Technical Specialist Propulsion Systems

Career at Damen

About us

Hop aboard Damen Naval; the naval division of the family-owned Damen Shipyards Group, where 12,000 professionals work worldwide. Damen Naval delivers advanced naval vessels to clients all over the globe. By implementing the most innovative technological developments in practice, we continue to push the boundaries in the shipbuilding industry. You can be part of our team! Are you ready for duty?

The Role

As a Technical Specialist – Propulsion Systems, you will be a key expert supporting RDI projects, proposals, and engineering activities. You will focus on propulsion, mechanical, and auxiliary systems of naval vessels. In the early design phase, you perform trade-off studies and optimize system layouts. During engineering, you use time-domain simulation tools such as Matlab/Simulink to analyze system performance, support decisions, and mitigate risks. You validate analyses with operational ship data and identify new technology solutions in your field.

Key responsibilities

• Acting as a technical specialist in RDI, proposals, and engineering by advising on complex propulsion and mechanical system solutions.
• Performing analyses and simulations to support system design decisions and risk mitigation.
• Supporting verification and validation tests, including FAT, HAT, and SAT trials during production or research projects.
• Delivering high-quality engineering or research outputs within agreed schedules, quality standards, and budgets.
• Supporting design reviews and ensuring full compliance with applicable requirements and specifications.
• Contributing to knowledge development, transfer, and continuous improvement in propulsion systems and related fields.

Skills & experience

• Bachelor with 7 years’ experience or Master with 5 years’ experience in a technical discipline.
• In-depth knowledge of propulsion, mechanical, and auxiliary systems for naval vessels or offshore installations.
• Basic understanding of maritime system dynamics and control systems.
• Experience in complex naval projects and collaborating with engineers, research institutes, and project/tender managers.
• Academic research experience is a plus, including developing and validating new methods or tools.
• Good command of the Dutch and English language, both written and verbal.
• 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 both an EU and non-EU nationality and/or passport are not eligible in accordance with 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.

Please note that due to the military nature of our projects, only candidates who have permanent EU nationality can be considered for vacancies at Damen Naval. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to process candidates who (also) have a non-EU passport or nationality.

A pre-employment and security screening and investigation form part of the recruitment process.