Manufacturing Design Engineer

Griffon Marine Ltd; Fareham; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Griffon Marine Ltd in the United Kingdom is seeking a Manufacturing Design Engineer to bridge engineering concepts with fabrication realities on high-value aluminium vessels.

You will translate 3D hull and superstructure designs into exact, build-ready components, maintain a digital twin with vendor dimensions, and coordinate intricate routing for mechanical systems while ensuring compliance with MCA and Lloyd's Register rules.

Qualifications

• Academic foundation in Yacht Design, Marine Design, Naval Architecture, or Mechanical Design Engineering.
• Advanced 3D marine CAD proficiency with SolidWorks.
• 3–5 years detailing structural designs for marine aluminium (5083/6082).
• Experience drafting layouts for marine infrastructure (shafts, propulsion, steering, manifolds).
• Data control with PDM, ECRs, and CAD file hierarchies.
• Hands-on metalworking experience in a shipyard environment.

Responsibilities

• Deconstruct 3D models/2D drawings into fabricator-ready components (frames, bulkheads, stringers, hull plates).
• Produce workshop drawings, descriptive 2D drawings, and isometric/sub-assembly diagrams for weld teams.
• Maintain a 3D digital twin with exact vendor dimensions for engines, gearboxes, and deck hardware.
• Model and route vessel systems with dedicated runs for fuel, hydraulics, steering, and propulsion.
• Run interference checks between structure and pathways and resolve clashes before release.
• Compile and manage BOMs from the 3D model (weights, extrusion lengths, components).
• Standardise folds, flange lengths, and joints to aid manual assembly.
• Ensure details and placements align with MCA regulations and Lloyd’s Register rules.

Skills

3D Hull detailing

3D modelling

Metalworking knowledge

PDM / revision control

Interference checking

Education

Degree or HND/HNC in Yacht/Marine/Mechanical Design

Tools

SolidWorks

Marine CAD software

PDM software

Job description

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:

• 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.
• 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.

Hazel Road, Woolston. Trafalgar Wharf Portchester. Hybrid

Department

Operations, Planning & Control

Job Title

Manufacturing Design Engineer

Experience

See Job Description

City

Hazel Road, Woolston. Trafalgar Wharf, Portchester. Hybrid