Lead Manning & Automation — Hybrid Ship Systems Lead

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

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