Lead Principal Designer

Seaway7; Westhill; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Seaway7 is seeking a Principal Designer to lead advanced design and drafting on complex projects. You will produce drawings, oversee teams, and coordinate with Project Engineers to ensure on-schedule CAD deliverables within budget and global offshore standards.

The role requires extensive experience in drafting techniques, ERP familiarity, and leadership across design offices, with a strong focus on safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Strong ability to communicate clearly and coordinate with project teams.
• Highly organized with meticulous attention to detail.
• Solid understanding of design and drafting techniques and engineering terminology.
• Ability to work in a cross-functional, concurrent engineering environment.
• Prior experience with ERP systems and document control is desirable.
• Knowledge of offshore vessel design and installation principles is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Produce complex drawings and sketches meeting standards.
• Assign, oversee, check, and approve design work for accuracy and quality.
• Plan, organise, and manage work for yourself and team members.
• Liaise with Project Engineers on installation drawings.
• Ensure lessons learned improve safety, quality, and risk mitigation.
• Maintain familiarity with relevant codes and standards used in design and drafting.
• Identify project resource needs and communicate them to supervisors.
• Review resource requests and provide feasibility feedback.
• Interface with project discipline leads to keep CAD deliverables on schedule and budget.
• Ensure input into procurement activities.
• Encourage awareness and reporting of project variations.
• Provide input into CTR estimates for the department.
• Ensure design services comply with QA, HSE and legislation.
• Participate in technical audits.
• Support and maintain engineering control and reporting systems.
• Manage internal and external Design Office interfaces.
• Agree, monitor, and review performance objectives with direct reports.
• Identify performance improvements and adjust tools/processes.
• Support induction, mentoring, and training of junior staff and new starters.
• Support apprentice recruitment and training.
• Participate in recruitment of personnel.
• Advance team learning by promoting knowledge sharing, best practices, and proficiency.
• Support development of standard deliverables and efficiencies.
• Encourage engineering improvements to systems.
• Stay informed about emerging technologies and digital tools.
• Stay current with professional learning to support growth.

Skills

Clear communication

Organizational skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Associate degree in Drafting and Design

Tools

AutoCAD

Autodesk Inventor

Vault Professional

Job description

Seaway7 is seeking a Principal Designer to lead advanced design and drafting on complex projects. You will produce drawings, oversee teams, and coordinate with Project Engineers to ensure on-schedule CAD deliverables within budget and global offshore standards.

The role requires extensive experience in drafting techniques, ERP familiarity, and leadership across design offices, with a strong focus on safety, quality, and continuous improvement.