Principal Engineer

We are seeking an experienced Principal Engineer – Naval Autonomous & Uncrewed Systems Design to join our expanding Maritime Engineering team.

You will provide technical leadership in the design, integration and delivery of autonomous and uncrewed maritime systems, supporting programmes from concept development through detailed design, build support, integration, trials and in-service capability.

The role requires engineers with extensive experience of naval platform design together with a practical understanding of manufacturing, assembly, integration and production processes. You will work across multidisciplinary engineering teams, providing technical leadership, mentoring engineers and engaging with customers throughout the engineering lifecycle.

• Lead multidisciplinary engineering activities across autonomous and uncrewed maritime programmes.
• Develop system and platform designs from concept through detailed design.
• Produce and review engineering documentation including:
• Requirements specifications
• System architectures
• Design documentation
• Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
• Integration strategies
• Verification and Validation plans
• Act as the technical authority for assigned work packages.
• Support business development and technical bid activities.
• Work collaboratively with customers, suppliers and manufacturing organisations.
• Lead and participate in engineering design reviews, including:
• System Requirements Review (SRR)
• Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
• Critical Design Review (CDR)
• Test Readiness Review (TRR)
• Support manufacture, assembly, integration, commissioning and acceptance activities.
• Identify technical risks and develop effective mitigation strategies.
• Mentor and develop engineers across the team.

• Degree in Engineering, Naval Architecture or a related STEM discipline
• Chartered Engineer (CEng)
• Membership of a relevant professional institution
• INCOSE certification or equivalent Systems Engineering accreditation

• Naval Platform Design
  • Surface vessels
  • Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASV)
  • Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV)
  • Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)
  • Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (UUV)
  • Modular mission systems
  • Mission payload integration
• Systems Engineering
  • Requirements management
  • Functional analysis
  • System architecture
  • Interface management
  • Configuration management
  • Verification and Validation
  • Systems Engineering lifecycle
• Manufacturing & Build Support
  • Design for Manufacture (DfM)
  • Design for Assembly (DfA)
  • Shipyard or marine production environments
  • Production engineering
  • Fabrication and welding
  • Modular construction
  • Installation and integration planning
  • Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)
  • Harbour Acceptance Testing (HAT)
  • Sea Acceptance Trials (SAT)
• Autonomous Systems
  • Autonomous control systems
  • Mission planning
  • Remote operations
  • AI-enabled autonomy
  • Navigation systems
  • Vehicle management systems
  • Communications architectures
  • Edge computing

• Defence procurement environments
• Maritime autonomous regulations
• Lloyd's Register, DNV or equivalent classification standards
• Complex engineering governance and assurance processes

• Years of experience delivering complex maritime, defence or highly regulated engineering programmes.
• The successful candidate will be recognised as a technical authority capable of leading engineering delivery across complex multidisciplinary projects.
  • Excellent technical leadership
  • Strong systems thinking
  • Problem-solving and analytical capability
  • Stakeholder management
  • Engineering judgement
  • Technical report writing
  • Risk management
  • Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills

• Experience working within complex engineering programmes involving one or more of the following:

  • Maritime defence
  • Naval shipbuilding
  • Autonomous maritime systems
  • Marine engineering consultancies
  • Defence or government customers
  • Major systems integrators
  • Shipbuilders
  • Classification societies

• Naval Engineering

  • Naval architecture
  • Structural design
  • Mechanical systems
  • Electrical systems
  • Marine propulsion
  • Energy and power systems
  • Command and control integration
  • Sensors and communications
  • Mission system integration

• Digital Engineering

  • CAD tools
  • Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
  • Siemens Teamcenter
  • PTC Windchill
  • Digital Engineering
  • Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
  • Digital Twins

• Safety & Assurance

  • Safety engineering
  • Reliability
  • Maintainability
  • Human Factors
  • Through-life support
  • Engineering assurance
  • Applicable industry standards

• Candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance.

• Collaborative working environment – we stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients and our peers through good times and challenges  
• We empower all passionate technology loving professionals by allowing them to expand their skills and take part in inspiring projects   
• Expleo Academy - enables you to acquire and develop the right skills by delivering a suite of accredited training courses  
• Competitive company benefits
• Always working as one team, our people are not afraid to think big and challenge the status quo 

• As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:

• Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
• Communicating and promoting vacancies
• Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
• Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
• Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work at least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people

“We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age”. 

We treat everyone fairly and equitably across the organisation, including providing any additional support and adjustments needed for everyone to thrive