Lead Manning & Automation

Forexx Group; Netherlands; Hybrid; EUR 50,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary €4,500–€6,500 monthly

8% holiday pay

27 vacation days

13 ADV days

Travel allowance €0.23/km

Work from home up to 2 days per week

Job summary

Forexx Group in the Netherlands is seeking a Lead Technical Specialist – Manning & Automation to drive ship automation, reduce crew size and improve situational awareness for naval operations. You will coordinate research and technology projects in automation, digital twinning, system integration, and decision-support, contributing to design, proposals, and engineering for major shipbuilding programs.

The ideal candidate holds a Master or Bachelor in a technical field, has 5+ years in naval

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant technical field.
• Strong theoretical knowledge of systems for naval vessels or offshore installations.
• Familiarity with agile software development processes (e.g. Scrum).
• Proficiency in IT architecture for vessels, including service-oriented and cloud-based systems (virtualization, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
• Knowledge of recent industrial automation trends, such as IIoT.
• Awareness of classification society rules and regulations is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with research institutes, universities, vendors and subcontractors.
• Independent, practical and customer-focused with strong communication skills.
• Excellent command of both Dutch and English, spoken and written.
• Security screening is part of the selection process.
• Permanent EU citizenship and passport are required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate a team of technology specialists through research, design, proposal, and engineering phases of shipbuilding projects.
• Provide expert advice in automation and systems engineering to ensure high technical performance of smart ship systems.
• Conduct and support verification and validation tests and trials during production and warranty phases.
• Initiate and conceptualize new automation solutions to meet future operational requirements.
• Advise on project activity planning and manhour budgeting.
• Develop and review functional descriptions, calculations, simulations, technical specifications, and validation protocols.
• Support design reviews and contribute to continuous improvement of engineering processes and tools.
• Collaborate with subcontractors during basic engineering to define automation design and requirements.
• Specify, evaluate, developing, and testing integrated mission management solutions.
• Ensure compatibility and seamless integration of existing hardware and software products.
• Evaluate the technical performance of new technologies during design, engineering, and commissioning.
• Act as a key technical member of project teams, ensuring on-time and within-budget delivery.
• Promote standardized and modularized automation solutions through off-the-shelf integration concepts.
• Provide consultancy for both new builds and existing vessels regarding Manning & Automation strategies.
• Maintain strong relationships with industry partners, research institutes, and naval stakeholders.

Skills

Team leadership

Automation systems

Systems engineering

Project coordination

Dutch & English

Agile / Scrum

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a technical field

Job description

Join a leading organization in the naval and defence industry, where professionals worldwide collaborate to deliver advanced vessels and cutting-edge maritime systems. By applying the latest technological innovations in practice, we continuously push the boundaries of shipbuilding and automation. You can be part of this dynamic and forward-thinking environment!

What you’ll be doing

As the Lead Technical Specialist – Manning & Automation, you will drive advancements in ship automation to improve operability, support smaller crew sizes, and enhance situational awareness for naval operations.

As a recognized expert, you will coordinate and execute research and technology development projects related to automation, digital twinning, system integration, and decision support systems.

Your expertise will play a key role during the design, proposal, and engineering phases of major shipbuilding projects.

• Leading and coordinating a team of technology specialists throughout research, design, proposal, and engineering phases of shipbuilding projects.
• Providing expert advice in automation and systems engineering to ensure high technical performance of smart ship systems.
• Conducting and supporting verification and validation tests and trials during production and warranty phases.
• Initiating and conceptualizing new automation solutions to meet future operational requirements.
• Advising on project activity planning and manhour budgeting.
• Developing and reviewing functional descriptions, calculations, simulations, technical specifications, and validation protocols.
• Supporting design reviews and contributing to the continuous improvement of engineering processes and tools.
• Collaborating with subcontractors during basic engineering to define automation design and requirements.
• Specifying, evaluating, developing, and testing integrated mission management solutions.
• Ensuring compatibility and seamless integration of existing hardware and software products.
• Evaluating the technical performance of new technologies during design, engineering, and commissioning.
• Acting as a key technical member of project teams, ensuring on-time and within-budget delivery.
• Promoting standardized and modularized automation solutions through off-the-shelf integration concepts.
• Providing consultancy for both new builds and existing vessels regarding Manning & Automation strategies.
• Maintaining strong relationships with industry partners, research institutes, and naval stakeholders to advance Manning & Automation projects.

What you bring to the table

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant technical field, with at least five years of professional experience.
• Strong theoretical knowledge of systems for naval vessels or offshore installations.
• Familiarity with agile software development processes (e.g. Scrum).
• Proficiency in functional design of control and monitoring systems.
• Understanding of IT architecture solutions for vessels, including service-oriented and cloud-based systems (virtualization, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
• Knowledge of recent industrial automation trends, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
• Awareness of classification society rules and regulations is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with research institutes, universities, vendors, and subcontractors.
• Independent, practical, and customer-focused professional with strong communication skills.
• Excellent command of both Dutch and English, spoken and written.
• Excellent references; a security screening is part of the selection process.
• Permanent EU citizenship and passport are required. Candidates with EU work visas or dual EU/non-EU nationalities are not eligible due to the military nature of the projects.

What we offer you

We value our employees and support their professional and personal development. The employment package includes:

• A salary between €4.500,- and €6.500,- depending on experience and knowledge
• 8% holiday pay.
• 27 vacation days and 13 ADV days.
• Travel allowance of €0,23 per kilometre.
• Flexibility to work from home up to two days per week.

Do you have questions about this vacancy?

Mark van Luffelen
is happy to tell you all about it