Manufacturing Design Engineer

In a low-volume, high-value aluminium marine manufacturing company, the Production Designer works at the intersection of engineering and the workshop floor. Unlike a high-level Naval Architect who focuses on hull physics, hydrodynamics, and general arrangements, the Production Designer's primary function is to take those conceptual engineering designs and model them into exact, build-ready parts. They ensure that every piece of aluminium and every marine system routed through the vessel fits together flawlessly on the first attempt.

Objectives:

• 3D Hull & Superstructure Detailing: Deconstruct 3D surface models / 2D drawings from Naval Architects into detailed, fabricator-ready structural components (such as frames, bulkheads, stringers, and hull plates).
• Generation of Workshop Assembly Drawings: Produce clean, highly descriptive 2D fabrication drawings, detailed isometric views, and specific sub-assembly diagrams tailored for manual weld teams.
• Exact Component Modelling: Maintain an accurate 3D "Digital Twin" of the vessel, integrating exact vendor dimensions for engines, gearboxes, and deck hardware to eliminate physical assembly interferences.
• Complex System Pathing: Model and detail the physical spatial routing for complex onboard systems, ensuring dedicated runs for fuel systems, hydraulic piping, steering linkages, and primary propulsion machinery.
• Spatial Clashing Resolution: Run interference checks between structural frames and system pathways within the CAD environment, catching and resolving spatial trade conflicts before parts are released to the floor.
• Detailed Bill of Materials (BOM) Compilation: Extract and manage exact manufacturing BOMs from the 3D model, listing raw plate weights, structural extrusion lengths, and specialized marine components.
• Design for Manufacture (DFM) Optimization: Standardise fold lines, flange lengths, and interlocking part joints (like tab-and-slot features) to make physical manual assembly as straightforward as possible.
• Regulatory Compliance Modelling: Ensure that structural details and system placements align precisely with MCA regulations and Lloyd’s Register rules, keeping structural scantlings compliant with class design rules.

Qualification/Experience:

• Essential:
• Academic Foundation: A Degree or HND/HNC in Yacht Design and Production, Marine Design, Naval Architecture, or Mechanical Design Engineering. Extensive relevant drawing office experience in a commercial shipyard will also be highly considered.
• Advanced 3D Marine CAD Expertise: Advanced, demonstrable proficiency in dedicated marine 3D modelling platforms—specifically Solidworks.
• Plate Fabrication Drafting: A minimum of 3 to 5 years of experience detailing structural designs for fabrication, with an explicit focus on marine-grade aluminium alloys (5083 and 6082).
• Marine Systems Familiarity: Proven experience drafting or detailing layouts for mechanical marine infrastructure, including shaft lines, propulsion systems, steering gear, or complex fuel/hydraulic manifolds.
• Desirable:
• Data Control & Revision Tracking: Practical experience utilizing Product Data Management (PDM) software to control version releases, CAD file hierarchies, and Engineering Change Requests (ECRs).
• Hands-on Metalworking / Mechanical Background: Prior practical experience working as an apprentice or fabricator on a shipyard floor, offering first-hand insight into how physical metal behaves under cutting and forming tools, or how marine systems are integrated into vessels.

Company Benefits:

• Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance
• Birthday Leave
• Electric Car Scheme
• Buy an extra 5 days Holiday

*Company Terms and Conditions Apply