Marine & Subsea Engineer
Location: Milnerton, Cape Town
Salary: Market Related
Overview:
Lead the end‑to‑end delivery of a first‑of‑its‑kind crewed subsea vehicle, from detailed design through construction, integration, trials, and client hand‑over. The role coordinates multidisciplinary teams to deliver a safe, high‑performance platform on time and within budget. Accountable for the end-to-end technical delivery of a marine craft programme, ensuring vessels are designed, built, tested, certified, and accepted in accordance with contractual requirements, safety assurance standards (e.g. Grey Boat Code), schedule, and budget.
Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture, Marine/Ocean Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or closely related field.
10+ years’ experience managing complex marine or subsea engineering projects, including crewed or uncrewed subsea vehicles, ROVs, AUVs or specialised small craft.
Vessel design fundamentals: stability, structures, hydrodynamics and class compliance.
Development or integration of subsea/ROV‑type systems (vehicle architecture, control systems, navigation, sensors, power and topside interfaces).
Track record delivering multi‑disciplinary engineering projects from design through construction and commissioning, to time and budget.
Ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams and technical suppliers.
Hands-on involvement with FAT, SAT, and sea trials.
Experience working with classification societies or assurance authorities.
Skills & Competencies:
Essential:
Strong systems engineering mindset, balancing hydrodynamics, structures, subsea systems, manufacturability and operations.
Proficient with project management tools (e.g. MS Project or equivalent) and formal PM methods.
Able to review and act on 3D CAD and analysis outputs (structures, CFD, systems models).
Excellent communication and stakeholder management across engineering teams, suppliers and clients.
High ownership of schedule, risk and quality; comfortable driving design closure and trade‑off decisions in a prototype / low‑volume production environment.
Advantageous:
Experience on a first‑of‑type marine or sub-sea vehicle programme.
Familiarity with local and international shipbuilding / marine fabrication environments.
Familiarity or experience in working with Lloyd’s Register for certification purposes.
Postgraduate qualification (MSc or equivalent) in a relevant marine or systems discipline.
Safety and assurance training (e.g. Safety Case development, HAZID/HAZOP, Class or Grey Boat Code)
Government, defence, coast guard, or police maritime programmes.
Small craft, patrol craft, workboats, or high-speed vessels.
Responsibilities:
Programme Leadership
Overall accountability for the integrated project schedule, budget, milestones, and risks. Manages stakeholder expectations, leads project and design reviews, reports progress and risks, and builds the technical and supplier teams needed to deliver the project.
Naval Architecture and Platform Integration
Coordinates stability, weight, structural, and hydrodynamic design activities. Ensures the hull, structure, and appendages comply with relevant classification and regulatory requirements for crewed subsea craft.
Subsea / ROV-Type Systems Integration
Oversees integration of guidance, navigation and control, power, sensors, cameras, and communications. Manages interfaces between the subsea vehicle, topside support systems, launch and recovery systems, and operator consoles.
Technical Coordination and Configuration Control
Aligns mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineering activities to maintain a consistent design baseline. Enforces configuration management, change control, and interface documentation.
Suppliers, Client and Stakeholder Management
Acts as the primary point of contact for clients, classification bodies, and key suppliers. Defines scopes of work and manages subcontracts to meet build and test milestones.
Quality, Safety and Compliance Adherence
Applies quality management systems across design, fabrication, and testing. Leads risk assessments, hazard identification, and operability studies focused on hull integrity, subsea operations, occupancy, and drive systems.
Technical Delivery & Governance
Maintains ownership of technical requirements, design, and configuration. Leads technical reviews, change control, and ensures systems integration and engineering coherence.
Safety Assurance & Certification
Leads compliance with applicable standards and class rules. Manages engagement with classification and assurance bodies and ensures safety cases, hazard logs, operating limits, and supporting evidence are developed and maintained.
Supplier & Contract Management
Manages technical interfaces with shipyards, OEMs, and suppliers. Plans and executes FAT and SAT activities, acceptance criteria, and resolves technical non-conformities.
Build, Integration & Testing
Oversees construction, installation, and system integration. Leads readiness for harbour and sea trials and manages defects, punch lists, re-tests, and technical close-out.
Schedule, Cost & Risk
Controls technical scope and interfaces to protect schedule and budget. Identifies and mitigates technical, certification, and integration risks and supports impact assessments for changes.
Stakeholder & Acceptance
Acts as the primary technical interface with customers and operators. Supports training, documentation, entry into service, and leads technical acceptance and handover.