Senior Structural Engineer – Naval Ship Design

Navantia UK is a new force in British industry, supporting the UK’s defence, energy and maritime ambitions. We’re doing this by creating state-of-the-art sovereign defence capabilities, investing in the UK to modernise industrial facilities, and bolstering the nation's energy security. Established in 2022, Navantia UK is a subsidiary of Navantia SA, a Spanish state-owned company with over 300 years of naval shipbuilding history. In January 2025, Navantia UK completed the acquisition of Harland & Wolff and its four historic facilities in Belfast, Appledore, Methil, and Arnish. By combining Harland & Wolff’s proud heritage and facilities with Navantia’s global expertise, Navantia UK is well-positioned to strengthen Britain’s defence, maritime and energy industrial capabilities, supporting jobs and economic growth across the UK.

Senior Structural Engineer – Naval Ship Design
Bristol, UK | Navantia UK
Full-time | Part-time considered | Hybrid working

Help shape the future of naval ship design.

Navantia UK is expanding its engineering capability and is looking for an experienced Senior Structural Engineer to join our growing team in Bristol. This is a key technical role where you’ll take ownership of structural design, analysis, and modelling for complex naval and government vessels.

Part of the globally recognised Navantia Group, you’ll work on cutting‑edge maritime programmes, applying advanced FEA and 3D structural modelling (Siemens NX) to deliver robust, buildable, and high‑performance ship structures.

⚙️ What you’ll be doing

• Leading and delivering structural design and analysis for naval and complex commercial vessels
• Producing high-quality outputs including models, drawings, calculations, BOMs, weight estimates and reports
• Developing and owning the team’s finite element analysis capability, including standards, workflows and verification
• Building and maintaining a 3D ship structures modelling capability in Siemens NX
• Performing global and local analyses (strength, vibration, fatigue, buckling, stiffness)
• Optimising designs for safety, performance and manufacturability
• Applying MOD, Naval Ship Rules and Classification Society standards
• Providing technical leadership and mentoring to junior engineers
• Supporting design reviews and driving structural best practice

What we’re looking for

Essential

• Strong experience in steel ship structures, ideally naval or complex commercial vessels
• Proven FEA expertise and structural analysis capability
• Confidence using 3D CAD/CAE tools (Siemens NX desirable)
• Deep understanding of fabrication, fatigue, failure modes and ship structural behaviour
• Excellent problem‑solving and communication skills
• Degree (or HNC/HND with experience) in Structural Engineering, Naval Architecture or similar
• Eligibility for BPSS (SC clearance required for some roles)

Why join Navantia UK?

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Hybrid working (minimum 3 days in the office, project dependent)
• A pivotal technical role with scope to shape structural engineering capability
• The opportunity to work on high‑profile naval and maritime programmes
• A collaborative, inclusive culture where technical excellence is valued

📩 Interested?
Apply with your CV (and cover letter if you wish) and help deliver the next generation of naval ships.

Navantia UK is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Additional Information

We are an Opening Doors employer, committed to equal opportunity and an inclusive workplace. Our approach, shaped by our values of service, trust, excellence, agility, dedication, and you, we focus on removing barriers and recognising potential. We are committed to fairness at every stage, including providing reasonable adjustments and actively working to eliminate discrimination.

We believe talent is everywhere, and by widening access to opportunity and welcoming diverse experiences, we aim to create a workplace where every person feels valued and has an equal chance.

If you experience difficulties or are unable to apply for a role on-line please contact us at people.skills@harland-wolff.com and one of the team will be in contact to help you.