Design Engineer

Certain Advantage; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialist marine engineering firm in Manchester seeks a Design Engineer with experience in small craft design and proficiency in SolidWorks. The role involves creating designs for boats and ensuring compliance with marine standards. Collaborate with production teams and travel for sea trials as needed. Competitive benefits including a pension and career progression.

Benefits

Pension

Holidays

Career progression

Parking

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with small boats is required.
• Strong CAD capability is essential.
• Ability to work collaboratively with teams.

Responsibilities

• Design small craft including hulls and systems integration.
• Create practical solutions based on customer requirements.
• Produce technical documentation for production.
• Ensure compliance with marine standards.

Skills

Experience in small craft or commercial boat design

Proficiency in SolidWorks

Familiarity with marine regulations

Strong problem-solving skills

Excellent communication skills

Job description

Overview

Design Engineer based in the Manchester area, with occasional travel to customer sites, sea trials, and suppliers.

The Company

We're working with a specialist marine engineering client who designs and builds high-performance boats and workboats for access, rescue, patrol, and interdiction missions. Their vessels are trusted by customers worldwide, from commercial operators to government agencies.

The Role

This role is perfect for a practical, detail-oriented engineer with hands-on experience—personal or professional—with small boats, and a passion for translating operational needs into robust, compliant, and efficient vessel designs. You\'ll combine strong CAD capability with collaborative, on-site problem solving across both office and factory environments.

Working closely with customers, surveyors, production teams, and suppliers, you will be responsible for:

• Small craft design, including hulls, decks, superstructures, and systems integration
• Interpreting customer requirements and creating practical, buildable solutions
• Producing drawings, models, and technical documentation for production, survey, and certification
• Ensuring compliance with relevant marine standards (MCA, ISO, Class rules)
• Working face-to-face with factory teams to resolve build issues and refine details during production
• Preparing reports, weight studies, bills of materials, and other project documentation
• Contributing to process improvement for both product and factory operations
• Willingness to travel for sea trials, supplier visits, and customer meetings

The Individual

We\'re looking for people who can show:

• Experience in small craft or commercial boat design (RIBs, workboats, or similar)
• Proficiency in SolidWorks
• Familiarity with marine regulations and coding requirements
• Strong problem-solving skills and a practical, hands-on design mindset
• Excellent communication skills and the confidence to work closely with production teams on the shop floor

The Benefits

• Pension, holidays, parking
• Career progression

Sounds like you? Apply today! Or WhatsApp/ring Lukas - (phone number removed)

Working with Certain Advantage

We go the extra mile to connect top talent with career-defining roles. If you\'re looking to grow your career and make a meaningful impact, we\'re here to support your journey. We work with businesses across the UK in Engineering, IT, Finance, and Marketing. If this job isn\'t the right fit, visit (url removed) to explore more opportunities and register for job alerts