Naval Architect – Commercial Vessels

Saronic · Defense · Austin, TX · Operations

Seeking a Naval Architect to develop autonomous commercial vessel designs, from concept to production. Responsibilities include hull form development, resistance/power predictions, stability analysis, hydrodynamic analysis, propulsion systems, ship systems design, structural design, and preparing regulatory submissions. The role involves collaboration with engineers on CAD modeling, weight management, and integrating autonomous systems, as well as participating in design reviews and staying updated on naval architecture and autonomous technology trends.

What you'd actually do

  1. Hull form development and optimization.
  2. Resistance, power and speed predictions.
  3. Functional design and general arrangement development.
  4. Stability analysis and loading manuals (IMO and USCG requirements).
  5. Hydrodynamic analysis (hydrodynamic properties, seakeeping, motions and accelerations).

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Ocean Engineering, or a related field.
  • Ability to work at speed and support quick turnaround trade studies, highly attentive to schedule-driven design freezes.
  • Clear communicator with both engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
  • Proficiency with industry-standard tools, including one or more of the following: Hull form and hydrostatics (e.g., Rhino3D, Orca3D); Hydrodynamics and seakeeping (e.g., Proteus DS / ShipMo3D, StarCCM+, Simerics); Stability and load case analysis tools (e.g. GHS); Structural analysis FEA and FEM interfaces (e.g. FEMAP); Systems and structures drawing tools (e.g. AutoCAD, Siemens NX)
  • Working knowledge with energy efficiency measures (EEDI/EEXI, CII, hull optimization, hybrid power, alternative fuels, wind-assist)

Nice to have

  • Senior Naval Architect: 5+ years of experience.
  • Staff Naval Architect: 15+ years of experience.

What the JD emphasized

  • Prepare regulatory submissions according to USA-flag and international maritime regulations (USCG, IMO conventions, ABS, LR, DNV…etc.).
  • Collaborate with other engineers to support CAD modeling, weight management, and the integration of autonomous navigation and control systems into vessel designs.
  • Research and stay updated on new developments in naval architecture, autonomous technology, and commercial shipping trends and innovation.