Principal Engineer

· Permanent full-time position, Melbourne

- Defence Career Opportunity
- Market-competitive salary
- Work for a reputable, global company.

About Supacat We are a young technology business operating primarily in the Defence sector with a growing footprint in other sectors. Our core business is ultra-high mobility, wheeled vehicles and we are the OEM of a range of vehicles from 450kg to 12T GVM and currently in service with the Australian and NZ armies. We also apply our skills to other areas, such as working with defence primes on large programs and consulting into the automotive industry.

We are a relatively small business to be doing all of this and that means we rely on all members of our team to be leaders; to work directly with our customers, to bring some industry insight and experience to proceedings, to form and lead teams and to get the job done.

About the Role

As a principal engineer, you will play a key role in upholding engineering integrity, independence, and ethics across all projects and activities. You will provide technical leadership and guidance to the engineering team, ensuring adherence to high standards of safety, professionalism, and design practices. You will actively contribute to sales and marketing efforts by providing technical insights for business development.

Travel will be required nationally and internationally to support on-site engineering activities and collaborate with global teams.

Main duties and responsibilities

- Lead the structural design and development of heavily armoured and lightweight protected vehicles, including chassis, blast armour,



driveline architecture, and mobility systems.
- Lead a team of engineers and technicians, ensuring project timelines and quality standards are met.
- Develop modular recovery systems for vehicle conversion, ensuring efficiency and compatibility with existing platforms.
- Innovate and integrate unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology into military and civilian applications.
- Conduct hand calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to validate designs.
- Perform tolerance analysis, GD&T;, and bolted joint design to ensure structural integrity.
- Provide mentorship and training in mechanical design, FEA, and armoured vehicle technologies.
- Utilize programming skills to enhance engineering data management and automation.
- Oversee metalwork and fabrication processes for prototyping and production.
- Engage with customers and stakeholders, building strong professional relationships and acting as the primary point of contact for technical discussions.
- Travel nationally and internationally to support in office engineering activities, collaborating with global teams to meet project requirements.
- Represent the company at client premises,



managing expectations and ensuring timely delivery of engineering work packages to meet customer specifications.

Skills and experience · Strong background in vehicle design, including armored, unmanned, and multipurpose vehicles.

· Proven track record in providing technical leadership, mentoring, and supporting engineering teams.

· Strong understanding of engineering integrity and independence.

· Expertise in leading complex engineering activities.

· Excellent knowledge of design processes, with a focus on continuous improvement.

· Capable of managing multiple projects.

· Advanced skills in structural analysis, finite element analysis and GD&T;

· A safety-first mindset

· Strong communication skills, able to work effectively with customers, stakeholders, and internal teams.

The Small Print

Supacat does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or recruitment agencies. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, Supacat explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Supacat and in the absence of a signed Agreement, Supacat will not consider or agree to payment of any recruitment fee.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $84,462.30 – $161,907.41 per year

Education

- Bachelor Degree (Hons) (Preferred)

Work Authorisation:
- Australia (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Port Melbourne VIC 3207

📌 Principal Engineer (Port Melbourne)
🏢 Supacat
📍 Port Melbourne