Senior Maritime Engineering & Standards Consultant – Hybrid Navy

About K39 Consulting

K39 Consulting (K39C) is a veteran-owned Defence consultancy supporting government and industry across maritime capability, engineering, procurement, commercial advisory and project delivery.

Operating across Australia and the United Kingdom, we bring together experienced Defence and industry professionals to support complex capability development and deliver practical, evidence-based solutions.

The Opportunity

K39C is seeking an experienced Senior Maritime Engineering & Standards Consultant to support a specialist UK Defence maritime study examining the technical and engineering implications of transitioning from traditional naval platforms to a Hybrid Navy operating model.

The engagement will focus on identifying emerging engineering risks, assessing the suitability of existing maritime technical standards and recommending areas where standards may require further development to support future naval capabilities.

This is an opportunity for an experienced maritime engineering professional with strong knowledge of UK Defence and commercial shipbuilding, naval engineering standards and technical assurance.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake a comprehensive assessment of technical and engineering risks associated with the design and construction of Hybrid Navy vessels, including relevant FADS considerations.
• Evaluate existing second-order engineering standards, including Defence Standards (Def Stans), STANAGs, IEC and ISO standards, and identify potential gaps against emerging capability requirements.
• Assess where existing technical standards may require augmentation or supplementation alongside established classification society rules.
• Identify and document unresolved technical risks, engineering challenges and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop practical recommendations for future maritime research, standards development and capability investigations.
• Identify opportunities for scalable technical solutions and future capability exploitation.
• Produce high-quality technical reports presenting findings, supporting evidence, conclusions and actionable recommendations.
• Engage with relevant Defence, engineering and maritime industry stakeholders as required.

Please note: The focus of this engagement is broader maritime engineering and technical standards associated with Hybrid Navy capability, rather than autonomous vessel operations specifically.

About You

We are looking for a suitably qualified and experienced maritime engineering professional who can demonstrate:

Essential Experience and Capabilities

• Degree qualified and extensive experience in naval architecture, marine engineering, maritime systems engineering or a closely related technical discipline.
• Strong understanding of the UK maritime Defence sector, commercial shipbuilding industry and associated regulatory environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of naval engineering standards, classification society rules and maritime technical assurance frameworks.
• Experience identifying and evaluating technical risks associated with complex maritime platforms or capability development.
• Ability to assess engineering standards and identify gaps, limitations and opportunities for improvement.
• Proven ability to produce clear, logically structured and technically robust reports within demanding project timescales.
• Excellent analytical, written communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Highly Desirable

• Previous experience working with the UK Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) or UK naval shipbuilding programmes.
• Familiarity with Defence Standards, NATO STANAGs, the Naval Ship Code and relevant international maritime engineering standards.
• Experience in naval platform design, systems integration, technical governance or engineering assurance.
• Understanding of emerging Hybrid Navy concepts, alternative naval platform models and future maritime capability development.
• Experience supporting Defence research, technical investigations or specialist engineering advisory studies.

Why Work with K39C?

At K39C, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to specialist Defence programmes alongside an experienced team of maritime, engineering and Defence professionals.

We offer flexible consultancy engagement arrangements, access to technically challenging projects.

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of this work, successful candidates will be required to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC) as a minimum. Eligibility will depend on the requirements of the relevant programme and may include nationality and UK residency criteria. Some roles may require a higher level of clearance and may be subject to additional nationality restrictions arising from security or export-control requirements. Further information on UK national security vetting is available from UK Security Vetting (UKSV). www.gov.uk/government/organisations/united-kingdom-security-vetting

How to Apply

If you have the maritime engineering expertise and Defence industry experience required for this opportunity, we would welcome your application.

Please submit your CV outlining your relevant technical experience, familiarity with maritime engineering standards and examples of comparable technical studies or advisory work.

K39 Consulting – Supporting Defence capability through specialist expertise, engineering and strategic advisory.