Senior Mechanical Design Engineer — Hydrofoil Systems

Matchbox; Maungakiekie-Tāmaki; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 weeks parental leave

Competitive salaries

Job summary

Vessev, a Kiwi startup, is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to join the Hydrofoil Systems team. You’ll own the mechanical design of foils, control surfaces and propulsion integration to enable our hydrofoiling vessels.

You’ll prototype complex assemblies, run structural analyses (FEA) and CFD as needed, and collaborate with manufacturing to deliver production-ready solutions with lightweight, manufacturable designs. A fast-paced, hands-on role with real impact.

Qualifications

• A degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
• 5–10 years’ experience designing and developing complex mechanical systems.
• Experience taking products from concept through prototyping to production.
• Experience making engineering decisions based on analysis and testing.
• Strong 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.
• First-principles approach to engineering.

Responsibilities

• Hydro-surface design and optimisation.
• Mechanical systems that facilitate foil retraction and control surfaces.
• Propulsion systems and their integration into the foil geometry.
• The integration of the foils into the vessel platform.
• Design and prototyping complex assemblies with CAD validation and load case analysis.
• Validate decisions through onboard sensors and testing to improve vessel performance.
• Collaborate with manufacturing to ensure production feasibility and cost-effectiveness.

Skills

CAD skills

FEA

CFD

First-principles problem solving

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Hands-on hardware prototyping

Education

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD

FEA

CFD

Job description

Vessev, a Kiwi startup, is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineer to join the Hydrofoil Systems team. You’ll own the mechanical design of foils, control surfaces and propulsion integration to enable our hydrofoiling vessels.

You’ll prototype complex assemblies, run structural analyses (FEA) and CFD as needed, and collaborate with manufacturing to deliver production-ready solutions with lightweight, manufacturable designs. A fast-paced, hands-on role with real impact.