Junior Hardware (EPLAN) Engineer

Smart-Ship; Delft; On-site; EUR 35,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct guidance from CTO

Development budget for courses

Flexible hours and remote work after培训

Workshop and vessel exposure

Influence on product development

Job summary

Smart-Ship is seeking a Junior Hardware Engineer (EPLAN) to contribute to electrical design of propulsion control systems and cabinets in Delft, the Netherlands. The role focuses on developing and updating schematics, BOMs and documentation, with growth toward full control cabinet designs.

You will work closely with CTO and commissioning teams, gaining hands-on experience in workshop and on vessels, while developing modular hardware solutions and macros in EPLAN.

Qualifications

• MBO-4 or Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics or related field.
• Able to read electrical schematics and understand control engineering basics.
• Structured, accurate work style with curiosity to learn.
• Experience with EPLAN P8 or similar CAD tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Create and update electrical schematics in EPLAN P8.
• Prepare and maintain bills of materials, terminal diagrams and cable lists.
• Process revisions from projects, production and commissioning.
• Assist development of EPLAN macros, templates and libraries.
• Coordinate designs with software engineers, workshop and commissioning teams.
• Support component selection and modular hardware development.
• Oversee cabinet construction and testing in the workshop.
• Join on-board installation and commissioning activities when needed.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Schematic reading

Attention to detail

English Dutch

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

EPLAN P8

Job description

Junior Hardware Engineer (EPLAN) – Marine Automation

Location: Delft, the Netherlands

Employment: 32–40 hours per week

Salary: €3,100–€3,800 gross per month based on a 40-hour working week, depending on knowledge and experience, excluding 8% holiday allowance.

Don’t just draw the schematic. See how your design is built and brought to life on board.

Smart-Ship develops and supplies complete propulsion control systems and haptic control solutions for commercial vessels.

Our systems connect the controls on the bridge with engines, gearboxes, electric drives and thrusters. They also provide the technical foundation for technologies such as remote control, Track Pilot integration, Just-in-Time sailing and increasingly automated vessel functions.

We are growing and are looking for someone who wants to grow with us. You do not need to be an experienced EPLAN specialist or maritime expert yet. We are primarily looking for someone with a solid electrical engineering foundation, an eye for detail and the ambition to develop into a skilled hardware engineer.

What will you do?

As a Junior Hardware Engineer, you will contribute to the electrical design of our propulsion control systems and control cabinets. You will initially focus on developing, updating and improving existing electrical schematics. As you become more familiar with our systems, you will take on increasing responsibility for complete designs and new control cabinet configurations.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Creating and updating electrical schematics in EPLAN P8.
• Preparing and maintaining bills of materials, terminal diagrams, cable lists and other technical documentation.
• Processing revisions and changes resulting from projects, production and commissioning.
• Helping to develop our EPLAN macros, templates and component libraries.
• Coordinating designs with our software engineers, workshop and commissioning engineers.
• Supporting component selection and the development of modular hardware solutions.
• Following the construction and testing of control cabinets in our workshop.
• Where relevant, joining installation, testing and commissioning activities on board vessels.

This is not a role in which you only work behind a screen. You will see how your schematics are turned into a real control cabinet in our workshop and how the completed system functions on board. You will receive hands‑on guidance.

You will work directly with our CTO, who has fourteen years of experience developing, servicing and commissioning marine propulsion control systems. He will guide you through our systems and design principles, review your work and help you understand not only how an electrical schematic should be created, but also why particular technical choices are made.

You will also work closely with our Head of Commissioning & Workshop. Through direct feedback from the workshop, installations and commissioning activities, you will learn what works in practice and how designs can be made clearer, more efficient and easier to build and maintain.

The short communication lines between engineering, production and commissioning allow you to learn quickly and see the direct impact of your work.

How can you develop?

During your first months, you will focus on learning our systems, processing revisions and independently developing parts of an electrical design. As your knowledge and experience grow, you can progress towards designing complete control cabinets and electrical installations.

In the longer term, you can play an important role in:

• Further standardising our EPLAN environment.
• Developing modular control cabinet configurations.
• Designing new control systems for engines, thrusters and electric propulsion systems.
• Component selection and hardware architecture.
• Improving our engineering and production processes.
• Taking ownership of hardware projects.
• Supporting and guiding future colleagues.

Smart-Ship is a compact and growing company, so your development is not limited by a rigid job description. If you demonstrate that you are ready for more responsibility, you will be given the opportunity to take it.

Who are we looking for?

You do not need to know everything from day one. You do need a good technical foundation and the motivation to develop within hardware engineering and marine automation.

You are likely to be a good fit if you:

• Have completed an MBO-4, bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation or a related technical field.
• Can read electrical schematics and understand the basic principles of control engineering.
• Work accurately and in a structured manner.
• Are curious and want to understand how a complete technical system works.
• Enjoy working with software engineers, workshop technicians and commissioning engineers.
• Take initiative and feel comfortable suggesting improvements.
• Can communicate effectively in English and/or Dutch.
• Are willing to occasionally visit vessels, shipyards or other project locations.

Experience with EPLAN P8 through education, an internship or previous employment is a strong advantage.

Candidates with a solid electrical engineering background and experience using other electrical CAD or ECAD software are also encouraged to apply. Previous experience in the maritime industry is not required. We can teach you the maritime and propulsion‑control knowledge. Dutch language skills are an advantage, but not a requirement. You should be comfortable working in English.

What do we offer?

• A gross monthly salary between €3,100 and €3,800, based on a 40-hour working week and depending on your knowledge and experience.
• A position for 32 to 40 hours per week with 25 days of holiday.
• Direct guidance from experienced specialists in propulsion control, service and commissioning.
• The opportunity to develop your skills in EPLAN, hardware engineering, marine automation and system integration.
• The possibility to discuss a personal development budget for relevant courses and training.
• A varied working environment involving the office, our workshop and, where relevant, vessels and project locations.
• Flexible working hours and, after the initial training period, the possibility to work partly from home when the work allows it.
• The opportunity to influence how we develop our products, control cabinets and engineering standards.
• Short communication lines, little bureaucracy and direct contact with the people who design, build and commission our systems.
• An informal and ambitious team in which your contribution is immediately visible.

At Smart-Ship, you will not join a large department where you spend years working on one small part of a project. You will be involved throughout the process: from the first schematic and control cabinet construction to the completed system operating on board.

About Smart-Ship

Smart-Ship is a maritime technology Scale-up based in Delft, the Netherlands.

We develop and supply brand‑independent propulsion control systems and haptic control solutions for both newbuild and retrofit projects. Our technology connects vessel operators, propulsion equipment and onboard systems in one integrated control environment. It helps vessels operate more safely and efficiently while enabling future technologies such as remote control, Track Pilot integration, Just‑in‑Time sailing and increasingly autonomous functions.

Our systems are used on inland vessels, ferries, workboats, research vessels and remote‑operation applications. We work with shipyards, propulsion manufacturers, vessel owners and maritime technology partners in the Netherlands and internationally.