Company Overview
We are a world-class British builder of luxury bluewater sailing yachts, recognised internationally for exceptional design, engineering excellence, and high-quality craftsmanship. With a long-standing heritage in yacht building, we deliver bespoke sailing yachts designed for offshore performance, comfort, and safety. Our teams combine modern digital design methods with hands-on production expertise to produce truly premium vessels.
The Opportunity
We're looking for an Yacht Designer to join a busy in-house Design team working on exterior and interior designs , collaborating with designers, naval architects, and project managers to take exterior concepts through to production release.
Based in Southampton or Wroxham, you'll produce detailed exterior outfit and deck-layout designs, assemblies, and fabrication drawings, and provide ongoing technical support throughout the build cycle. This role suits someone who enjoys combining creative exterior design with practical engineering and production realities, working closely with build teams and suppliers.
Key Responsibilities
Create and maintain detailed drawings aligned to project plans, build schedules, and new-product programmes
Develop and maintain an accurate 3D digital model ("digital twin") of the yacht for production use
Produce, manage, and control technical information relating to exterior outfit and supporting engineering data
Release design packs and coordinate with external suppliers and fabricators
Support surface modelling and GRP tooling design activities
Provide project teams with technical input to support customer decision-making and specification selections
Work closely with production teams to identify issues early, resolve design/buildability challenges, and reduce rework/lost time
Maintain and update design databases (e.g., drawing registers, weight estimates, sail/deck plans, general arrangements)
Design deck fittings, standard parts, bespoke components, and custom fabrications
Develop designs for stainless steel and other metalwork fabrications
Design exterior mechanical systems and installations (e.g., pushpits, passerelles, biminis, deck hatches)
Provide clear, accurate technical documentation to enable efficient build and installation
About You (Required Skills & Experience)
Proven experience in a comparable design role (marine preferred)
Strong 3D parametric CAD capability (experience with NX is desirable)
Strong 2D AutoCAD drafting skills
Understanding of fabrication/manufacture in stainless steel, aluminium, and composites
Good understanding of mechanical systems and installations
Practical knowledge/interest in sailing yachts and how systems are used in the real world
Ability to interpret and produce detailed technical drawings and design documentation
Confident communicator, comfortable working closely with production teams and translating design intent into buildable solutions
Competent in Microsoft Office (especially Excel)
Proactive, organised, and able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
Qualifications / Desirable Experience
Degree (or equivalent experience) in Design, Engineering, or similar
Practical experience within the marine industry
Knowledge of naval architecture principles
Understanding of sailing systems (e.g., hydraulic rams, furlers, winches)
Experience designing/specifying exterior yacht components and systems
Salary description
£40000.00 - £50000.00 per year