Principal Design Engineer in Hampshire, Portsmouth

Southampton Hybrid (3 days per week on-site) £65,000 - £75,000 + excellent benefits package. Relocation package and Visa/Sponsorship support available.

About the Opportunity

Our client is a fast-growing maritime technology company developing innovative wind-assisted propulsion systems designed to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions across the global shipping industry. They are now looking to appoint a Principal Design Engineer to join their growing engineering team. This is a hands-on, technically challenging role with broad involvement across the full product lifecycle from concept development through to detailed design and production-ready hardware. Working closely with the Head of Engineering, you will take ownership of critical subsystems and play a key role in delivering designs that are robust, manufacturable, compliant, and ready for real-world deployment. This is an excellent opportunity for someone passionate about sustainability and advanced engineering to contribute directly to cleaner, more efficient global shipping technology.

Key Requirements

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

Essential Experience & Skills

• Degree qualification in Naval, Mechanical, Structural, or Marine Engineering
• Approximately 5-10 years experience designing marine structures approved by classification societies
• Strong proficiency with Siemens NX, Autodesk Inventor, or similar 3D CAD tools
• Strong experience in structural analysis, including FEA and hand calculations
• Proven ability translating load cases into robust, validated structural designs
• Experience working directly with classification societies and supporting technical approval
• Experience with DNV, Lloyds Register (LR), Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NK), or similar bodies
• Strong understanding of DFMA, structural integrity, and manufacturability
• Solution-oriented mindset with strong problem-solving capability
• Comfortable working within a fast-paced and evolving engineering environment

Desirable Experience

• Fatigue, buckling, and large welded structures
• Aero-structural systems or performance-led structural design
• Validation of engineering models against real-world operational data
• Structural testing, validation, and manufacturing techniques

Role & Responsibilities

As Principal Design Engineer, you will lead the structural and mechanical development of key product subsystems, ensuring designs meet performance, compliance, and delivery objectives. Responsibilities include:

• Leading the mechanical design of major subsystems
• Owning the development of wing geometry, balancing performance, manufacturability, and structural integrity
• Developing and managing load cases across classification and operational conditions
• Translating load cases into clear engineering design requirements
• Defining structural design philosophy and ensuring classification compliance
• Performing and overseeing structural analysis and design verification
• Improving internal structural analysis methods and tools
• Leading technical engagement with classification societies
• Acting as the internal authority for stress and fatigue analysis
• Supporting and mentoring 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 with genuine environmental impact. You will benefit from:

• Working on innovative climate-impact hardware
• High levels of ownership and technical influence
• Broad exposure from concept through to production
• The opportunity to grow alongside a scaling engineering business
• A collaborative and mission-driven engineering culture