(Graduation) Internship – Damen Naval – Materials, Structures and Vulnerability

Career at Damen Naval: Join Damen Naval and Contribute to Advanced Naval Vessel Innovation

ABOUT US

Get on board with Damen Naval, the naval division of the family-owned Damen Shipyards Group, employing over 1,200 professionals in The Netherlands, Romania, and Germany. 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: Internship Opportunity

As a graduation intern at Damen Naval, you will contribute to the cutting-edge research and development of naval vessels. Your work will focus on enhancing ship performance, survivability, and structural integrity through advanced simulation, monitoring, and design methodologies. You’ll be immersed in one of several key domains—ranging from digital hull monitoring and fatigue analysis to shock survivability and fluid-structure interaction—depending on your interests and expertise.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Select and develop engineering tools and analysis methods tailored to your research goals.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts across departments.
• Propose your own topic or choose from a range of ready-made assignments.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Research Planning & Execution: Take ownership of your project from day one, including scoping, scheduling, and delivery.
• Technical Analysis: Perform in-depth simulations and modeling using high-fidelity tools to analyze structural, hydrodynamic, and shock-related phenomena.
• Innovation & Optimization: Develop new methodologies or improve existing ones for fatigue prediction, load modeling, or survivability design.
• Communication: Present findings and recommendations clearly to multidisciplinary teams, contributing to the broader innovation goals of Damen Naval.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

The perfect candidate for an internship or graduation project related to Naval vessel Vulnerability has the following characteristics:

• Fluent in Dutch and English (written and verbal).
• Permanent EU citizenship and passport required due to the military nature of the projects.
• Excellent academic references (security screening applies).
• Enrollment in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Naval Architecture. Other relevant technical disciplines may be considered depending on the chosen topic.
• Familiarity with structural mechanics, hydrodynamics, fatigue, shock/blast response, and ship motions.
• Experience or strong motivation to learn simulation tools such as:

• FEA/Structural: Ansys, Femap, LS-Dyna
• CFD/Hydro: OpenFOAM, Comflow, Seakeeping tools, Ansys Aqwa

• Programming skills (e.g. Python, MATLAB) for data analysis and tool development.
• An independent, curious, and proactive mindset with strong analytical skills and a passion for shipbuilding and naval innovation.
• Good communication skills and the ability to manage planning and project progress responsibly.

WHAT WE OFFER

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

• A monthly allowance for the duration of the assignment.
• Proper mentoring will be available throughout the project.
• The ability to test and enhance your professional and social skills.
• Acquired experience at a top tier company to add to your reference list.

OTHER / Additional Information

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.