{"id":492154,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2","title":"Senior/Intermediate Mechanical Design Engineer","company":{"id":6686,"name":"Vessev","domain":"vessev.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vessev","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workable","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Wellington, New Zealand"],"countries":["NZ"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":52000,"max_usd":117000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":6708},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-03T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-03","last_verified_at":"2026-10-14T00:37:13Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":72,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":72},"description":"At Vessev, we’re defining a new category of marine transport: hydrofoiling electric vessels that are genuinely better for people and the planet. Our boats fly above the surface using advanced hydrofoils, control systems, and electric propulsion - designed and built here in Aotearoa.\nWith strong momentum, global growth, and major milestones ahead, we’re looking for a Mechanical Design Engineer to join our Hydrofoil Systems team, responsible for the design and performance of the foils, control surfaces, and propulsion integration that let our vessels fly above the water.\nThis is a rare opportunity to help build the technical capabilities of a category-defining, Kiwi startup from the earliest stage. There’s so much scope to make this role your own, and we want you to create something you’re insanely proud of.\nWhat you’ll be doing\nThe Hydrofoil Systems team plays a central role in enabling Vessev’s hydrofoiling capability. Their work is what allows the vessel to operate efficiently on foils forming a critical part of the overall system that brings the boat together as a complete, high-performance product.\nHydro-surface design and optimisation\nMechanical systems that facilitate foil retraction and control surfaces\nPropulsion systems and their integration into the foil geometry\nThe integration of the foils into the vessel platform\nWith everyone working out of the same facility, our design and build teams are tightly integrated so you’ll see your work materialise, day by day.\nOwning mechanical design and analysis\nYou’ll be designing and prototyping complex assemblies, run structural and finite element analysis (FEA), and use CAD to validate designs against real load cases. Strength, weight and performance aren’t trade-offs you balance after the fact, they’re what good design looks like from the first sketch.\nCompleting the loop\nA hydrofoiling boat is a complex interdependent system, pull one thread and everything else moves. When we get it right, this means that any improvements can get amplified through a design loop of cascading gains. You’ll validate design decisions through onboard sensors and analysis to continuously improve the performance of the vessel.\nStreamlining mechanical design\nWe move fast, and iteration moves faster. You’ll always be on the cutting edge, on top of the latest industry trends, emerging technologies, and design innovations to stay ahead of the curve. That means always knowing the smart call: when an off-the-shelf part will do the job, and when only a custom solution will cut it. You’ll stay ahead of the curve, so our foil system design never falls behind.\nShowcasing your ingenuity\nWe’re always open to new ways of doing things, better. We want someone who looks at a problem and asks “can I make something groundbreaking here?”. You might come up with clever ways of improving existing solutions by reducing complexity or optimizing load paths that other engineers might miss. It’s not just about buying a part and putting it on.\nManaging designs through to production\nYou’re the bridge between design and production, working hand-in-glove with our manufacturing team, both in-house and outsourced, so every design you hand over is feasible, efficient and cost-effective.\nAbout you\nWe don’t need you to be an expert on marine or electric vehicles, but you do need to be sharp, a fast learner, and relentlessly curious. Your background might be motorsport, aerospace, defense, energy, or somewhere else entirely. What matters is that wherever you’ve come from, you’ve been the engineer other engineers go to when something has to work.\nWe’re looking for someone with\nA degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline\n5-10 years' experience designing and developing complex mechanical systems\nA strong track record taking products from concept through prototyping and into production\nExperience making engineering decisions based on analysis and testing\nA clear understanding of mechanical design principles, including lightweight structures, mechanisms and manufacturable designs\nAn understanding of aero/hydrodynamics and fluid-structure interactions\nExcellent CAD skills and the ability to produce high-quality engineering drawings and documentation\nStrong problem-solving skills, with a first-principles approach to engineering\nA collaborative mindset and the ability to work across multidisciplinary engineering teams\nA hands-on approach, with enthusiasm for building, testing and refining hardware\nBonus experience\nExperience with FEA (Finite Element Analysis), CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and other simulation tools\nExperience with electric propulsion systems and actuators\nKnowledge of composite materials and structural design\nProficient in data analysis using Python\nGeneral experience within the marine industry\nAbout us\nWe’re here to set a better world in motion - cleaner air, better commutes, and deeper connections with nature and each other. Our hydrofoiling electric vessels use up to 90% less energy than traditional boats, unlocking entirely new opportunities.\nWe’re backed by top-tier investors including Blackbird Ventures, and our team includes talent from the America’s Cup, SpaceX, Rocketlab, Halter, Apple, and leading climate startups. But titles don’t matter here - what matters is how we show up: with purpose, humility, and a restless optimism for what’s possible.\nWe’re office-first but not office-only. We believe in building together, in person, where the real magic happens. That said, we trust our team to do what’s right and we know life isn’t one-size-fits-all.\nWhy our people love Vessev\nWe’re building something different - from how we move on the water to the kind of team and workplace we’re creating\nThe chance to work on technology that can drive real, lasting impact in the world\nA team of hugely talented and collaborative people\n20 weeks fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers, and 4 weeks for secondary (conditions apply)\nCompetitive salaries that reflect the value of the work\nBeing on the water is part of our job - from trips on our vessels to our offices that border the Tamaki River\nAnd if the water’s where you want to be, you’ll be in good company. You’ll find no shortage of boaters, beach goers, sailors, foilers, surfers, and kiteboarders here.\nApply now\nTo apply, send us your CV and a short cover letter that gives us a sense of who you are and why this role feels like the right fit.\nResearch shows that women and other under-represented groups often only apply when they meet every requirement - even though they could be an excellent fit. If you see yourself doing great work here, but don’t tick every box, we’d still love to hear from you.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6695,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Smart Mobility"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-07T01:44:11Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":11,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.387,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":71,"expected_fill_days":31,"reasons":["conf:2","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-13T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-14T03:29:37Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":5481,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-15T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":6686},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=6686"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvessev-seniorintermediate-mechanical-design-engineer-2"}]}