Naval Architect - Weight Control and Hydrostatics

We offer you an Ocean of Possibilities. Join our family.

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 of the shipbuilding industry. You can be part of our team! Are you ready for duty?

The Role

As a Naval Architect – Weight Control and Hydrostatics, you will play a key role in ensuring the stability, safety, and performance of our vessels across all project phases. You’ll contribute specialist knowledge to both the proposal and engineering teams, focusing on weight management and hydrostatic calculations throughout the design and production process.

Your work will include verifying general ship design calculations, running simulations using tools like PIAS, and ensuring that each design stays within defined weight budgets. You will be responsible for overseeing inclining tests and will liaise with clients, classification societies, subcontractors, and shipyards. In this role, you’ll not only apply your technical expertise, but also help shape and further develop the discipline of weight control and hydrostatics within Damen Naval.

Key Accountabilities

• Acting as a technical specialist during proposal and engineering phases by developing, reviewing, and advising on creative solutions for complex naval projects.
• Creating and reviewing essential deliverables such as aspect management plans, analysis reports, calculations, simulations, technical specifications, and test/validation protocols.
• Performing and updating weight calculations across all ship systems, using the best available data, and building hydrostatic models for stability calculations in line with naval standards.
• Supporting internal and external design reviews to ensure design quality and compliance.
• Ensuring full adherence to all applicable requirements, rules, and specifications.
• Supporting verification and validation activities during the production phase, including the execution of inclining tests.
• Delivering high-quality engineering work within agreed timelines, quality standards, and budget constraints.
• Contributing to the development and promotion of knowledge in the field of weight control and hydrostatics across the organization.
• Participating in the continuous improvement of departmental processes and tools.
• Supporting knowledge sharing and retention within the team and wider department.
• Complying with all HSSEQ and IMED policies and procedures.

Skills & Experience

• A solid understanding of general ship design and ship systems.
• Theoretical knowledge of hydrostatics, including intact and damage stability as well as longitudinal strength.
• Experience working in complex project environments, preferably within (naval) shipbuilding or a related industry.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with engineers, and both project and tender managers.
• Familiarity with PDM systems and hydrostatic calculation software; basic programming skills are considered a plus.
• 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

• 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.

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.