How to hire a marine structural designer

How to hire a marine structural designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step marine structural designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a marine structural designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new marine structural designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the marine structural designer you need to hire. Certain marine structural designer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A marine structural designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, marine structural designers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of marine structural designers.

   Type of Marine Structural Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Marine Structural Designer	Marine engineers and naval architects design, build, and maintain ships from aircraft carriers to submarines, from sailboats to tankers. Marine engineers are primarily responsible for the internal systems of a ship, such as propulsion, electrical, refrigeration, and steering... Show more	$20-53
   Designer	A designer is someone who creates a master plan of the look or workings of something before it will be made. It could be tangible or intangible objects, products, procedures, laws, events, games, graphics, services, and even experiences... Show more	$21-46
   Marine Engineer	Marine engineers are licensed engineers who specialize in designing marine infrastructure. These marine infrastructure or vessels are usually naval ships, sailboats, cruise ships, tankers, or even submarines... Show more	$33-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Auto-Cad
   • Engineering Drawings
   • Installation Drawings
   • ABS
   • Structural Design
   • Construction Drawings
   • Ship Checks
   • CATIA

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage documentation of existing projects, perform ECN resolutions.
   • Acquire knowledge of 3D piping design through training and direct experience using Catia.
   • Coordinate the building of parts to coincide with the CADDS5 to CATIA V5 conversion process.
   • Initiate and oversee development from initial concept sketch to final production, working closely with Chinese engineering and manufacturing vendors.
   • Develop structural foundations using CADAM and AutoCAD.
   • Design and develop project-based graphics including logos, illustrations, diagrams, and content-supporting imagery as needed.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your marine structural designer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A marine structural designer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, marine structural designers' average salary in florida is 43% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level marine structural designers earn 61% less than senior-level marine structural designers.
   • Certifications. A marine structural designer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a marine structural designer's salary.

   Average marine structural designer salary

   $69,425yearly

   $33.38 hourly rate

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   Entry-level marine structural designer salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a marine structural designer job description

   A marine structural designer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a marine structural designer job description:

   Marine structural designer job description example

   Required Travel: 11 - 25%
   
   Employment Type: Full Time/Hourly/Non-Exempt
   
   Hours Per Week: 40
   
   Security Clearance: Ability to Obtain
   
   Level of Experience: Mid
   
   Summary
   
   Come join the Integrated Product Support (IPS) team at HII Mission Technologies. Our mission is to provide high quality logistics, engineering, technology, and training solutions that support our Nation's defense. We provide advancement, enrichment and learning opportunities for our employees while offering competitive pay and benefits in a flexible work environment.
   
   When a U.S. Navy ship needs repairs, they call us. Join our team as we keep the most powerful Navy the world has known afloat and ready to serve. Our Design department is currently seeking Marine Designer to complete modifications of Hull, Mechanical and/or Electrical drawings for various Navy/Army/Coast Guard ships. #LI-MJ1 *TE *EP *MV
   
   What you will do
   
   * Designs components or portions of systems and modifies existing designs to develop or improve products and facilitate manufacturing operations.
   * Utilizes computer-aided design equipment and/or graphic tools such as, CAD, CAM or CATIA.
   * Gathers information, makes studies, computes calculations, and prepares original rough layouts, sketches to present design proposal.
   * Coordinates design criteria with engineering, manufacturing, tooling, material, and planning group such as ease of manufacture, availability of materials, and contractual specifications.
   * Exclude classifications in which incumbents predominantly perform drafting assignments.
   
   What you must have
   
   * Must have an AA or other 2 year technical degree in related discipline and 3 years' experience; a High school diploma/Equivalent and 3 years related experience may be substituted for AA degree.
   * Must have experience in development of marine/shipboard drawings utilizing AutoCAD applications.
   * Must have general knowledge of engineering drawing standards.
   * Must have experience in working 2D/3D drawing for drafting and design.
   * Must be proficient Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel).
   * Must be able to obtain/maintain a confidential security clearance.
   * Must be a U.S. Citizen.
   
   Preferred: Bonus points for...
   
   * Experience Performing ship check/ship survey on military vessels highly desired.
   * Technical background in related field of HVAC and/or piping is a plus.
   
   Physical Requirements
   
   Office, industrial or shipboard environment. Capable of climbing ladders and tolerating confined spaces and extreme temperature variances during site surveys. Lifting and moving of materials not to exceed the guidelines set for one man lift. Must be able to perform site surveys and carry a lap top computer.
   
   This opportunity resides with Fleet Sustainment, a business group within HII's Mission Technologies division. For 40 years, the U.S. Navy has entrusted HII to maintain and modernize the vast majority of its fleet. From small watercraft to submarines, combatants and aircraft carriers, our systems and maintenance experts help the Navy maintain a high state of readiness. And, we deploy with the most advanced technology and capability available.
   
   HII is a global engineering and defense technologies provider. With a 135-year history of trusted partnerships in advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities ranging from the most powerful and survivable naval ships ever built, to unmanned systems, ISR and AI/ML analytics. HII leads the industry in mission-driven solutions that support and enable a networked, all-domain force. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's skilled workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, please visit:

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right marine structural designer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with marine structural designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit marine structural designers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your marine structural designer job on Zippia to find and recruit marine structural designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with marine structural designer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new marine structural designer

   Once you've selected the best marine structural designer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new marine structural designer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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