Recruiter
Dragana Trkulja
Recruitment Partner Consultant at Van Storm
Job summary:
Tasks: lead and oversee all aspects of design control across engineering and production phases
Projects: advanced naval vessels
Company: premier naval shipbuilder within a leading global shipbuilding group
Main requirements: +5 years of experience in ship design with leadership responsibilities, ideally in naval shipbuilding
Your opportunity
As Lead Design Control, you will play a crucial role in steering the design integrity and technical compliance of large-scale naval shipbuilding projects. This is your chance to lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for critical domains such as hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, weight management, signatures, noise & vibration, and welding & preservation. Spanning the pre-Basic Engineering phase through to project execution, your leadership will ensure technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and timely delivery of engineering milestones. This position places you at the heart of cutting-edge naval innovation, with opportunities to shape the quality and performance of some of the world’s most sophisticated defense vessels.
What you will do
- Lead, coach, and coordinate a dedicated Design Control team through the basic and detailed engineering stages of complex naval shipbuilding programs
- Manage daily operations and short- to mid-term planning activities across the team
- Monitor engineering progress, control manhour budgets, and contribute to accurate reporting and forecasting
- Drive the execution of design reviews and technical assessments to ensure adherence to quality and project standards
- Provide coordination and support for commissioning activities and technical issue resolution during the project lifecycle
- Ensure compliance with all technical, regulatory, and safety requirements
- Promote continuous improvement and knowledge retention within the department through process evaluation and team development
Where you will work
This close client of ours is the leading Dutch developer and builder of marine defense systems. With a strong engineering and yard team, they are delivering world-class complex naval ships to navies around the world. In the current geopolitical climate, the organization is expanding significantly and providing excellent opportunities for professional growth.
- New technologies galore: state-of-the-art naval technology, digital twinning, virtual reality, and more!
- Well-established shipyard with a long-lasting track record, part of a global shipbuilding group
- Excellent market outlook: order book filled way into the 2030s and still more projects expected
- Cooperating with knowledgeable colleagues, learning and sharing insights
What you already have
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant technical field
- +5 years of experience in ship design or engineering, preferably involving complex naval vessels
- Proven ability to lead structured engineering work packages, with a strong command of systems, processes, and regulatory frameworks
- Excellent organizational, coaching, and planning skills, with an aptitude for leading cross-functional teams
- Strong communication skills in Dutch and English (both written and verbal)
- Demonstrated competencies in leadership, customer focus, team collaboration, quality orientation, flexibility, initiative, and decisiveness
- Eligibility to work on military-grade projects: permanent EU citizenship and passport are mandatory; candidates with dual (EU/non-EU) nationality or visa-only status are not eligible due to security clearance requirements
Your benefits
- 40 paid holidays per year for excellent work-life balance
- Covered commuting and interviewing costs
- Business Travel Insurance
- Basic Dutch course, so you will understand the Dutch jokes during the coffee break
- Access to social gatherings, lectures, and events, so you will meet like-minded friends within the Dutch Maritime Industry. We also offer you a 1-year membership of KNVTS, Royal Dutch Association of Marine Engineers.
- Housing search support and registration supported by Van Storm
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