Description
Who We AreFounded in 1995, Vigor Marine Group is an established, innovative and integrated partner with a national footprint in the marine maintenance and modernization, marine fabrication and marine services. Evolving over decades from a collection of the best-in-class companies with unique and complementary capabilities on the East and West coasts, our spirit of innovation and legacy of performance make Vigor Marine Group a preferred, full-service prime contractor in the defense and maritime sectors. Today we offer advanced services and complete solutions for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Military Sealift Command, state ferry systems, the cruise industry, the commercial fishing industry and more.
With four shipyards for maintenance and modernization and one for fabrication, including the largest floating dry dock in the western hemisphere, our more than 2,000 dedicated employees across four states – from the Pacific Northwest to San Diego to Norfolk – personify the values of our company. Vigor Marine Group takes pride in being the employer of choice for our employees, who in turn take great pride in their contributions to the communities where they live and work, and to their nation – through their living wage jobs supporting their local economies, and through the word-class maritime and industrial services they provide to further our defense readiness and national security.
Where We Are – Marine FabricationVancouver, Washington is surrounded by forests, rivers, and mountains and is a top destination for outdoor lovers. It has a mild climate with four seasons. Its mild winters and warm summers make it an attractive city in the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver is a more affordable city than its neighbors, Portland and Seattle and has no state income tax. It is a vibrant city full of restaurants, shops and parks, and is known for its walkability, historic charm and family friendly neighborhoods. Vancouver has garnered many awards including Livability’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live in the US in 2025 and 2023” and Niche’s 2025 rankings include Vancouver on several lists including Best City for Outdoor Activities, a Healthiest Place to Live in America and several others. Healthcare is the city’s largest employer, followed by manufacturing and technology.
PAY RANGE: $118,500 – 148,000
POSITION SUMMARY: The primary role of Lead Engineer is to lead the design and detail engineering efforts to support the construction of high speed aluminum vessels.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: (This list is not intended to detail all aspects of the assigned work but is representative of the job’s overall responsibilities.)
- Provide engineering and technical leadership on assigned Program/Project, supporting internal departments, customers, suppliers, and subcontracted design agents.
- Perform or review regulatory and class level calculations and create detailed reports.
- Perform basic calculations required for system and component design/outfitting.
- Design and review all aspects of vessels – Naval Architecture, Structural, Mechanical, and Electrical
- Perform and review 3D model creation.
- Provide hands-on support to production personnel to maintain production flow.
- Work with project team to ensure adherence to vessel build plan.
- Lead project engineering and design reviews.
- Provide liaison between Engineering, Project Management, and production operations to resolve any issues, improvements and changes necessary for deliverables.
- Manage Subcontractor design agents and Vigor engineering staff to resolve design problems.
- Develop, manage, and maintain Ship Constructor and SolidWorks models, as required.
- Develop engineering standards and procedures documents.
- Develop standard blocks and engineering details.
- Manage and maintain libraries of engineering standards and engineering procedures.
- Utilize ERP system to generate material requisitions, activities, and shop orders.
- Assist with compiling and managing complex work packages for the project.
- Responsible for producing and reviewing documentation for customers including: RFI, Submittals, Engineering Change Requests, Nonconformance Documentation (NCR)
- Provide technical advice to Vigor management team as a Subject Matter Expert.
- Mentor Vigor staff engineers in carrying out their design engineering tasks.
- Manage the project’s assigned Vigor staff engineers and engineering Subcontractors to achieve project goals.
- Establish project engineering strategies, determine the engineering scope for internal and external resources, and then schedule and manage the accomplishment of the engineering for the project.
- Guide the sequence of engineering and design of all mechanical systems in all company projects.
- Reviews engineering department output for adherence to design standards.
- Ensure project production drawings are completed and distributed to Document Control on schedule, for efficient assembly and fabrication of products.
- Assist Chief Naval Architect in team member assignments and provide feedback on individual job performance
- Support Project Management and Production personnel during construction phase of project.
- Periodically view the project build progress in the shipyard to insure agreement between the plans and the construction.
- Adhere to all Vigor safety standards.
- Participate in annual performance evaluations.
- Comply with all Vigor policies and procedures.
- Participate in continuous improvement program.
- Support estimators during preliminary stages of project.
- Participate in sea trials of completed vessels.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Shall have capability of leading a team of engineers (up to 10), designers and engineering subcontractors, generating and managing schedules and budgets with assistance from the Chief Naval Architect.
INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS: This position maintains a variety of professional relationships and must be able to determine the appropriate level of communication and interaction for various situations and circumstances. The ability to effectively influence decisions through respectful interactions with others both within the organization and outside of the organization is essential in this role.
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES: - Very strong computer skills and experience with AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Rhino, Ship Constructor and Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel) preferred.
- Experience must include good working knowledge of design spiral, vessel arrangements, structural, electrical, mechanical and outfit details.
- Knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) concepts and systems preferred.
- Knowledge of Product Data Management (PDM) concepts and systems preferred.
- Must be able to maintain a variety of professional relationships.
- Must be detail oriented and able to work with extremely tight specifications.
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
- Able to read, analyze and interpret the most complex documents including applicable codes and standards, contract and regulatory compliance.
- Capable of clear effective communications, creative problem solving, and working well with others of all levels of authority and technical knowledge.
- Capable of writing reports, technical proposals and business correspondences.
- Must be highly organized and have excellent documentation skills.
- Must be able to utilize previous experience and industry knowledge to identify obstacles and design challenges to facilitate ease of construction.
- Highly functional individual contributor.
- Capable of working in a team with one or more person to complete a task or project.
EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE: - Bachelor’s Degree in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
- Fifteen (15) years of directly related, boatbuilding/shipyard, experience required – high speed aluminum vessels preferred
- Experience and familiarity with industry regulations: ABS, USCG CFR, IACS, ABYC, IEEE, IMO/SOLAS, and military contracts is preferred.
- Experience with prototype, one-off or custom boatbuilding.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS: Employee must be a “U.S. Person” as defined Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22, Section 120.15
CITIZENSHIP: Pursuant to a government contract, this specific position requires US citizenship.
Vigor Industrial LLC and its wholly owned subsidiaries are drug, smoke and vape-free workplaces. Prospective employees must pass a drug and alcohol test and background check as pre-employment screening.
Vigor ValuesVigor expects all employees to enhance the atmosphere in which they work by living the Vigor Values every day.Truth: We seek the truth, and we speak the truthResponsibility: We act on what we know is rightEvolution: We seek mastery, and adapt to a changing worldLove: We care about the people we work with, and the world we live in At Vigor, our unions offer a generous benefits package that may include:
Medical |
RX |
Dental |
401(k) |
Life |
AD&D |
Pension |
EAP |
PTO |
Paid Holidays |
Vigor and its wholly owned subsidiaries are committed to inclusion and diversity by providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veterans, age, genetics, the presence of a physical or mental condition or disability that can be reasonably accommodated, or any other protected class under relevant laws in the locations we operate. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and can be requested with Vigor’s Human Resources Department. 
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