Lead Structural Naval Architect

Victoria Shipyards is seeking an experienced Lead Structural Naval Architect to provide technical leadership and advanced engineering expertise for ship repair and conversion projects. Reporting to the Engineering Director, this role collaborates closely with engineering, operations, production, customers, classification societies, and regulatory authorities to develop practical, production-ready solutions that support safe, compliant, and efficient project execution.

The Lead Structural Naval Architect reviews customer-supplied technical information, evaluates vessel arrangements and structural requirements, and develops engineering deliverables that meet customer, regulatory, and classification society requirements. Applying specialized expertise in hull structural analysis, vessel stability, drydocking, ship construction, and repair engineering, the role resolves complex technical challenges across multiple concurrent projects.

As a senior professional engineer and technical authority, the Lead Structural Naval Architect oversees assigned hull and structural engineering scopes, provides technical oversight and mentorship to engineers and designers, manages technical risk, and supports project execution from initial assessment through construction, testing, acceptance, and close-out. The role provides engineering guidance and technical direction across projects while mentoring junior team members. However, this position does not include direct personnel management responsibilities.

Note: Due to business needs, this position is fully on-site at 825 Admirals Road, Victoria, BC.

What you’ll do

• Lead hull technical support and structural naval architecture activities for assigned shipbuilding, repair, and conversion projects, coordinating engineering work across internal teams, customers, classification societies, and regulatory authorities.
• Plan and coordinate assigned engineering scopes, establish technical priorities, monitor progress, and support the achievement of project cost, schedule, quality, and technical objectives.
• Provide technical oversight, guidance, and mentorship to engineers, designers, and other technical team members, ensuring the quality, consistency, and compliance of engineering deliverables.
• Review customer-supplied drawings, specifications, vessel data, and other technical information to define engineering requirements, identify risks, and develop practical execution strategies.
• Develop, review, and issue engineering deliverables and integrated construction packages, including drawings, calculations, technical reports, repair specifications, work instructions, inspection plans, test and trial documentation, bills of material, and production-ready fabrication details.
• Perform and review calculations and analyses related to vessel trim and stability, weight control, drydocking, structural loading, strength, stress, and deflection, utilizing engineering calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), and other appropriate analytical methods.
• Develop and assess structural repair and conversion solutions for vessel structures, foundations, seatings, and supporting arrangements, ensuring appropriate load transfer, structural continuity, alignment, and integration with existing vessel structures.
• Conduct vessel surveys, onboard assessments, inspections, and technical investigations to verify existing conditions, resolve design uncertainties, and support engineering and production decision-making.
• Interface with customers, classification societies, and regulatory authorities to obtain approvals, resolve technical issues, and ensure compliance with applicable requirements.
• Collaborate with Production and Operations to resolve technical issues during execution and ensure required approvals, acceptance records, as-built documentation, and project close-out deliverables are completed.

What you’ll bring

• A Bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture or a related engineering discipline is required. Additional postgraduate education in naval architecture, structural engineering, or a related field is considered an asset.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in naval architecture and marine structural engineering gained in a shipyard, design office, ship operations, vessel maintenance, or related marine industry environment.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC), or eligibility to obtain registration within six months of appointment.
• Strong technical knowledge of naval architecture and marine structural engineering, including vessel stability, structural analysis, weight management, drydocking, and ship repair engineering.
• Extensive knowledge of ship construction methods, marine structural arrangements, fabrication practices, repair techniques, and vessel conversion activities.
• Demonstrated experience applying classification society and regulatory requirements, including direct interaction with organizations such as LR, ABS, DNV, and Transport Canada.
• Experience defining, performing, reviewing, and approving structural analyses using finite element analysis (FEA) and other engineering methods in support of ship repair, conversion, and drydocking projects.
• Advanced proficiency with AutoCAD. Experience with 3D modelling software such as SolidWorks, Rhino, ShipConstructor, or similar platforms, and vessel stability software such as GHS, is considered an asset.
• Proven analytical, problem-solving, communication, technical writing, and presentation skills, with the ability to synthesize information, assess risk, and develop practical engineering solutions for complex refit projects.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical oversight, mentor junior engineers and designers, and work effectively within multidisciplinary project teams supporting shipyard production in all shipbuilding, repair, and conversion activities.

Why you’ll love working here

• This is a full-time, permanent position. With multiple operations and long-term projects, Seaspan employees enjoy job stability as we look ahead to build ships for decades to come.
• In addition to an annual bonus and pension plan matching, this role provides you with a very competitive salary in line with the successful candidate’s experience.
• We also provide the best-in-class health and wellness benefits package for this position, including things such as extended health care (i.e. paramedical services for massage therapy, speech therapy, mental health coverage, physiotherapy, and more), dental care, vision care, life insurance, medical leave coverage, parental leave coverage, $500 personal spending account, and an Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP).

The estimated salary for this position is $143,100 - $174,900. In determining final salary, Seaspan considers many factors including the successful Candidate’s skills and experience as well as position location and internal equity. The final base salary offer will be at the Company’s sole discretion and presented as part of a competitive total compensation package.

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