Lead Marine Engineer

Lead Marine Engineer

Company Overview:

Gulf Copper LLC, a subsidiary of Davie Defense, is a leading Marine Repair and New Construction company based in Galveston, Texas, with more than 75 years of ship repair and fabrication experience on the Gulf Coast. Gulf Copper’s primary business is the repair and refurbishment of marine vessels, ship construction, and fabrication for transportation, government, and oil and gas markets.

Benefits:

• 401k Retirement Plan
• Section 125 Plan (Pre-Tax Health/Dental Insurance Premium Deduction)
• Group Health & Dental Plan
• Short & Long Term Disability Insurance
• Life & Voluntary Life Insurance
• Holiday & Vacation Pay
• Employee Assistance Program

Overview and Purpose

The Lead Engineer Manager for Arctic Security Cutters is responsible for overseeing all engineering activities supporting the design, development, integration, production, test and delivery and lifecycle management of Arctic-capable security vessels. This role provides strategic technical leadership, works within a multidisciplinary engineering team, and ensures project execution aligns with regulatory standards, operational needs, and program timelines.

1. Lead and mentor a team of engineers across multiple disciplines (mechanical, electrical, structural, systems, and marine engineering).
2. Oversee the development, validation, and integration of complex systems designed for Arctic operations and extreme environments.
3. Review and approve engineering plans, drawings, analyses, and design changes.
4. Ensure technical accuracy, compliance, and alignment with mission and operational requirements.
5. Serve as the primary marine engineering point of contact for the Arctic Security Cutter program.
6. Manage engineering schedules, deliverables, milestones, and resource allocation.
7. Collaborating with program managers, shipyard engineering and production teams, and quality leads to ensure seamless execution.
8. Identify risks, develop mitigation plans, and resolve technical challenges affecting cost, schedule, or performance.
9. Ensure all engineering work adheres to applicable standards, including, as applicable Class, Flag State, USCG, NAVSEA, and environmental regulations.
10. Support technical audits, reviews, inspections, and compliance verification activities.
11. Work closely with customers, government agencies, and external vendors to communicate technical strategies and resolve issues.
12. Support proposal development, contract requirements, statements of work, and engineering estimates.
13. Promote best practices in engineering, documentation, configuration management, and lifecycle support.
14. Drive innovation for cold-weather performance, ice-capable systems, and Arctic mission readiness.

Required Education & Experience:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Marine, Mechanical, Electrical, Naval Architecture, or related).
2. Seven (7+) years of engineering experience in shipbuilding, maritime systems, or defense programs.
3. Three (3+) years of leadership or engineering management experience.
4. Strong technical background in vessel design, systems integration, or complex maritime projects.
5. Experience working with government or military programs.
6. Professional Engineer license or eligibility.
7. Experience with Arctic-capable vessels, icebreakers, or cold-weather engineering preferred
8. Familiarity with USCG cutter programs, military standards, or classified project environment preferred

Working Conditions:  

1. Office and shipyard environments. 
2. Occasional travel for program reviews or supplier coordination may be required. 

Necessary Equipment Operation:  

1. MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.).  
2. Ability to use Customer Supplied programs or websites.  
3. Office equipment, including telephone, scanner, computer, printer, etc.  

Special Skills:

1. Strategic thinking
2. Excellent communication, decision-making and project leadership skills.
3. Technical leadership
4. Problem-solving and risk mitigation
5. Team development and coaching
6. Cross-functional collaboration
7. Strong sense of accountability and urgency.

* An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. Equal Employment Opportunity Posters. If you’d like to view a copy of the company’s affirmative action plan or policy statement, please email: [email protected].  If you have a disability and you believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to submit an online application, please e-mail: [email protected].