Senior System Safety Engineer

About us

Get on board with Damen Naval, along with more than 1,200 professionals based in The Netherlands, Romania, and Germany. We are the naval division of the family-owned Damen Shipyards Group which employs 12,000 professionals globally. Damen Naval designs and builds advanced naval vessels for customers all over the world. With a passion for technological innovation and sustainable solutions, we continue to push the boundaries in naval shipbuilding. You can be part of our team! Are you ready for duty?

The role

Are you passionate about ensuring the safety and reliability of cutting-edge naval systems? Damen Naval in Vlissingen is seeking a skilled System Safety Engineer to lead our safety initiatives and ensure compliance with the highest industry standards. If you have a strong background in safety engineering and thrive in a collaborative environment, we want to hear from you!

Key accountabilities

As Senior System Safety Engineer at Damen Naval, your responsibilities will include:

• Conduct comprehensive hazard analyses such as HAZOP, FTA, and FMEA to identify potential risks in naval systems.
• Ensure compliance with IEC 61508 and other relevant maritime safety standards.
• Develop and implement effective risk mitigation strategies.
• Document hazards in a structured, traceable manner and evaluate risks using an established risk matrix.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate safety requirements into system designs.
• Define and document system safety requirements tailored to naval vessels.
• Maintain well-documented system safety processes accessible to the engineering team.
• Act as the primary contact for all system safety-related matters within Damen Naval and with external stakeholders.
• Foster a strong system safety culture through awareness programs and professional development.
• Lead the system safety engineering team, establishing and integrating safety processes into standard operations.
• Mentor team members and contribute to employee appraisals and knowledge transfer within the department.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of departmental processes.
• Adhere to and promote all HSSEQ / IMED policies and procedures.

Skills & experience

Damen Naval is looking for candidates for the position of Senior System Safety Engineer with the following qualifications:

• Bachelor or Master degree at least years of relevant experience in system safety engineering, preferably gained within shipbuilding or naval defense.
• Familiar with system safety analysis methodologies and standards (e.g., IEC 61508, MIL-Std-882E) and deep knowledge of functional safety standards such as IEC 61508, MIL-Std-882E, and Machine Directive.
• Experience leading small, high-performing teams and strong leadership and team management skills.
• Solid understanding of mechanical, electrical, and automation systems engineering.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Proficiency in tools such as MS Office and Requirement Management Tools.
• Fluent in Dutch and English; German language skills are a strong advantage.
• Willingness to travel and engage with international stakeholders.
• Key Competencies: Initiative, Integrity, Problem Analysis, Judgment, Decision Making and Stakeholder Management: Build effective networks and maintain strong relationships to achieve objectives.
• Excellent references, as a security screening is part of the hiring process.
• Permanent EU citizenship and passport are both required. Candidates with EU (work) visa or with (also) a non-EU nationality and/or passport are not eligible given the requirements imposed by the military nature of our projects.

What we offer

At Damen Naval, we highly value our employees, and we will support your professional and personal development. We also provide our employees with:

• A competitive salary and 8% holiday pay.
• 27 holidays and 13 ADV days.
• Travel allowance of 23 cents per kilometre.
• PME-pension arrangement with an employer contribution of 60%.
• Profit sharing based on company results.
• Flexibility to work from home up to two days a week.
• Additional benefits including a bicycle plan and company fitness.

Why Damen?

Damen has 35 shipyards on five different continents and operates in more than 100 countries. We are still growing and that gives you options. You contribute to this growth while benefitting from the diverse development and career opportunities that our company offers. We will continue to challenge you. With our extensive portfolio of products and solutions you will never get bored and never stop learning. We offer you a world of possibilities. Working at Damen means contributing to the highest quality in shipbuilding, with an eye to the future and future generations. We want to make the world a better place by becoming the most sustainable maritime solution provider. For that, we need you. Become part of our family.

About Us

We are Damen. We’re a family company that has been building ships for almost 100 years. However, our focus is not on the past, however – we’re looking forward. Our ambition is to become the most sustainable and connected maritime solutions provider there is. To achieve this, we combine digital technology with our philosophy of standardised shipbuilding to offer a portfolio of services that takes care of vessels throughout the entire lifecycle. Working at Damen offers the best of several worlds. Active in more than 100 countries, with over 30 shipyards, we are internationally renowned for quality. And we are still growing, still innovating. Which means we will continue to challenge you. You will never stop learning, and you will never get bored – we promise you that. We offer you an ocean of possibilities. Join our family.