Marine Designer Career Center

Your portal to the Canadian and International Shipbuilding Industry

Critical Advice for Applicants

Apply for EVERY job that you find interesting, even if YOU think you are not qualified. YOU are not qualified to know if YOU are qualified for a job!

  • Approx 60% of jobs are NOT advertised. Contact the company you want a job with directly if nothing is listed.
  • On average, employers take 30 seconds to review resumes. Construct your so it gets you into the 'call for interview' pile.

Job Search Boards

Career Beacon Indeed Canada LinkedIn Jobs Gov of Canada ZipRecruiter Rig Zone Job Board

Search Tips

  • Set location to "Newfoundland & Labrador" or "Canada".
  • Reach out directly to smaller firms with your portfolio.
  • Connect with alumni on LinkedIn to find the hidden job market.
  • Search with keyords like, "autocad", "marine" "designer", "naval architect", "piping". "systems", "shipyard", etc.

Industry News

Baird Maritime Marine Link Marine Log Maritime Today Motorship Rig Zone Safety 4 Sea Ship Technology Workboat

Career Networking

AutoCAD Users (AUGI) Autodesk Community Canadian Society for ME (CSME) Canadian Institute of ME (CIMarE) Institute of ME, Science & Tech (IMarEST) LinkedIn Marine Technology Society Royal Institution of NARCs (RINA) Society of NARC & ME (SNAME)

Design, Engineering & Operations

Company Name Type Location
ABS - American Bureau of Shipping Regulatory Body Worldwide
Adaptive Marine Solutions Inc. Engineering St. John's
Aker Solutions O&G St. John's, Worldwide
Atlantic Towing Shipping / Operations St. John's
Cahill Group of Companies Engineering / Field St. John's, Worldwide
Canadian Coast Guard Regulatory Body St. John's, Canadawide
Canship Ugland Ltd Shipping / Operations Paradise, NL
Cenovus Energy O&G Calgary, Worldwide
DNV - Det Norske Veritas Regulatory Body Worldwide
Duke Smart Staffing Solutions Engineering St. John's, Worldwide
Fleetway Inc. Engineering St. John's, Halifax
Genoa Design International Engineering Mt. Pearl, NL
Green Infrastructure Partners O&G St. John's
Hatch O&G St. John's, Worldwide
Lloyd's Register Regulatory Body Worldwide
Marine Atlantic Inc Shipping / Operations St. John's
McKeil Marine Limited Shipping / Operations St. John's
Metalcraft Marine Inc. Engineering Kingston, ON
Oceaneering Canada Ltd. Engineering St. John's, Worldwide
Oceanex Shipping / Operations St. John's
Robert Allan Ltd. Engineering Vancouver
Rolls-Royce Canada Limited Engineering / Field / Vendor St. John's, Worldwide
Schlumberger O&G St. John's, Worldwide
Subsea 7 Canada Inc. O&G St. John's, Worldwide
Technip Canada Ltd Engineering St. John's, Worldwide
Transport Canada Regulatory Body St. John's, Canadawide
TriNav Group of Companies Engineering St. John's
Wood Engineering St. John's, Worldwide
Woodward Group of Companies Shipping / Operations Lewisporte, NL
Worley Engineering Worldwide

Canadian Shipyards & Marine Fabrication

Facility Name Location
Allied Shipbuilders Ltd. Vancouver
Davie Shipbuilding Lévis
Glovertown Shipyards Ltd. Glovertown
Harbour Grace Ocean Industries Ltd. Harbour Grace
Irving - Halifax Shipyard Halifax
Metal Craft Marine Kingston / NY
Newdock St. John's
Ocean Group Hamilton
Ontario Shipyards Hamilton
Seaspan Marine Corporation Vancouver / Victoria
Toronto Drydock Company Toronto

Resume & Interview Resources

Harvard University - Creating a Strong Resume Indeed – Resume & Cover Letters The Muse – Interview Prep Resume Examples & Templates LinkedIn Interview Prep

AI-Assisted Job Search Strategies

Use AI to summarize a company’s technical focus and culture Ask for recent projects, vessel types, markets served, and how design, production, and operations interact
Use AI to generate advanced job search strings Example: “marine designer” AND (AutoCAD OR piping) AND shipyard
Paste job postings into AI to extract required skills Helps target resumes without rewriting everything
Ask AI to rank jobs by fit Based on skills, location, and experience level
Generate cover-letter drafts, not final versions AI provides structure — credibility is still yours
Practice technical interview explanations Especially “walk me through your design” questions
Do NOT submit AI text verbatim Generic language is an immediate red flag to recruiters

What Hiring Managers Actually Look For

Clear, readable technical drawings Proper layers, lineweights, dimensions, and annotations matter more than flashy visuals
Ability to explain design decisions Why something was routed, spaced, or supported — not just that it was drawn
Comfort reading existing drawings Most junior work starts by modifying or interpreting legacy drawings
Evidence of learning speed Employers expect gaps — they care how quickly you close them
Professional communication Clear emails, responding to markups properly, and asking good questions
Understanding the company’s role Design office, shipyard, operator, or regulator — each values different skills

Job Search Tracker

Create a spreadsheet to track applications, follow-ups, interviews, and outcomes. Treat this like an engineering log — dates, decisions, and evidence matter.

Date Applied Follow-Up Date Interview Date Job Source / Link Company Position Location Application Method Contact Person Application Status Notes
Today In 2 Weeks Soon Email, In Person, Online Portal, etc. Buddy: buddy@email.com Still Waiting They are building a big ship

Minimal Pay Calculator

Estimate the minimum annual salary required to maintain or improve your lifestyle.

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