AddressBirdon Pty Ltd is proudly an Australian owned global company, providing whole of life solutions to multinational defence, government, maritime energy, and resource sectors. With continual growth and diversification, we are currently seeking for a Design Authority professional to join our team in Bibra Lake.
As a Design Authority professional you will be the technical leader that plays a pivotal role in ensuring the integrity, compliance, and effectiveness of the design solutions within our defence shipbuilding design project. Responsible for overseeing all aspects of design, the Design Authority collaborates closely with multidisciplinary teams, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies to deliver solutions that meet operational requirements, adhere to industry standards, and align with project objectives.
The Whole of Ship Design Authority is responsible for the integrity of the Mission System design to the contracted requirements, ensuring the design decision impacts are understood, decisions are per the technical delegations within the Contract and decisions are documented.
Roles at Birdon are defined to a certain extent, and our employees understand their key domains and what they’re setting out to achieve when they come on board. However, we don’t restrict people by their title or their function.
Team members do what they can with their skills and expertise to contribute to achieving the team’s goals. Everyone is supported to sense the environment around them, identify opportunities and problems, contribute insights, and add value wherever they can across Birdon.
Key Accountabilities:
- Examine customer requirements and lead the development, review, and approval of designs, ensuring compliance with contractual, regulatory, and technical requirements.
- Provide Whole of Ship Design Authority for the Project, in line with the Clear accountability in Design Principles.
- Provide Technical Authorisation and delegation to suitably qualified and experienced personnel within the Project scope.
- Provide, collate and document expert guidance on naval architecture, marine engineering, systems integration, and related disciplines to support design decisions and resolve complex technical challenges.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate design risks to safeguard project timelines, budget, and quality objectives.
- Primary technical contact with external stakeholders, including naval authorities, classification societies, subcontractors, and vendors, to address design-related inquiries, resolve issues, and foster collaborative relationships.
- Establish and maintain design assurance processes, procedures, and standards to uphold the quality and reliability of deliverables throughout the design lifecycle.
- Evaluate proposed design changes, assess their impact on project scope, schedule, and cost, and facilitate their implementation in accordance with change control procedures.
- Ensure accurate and comprehensive documentation of design decisions, rationale, and specifications to facilitate traceability, transparency, and knowledge transfer.
- Provide design and progress reports as required by project governance.
- Provide leadership and coordination in the areas of design.
- Mentoring Junior members of the team and developing engineers.
- Manage defence client interfaces and client relationships.
Essential:
- Relevant Tertiary qualifications at degree level.
- 10 years proven experience in a senior design role and considered expert within the defence or maritime industry, with a focus on shipbuilding projects.
- In-depth knowledge of relevant regulations, standards, and best practices governing naval vessel design and construction. Experience in Defence contracting, understanding of military and government project documentation standards.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance technical, operational, and commercial considerations.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership abilities, with a track record of effectively engaging stakeholders and leading multidisciplinary teams.
- Familiarity with design software, simulation tools, and project management methodologies commonly used in shipbuilding environments.
- Proactive manner demonstrating strong commercial aptitude and interpersonal skills.
- Highly Proficient in Microsoft Office software
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions, identify work priorities in a constantly changing environment.
Desirable:
- Proven experience in a Design Authority role or technical delegation within the defence or maritime industry, with a focus on shipbuilding ,
- Professional certifications or memberships in relevant professional bodies (e.g., Chartered Engineer status, membership in the Royal Institution of Naval Architects) preferred.
- Formal training in leadership, organisational change management and behaviour.
- Ability to develop system documents, process standards, and high-level reporting.
- Anticipate future commercial need for design and confidently propose it to the business.
Benefits:
- EAP
- Onsite Parking
- Competitive salary
- Flexible working environment
- Professional development and career progression
We deliver value for our customers through our innovative people, organisational agility, and operational excellence. And we pride ourselves in been a family-owned business that values the importance of family and have embedded this culture in our working environment. As an equal opportunity employer, all positions are open to any person that may have the required characteristics and experiences. Birdon proudly supports the Prime Minister's Veterans Employment program.
To learn more about Birdon, please visit our website https://birdongroup.com
To apply for this role, click on “Apply Now”.
