Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, Hydrofoil Systems

black.ai; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vessev is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to own the mechanical design of hydrofoil systems, including foils, control surfaces and propulsion integration for electric vessels.

You will prototype, run FEA, validate designs against load cases, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure feasible, cost-effective production. Strong CAD, aero/hydrodynamics knowledge, and hands-on problem-solving are essential for this Kiwi startup environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline
• 5–10 years designing complex mechanical systems
• Track record from concept through prototyping to production
• Engineering decisions based on analysis and testing
• Understanding of lightweight structures, mechanisms and manufacturable designs
• Understanding of aero/hydrodynamics and fluid-structure interactions
• Excellent CAD skills and ability to produce high-quality drawings
• Strong problem-solving with first-principles approach
• Collaborative across multidisciplinary teams
• Hands-on approach, building/testing hardware

Responsibilities

• Hydro-surface design and optimisation
• Mechanical systems for foil retraction and control surfaces
• Propulsion systems integration into foil geometry
• Integration of foils into the vessel platform
• Own mechanical design and analysis; prototyping and CAD validation against load cases
• Production handover with manufacturing teams (in-house and outsourced)
• Design iteration at pace, staying ahead of industry trends
• Apply on-board sensor data to validate design decisions and improve performance

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD

FEA

Aero/hydrodynamics

Python

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

CFD tools

Job description

Vessev is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to own the mechanical design of hydrofoil systems, including foils, control surfaces and propulsion integration for electric vessels.

You will prototype, run FEA, validate designs against load cases, and collaborate with manufacturing to ensure feasible, cost-effective production. Strong CAD, aero/hydrodynamics knowledge, and hands-on problem-solving are essential for this Kiwi startup environment.