Senior Electrical Engineer – Vessel Retrofit & Equipment Integration

Galați, Romania | Hybrid
andra.ghevrec@ibdromania.com +40 732 472 744

Role Summary

We are seeking a Senior Electrical Engineer to lead and support the electrical design activities for vessel retrofit, upgrade, and equipment integration projects. The role will focus on developing practical, compliant, and installation-ready electrical engineering solutions for existing vessels, including the integration of new equipment, modification of existing electrical systems, and coordination with multidisciplinary engineering teams, shipyards, suppliers, and vessel operators.
The successful candidate will have strong experience in marine electrical systems, vessel power distribution, automation interfaces, equipment integration, and retrofit design constraints. This role requires both technical leadership and hands-on design capability, with a strong focus on safe, reliable, and class-compliant vessel modifications.

Key Responsibilities

Electrical Design & Engineering
Develop electrical design packages for vessel retrofit and upgrade projects, including power distribution, equipment supply, control interfaces, cable routing, protection, earthing, and integration with existing vessel systems.
Prepare and review electrical documentation such as:

Single line diagrams
Load calculations and power balance updates
Cable schedules and cable routing drawings
Electrical installation drawings
Termination and interconnection diagrams
Equipment interface drawings
Lighting, power, and control system layouts
Bill of materials and technical specifications

Assess existing vessel electrical systems and identify required modifications to support new equipment integration.
Perform electrical design checks to ensure compatibility with vessel power systems, switchboards, generators, transformers, UPS systems, batteries, automation systems, and control panels.

Vessel Retrofit & Upgrade Projects

Support onboard surveys to verify existing electrical installations, available capacity, cable routes, equipment locations, and integration constraints.
Develop practical retrofit solutions that minimize vessel downtime and support efficient shipyard execution.
Identify clashes, installation constraints, and technical risks related to integration of new equipment into existing vessel infrastructure.
Prepare modification work packs and engineering deliverables suitable for shipyard installation and commissioning.
Support vessel upgrade projects involving systems such as propulsion auxiliaries, navigation equipment, communication systems, automation systems, sensors, monitoring equipment, power conversion systems, battery systems, or other marine electrical equipment.

Equipment Integration

Define electrical interfaces between new equipment and existing vessel systems.
Review supplier documentation and ensure vendor equipment requirements are correctly incorporated into the vessel design.
Coordinate power supply, control, alarm, monitoring, network, and communication interfaces for new equipment.
Support factory acceptance tests, harbor acceptance tests, sea trials, and commissioning activities, where required.
Resolve technical queries from shipyards, suppliers, and project teams during installation and commissioning.

Compliance & Technical Assurance

Ensure designs comply with applicable marine standards, class rules, flag requirements, and company engineering procedures.
Support class approval processes by preparing and responding to comments on electrical documentation.
Conduct design reviews, risk assessments, and technical verification of electrical modifications.
Ensure electrical designs meet safety, maintainability, reliability, and operational requirements.

Project & Team Collaboration

Work closely with naval architects, mechanical engineers, automation engineers, project managers, procurement teams, shipyards, and vessel crews.
Provide technical guidance to junior engineers and designers.
Support project planning by estimating engineering hours, deliverable schedules, and technical risks.
Participate in technical meetings with clients, suppliers, classification societies, and internal stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in Electrical / Mechano-Electrical Engineering, Marine Engineering, or a related discipline.
Significant experience in electrical engineering for marine, offshore, shipbuilding, or vessel retrofit projects.
Strong knowledge of marine electrical systems, including:

1. LV and MV power distribution
2. Switchboards and motor control centers
3. Generators and emergency power systems
4. UPS and battery systems
5. Cable sizing and protection coordination
6. Earthing and bonding
7. Control and monitoring interfaces
8. Marine automation and alarm systems

Experience preparing and reviewing electrical design deliverables for vessel modification or newbuild projects.
Good understanding of classification society rules and marine regulatory requirements.
Ability to interpret existing vessel drawings and develop upgrade solutions for brownfield environments.
Experience working with shipyards, suppliers, and onboard installation teams.

Preferred Experience
Experience with vessel retrofit projects, equipment upgrades, conversion projects, or life-extension programs – 10+ years
Knowledge of hybrid, battery, shore power, energy efficiency, or emissions-reduction upgrade projects.
Experience with CAD or electrical design tools such as AutoCAD, EPLAN, Cadmaric, or similar.
Experience supporting class approval documentation and technical responses.
Previous offshore, merchant vessel, naval, passenger vessel, or specialized vessel project experience.

Key Skills & Competencies

Strong practical electrical design capability.
Excellent problem-solving skills in retrofit and brownfield environments.
Ability to balance engineering quality, project schedule, installation practicality, and vessel operational constraints.
Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to work independently and lead technical design scopes.
Attention to detail and commitment to safety and compliance.
Good coordination skills across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Apply to Senior Electrical Engineer – Vessel Retrofit & Equipment Integration Galati | Hybrid | Romania