Principal Design Engineer in Southampton

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.
• 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.