Technical Officer - Hull and Structure and Whole of Ship/Outfitting Technician
Naval Construction Branch (NCB) is seeking a dedicated and skilled individual to join its assurance team as a Technical Officer. This is a unique opportunity to work on a range of navy vessel projects, right at the waterfront in Henderson WA, where the ships are being constructed.
As an APS 6 Technical Officer, you will deliver continuity of technical assurance, working with uniform and civilian staff in a team, using your experience in ship repair/maintenance activities to verify the ships are constructed in accordance with agreed approved domestic/international standards throughout the different phases of the build.
Key responsibilities for the APS 6 Technical Officer include:
* Verification and Compliance
o Conduct inspections, both formal and informal, to verify product compliance with approved procedures, standards, and specifications. Ensure all work aligns with classification society rules (e.g., DNV) and contracted requirements. Conduct audits of shipbuilder processes to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose.
* Non-Conformance Management
o Identify, investigate, and report non-conformances. Support the verification of corrective actions and monitor process outcomes to ensure resolution and continuous improvement.
* Reporting & Communication
o Attend technical and project meetings, providing accurate and timely reports to support decision-making and documentation requirements. Complete detailed survey reports following inspections, ensuring traceability and clarity of findings. Utilize project management and reporting tools to document issues, track progress, and support workflow transparency across teams.
* Stakeholder Engagement
o Establish and maintain a good working relationship with various stakeholders including Defence, prime contractors, suppliers, classification society and other regulatory bodies.
* Test and Evaluation
o Witness and provide technical expertise to system testing at Factory Testing, Pre-commissioning Testing, Harbour Trials and Sea Trials.
* Technical Review
o Conduct reviews of technical reports (including technical plans and procedures), ship drawings and specifications, etc.
* Safe Work Practices
o Exhibit a proactive approach to complying with and upholding project regulatory requirements, while fostering a Positive Safety Culture through effective mentoring of new personnel.
* Site-centric Role
o As a field-based position, the role places a strong emphasis on leading and performing on-site surveillance activities across multiple Shipyard builds and Production areas.
A number of roles are intended to be filled within NCB across a variety of shipbuilding disciplines with a merit pool to be established from this recruitment activity.
Hull and Structure
* Assess the condition and integrity of ship hulls, structures, and coatings across various platforms.
* Weld inspections, including traceability checks, non-destructive testing (NDT), and weld heat treatment follow-ups.
* Coating inspections, including surface prep, film thickness measurement, holiday testing, touchups.
Whole of Ship
* Assess the quality of outfitting, stores and equipment across various platforms.
* Quality inspections of ship compartments and spaces to support vessel acceptance.
About our Team
Naval Construction Branch (NCB) is accountable for the assurance of ship construction, set-to work and transit of vessels constructed at the Osborne Naval Shipyard and Henderson precinct. We are headquartered in Osborne, SA and have a detachment in Henderson, WA and a smaller presence in Port Macquarie, NSW. NCB oversees the construction to ensure quality and standards are met, stores lessons learnt and develops standard shipbuilding procedures for construction.
NCB will oversee the construction of many different Navy vessels including Offshore Patrol Vessels, Hunter Class Frigates, Young Endeavour, Evolved Cape Class and Pacific Patrol Boats. Working at NCB provides exposure to grassroots naval shipbuilding, where you are part of a working shipyard and can contribute to delivered vessels in service by Navy. You will work alongside Navy personnel, internal project management officers and Prime contractors. Industry placement opportunities are available for technical staff.
Workplace Benefits and Conditions
Defence offers a supportive and flexible working environment that promotes wellbeing, professional development, and work-life balance.
Key benefits include:
* Enterprise Agreement Salary Structure – Salaries are governed by an enterprise agreement with scheduled annual percentage increases.
* DECA Day – One day undefined leave per year to support personal wellbeing.
* Annual Leave at Half-Pay – Option to extend leave duration by taking annual leave at half-pay.
* Purchased Leave – Option to purchase additional leave to support personal flexibility.
* Paid Stand-Down Break – Paid stand down between Christmas and New Year.
* PFADS (Performance Feedback Assessment and Development Scheme) – Structured framework for performance management and career development, integrated with annual performance-based payments.
* Flex-Time Option – Flexible working hours to support personal and operational needs.
* Career Progression – Active encouragement and support for career advancement through structured pathways and development opportunities.
Our Ideal Candidate
Our ideal candidate would be an experienced and qualified individual with a strong work ethic and demonstrated leadership behaviours.
Will possess:
* Technical experience within shipbuilding or sustainment environments.
* Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to proactively engage and liaise with multiple Shipbuilder Primes and Classification societies. Ability to assess technical packages and equipment performance against requirements, and provide recommendations for improvement and corrective actions.
* Applied technical capability, demonstrate technical proficiency with the capability to lead evaluation of technical packages and equipment performance against project specifications, and deliver recommendations driving improvements and corrective actions.
* Knowledge-sharing and Leadership skills to participate in or lead knowledge transfer within the Shipbuilding or Sustainment domain.
* Commitment to continuous learning with a broad understanding of shipbuilding fundamentals and a desire to expand knowledge across multiple discipline build groups.
* Collaborative approach with strong communication skills to positively influence teams and stakeholders.
The NCB team seeks a self-starting individual who is passionate about problem-solving and demonstrates initiative to improve practices in a dynamic environment.
Security Clearance
Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance at "Negative Vetting Level 1".
Mandatory Qualifications
This technical position requires an AQF Level 6 qualification in a relevant technical domain or relevant skills and work experience that would reasonably enable attainment of an AQF qualification if required by the position.
Eligibility
Getting to know the Department of Defence: The Department employs around 18,000 Australian Public Service (APS) employees across Navy, Army and Air Force, offering diverse career opportunities. For more information, visit the Defence jobs page.
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