structures within classification-approved environments
• Strong marine engineering background with experience working on large steel structures
• Familiarity working with classification societies such as DNV, Lloyd’s Register (LR), NK or similar
• Strong 3D CAD experience (NX, Inventor or similar)
• Solid FEA and hand calculations experience
• Strong understanding of DFMA and structural integrity
• Comfortable being hands-on with design and engineering delivery

Bonus points if you have

• Fatigue, buckling, or large welded structures experience
• Exposure to aero-structures or performance-led design
• Structural testing and validation experience

Why this role stands out

• Work on real clean-tech hardware
• Join a scaling engineering business
• Own designs from concept to production
• Genuine career progression as the company grows