Marine Systems Engineering Officer

As a member of the military, Marine Systems Engineers are responsible for the readiness, operation and maintenance of propulsion and ancillary systems, power generation and distribution, auxiliary systems, ship’s service systems, ship and machinery control systems, hull structure, ship’s stability, damage control, and the integration of these systems.

They analyze the state of their systems, equipment and personnel, predict their requirement for naval operations and advise Command accordingly. The primary role of a Marine Systems Engineer is to provide technical expertise, advice and leadership in support of:

• Day-to-day naval operations and maintenance of marine systems in ships and submarines
• The continuous renewal of the Fleet through modernization and replacement of naval marine systems and equipment, including:
  • Design
  • Development
  • Acquisition
  • Construction
  • Disposal
• Maintenance of infrastructure needed to support naval operations and missions in times of emergency, mobilization and war

Work environment

Marine Systems Engineers are employed in ships and submarines as the Head of the Marine Systems Engineering Department, where they are responsible for the leadership and well-being of a large team of highly trained technical professionals committed to assuring the equipment’s peak performance.

Marine Systems Engineers may work in a range of roles in support of the continuous maintenance and renewal of the fleet including providing expert engineering advice, project management, advising on the acquisition of new equipment, training and administrative positions requiring engineering expertise.

On completion of their military and occupation training, Marine Systems Engineering Officers will be ready for their first posting to a Canadian warship or submarine. They’ll be assigned as a member of a ship’s company sailing out of either Halifax, Nova Scotia or Esquimalt, British Columbia.

They’ll spend a year as a junior officer in the Engineering Department. During that year, they’ll acquire extensive system knowledge, learning a bit about the administrative side of the job and taking on some very basic divisional responsibilities.

That first year is typically followed by a shore posting on the east or west coast. This could be working at a coastal Fleet Maintenance Facility, teaching new engineers at the Naval Fleet Schools, or providing their expert engineering assessments towards new ships and equipment purchases for the future fleet.

This shore posting is followed by another one-year posting on board a ship – this time as the Assistant Head of the Engineering Department. It’s an opportunity to focus more on the leadership and management parts of the job and to learn how to run your own engineering department.

After that, the career progression can include both land and sea postings. There can also be opportunities for engineering specialization through fully funded post-graduate education in Canada or abroad.

If you already have a university degree, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will decide if your academic program matches the criteria for this job and may place you directly into the required on-the-job training program following basic training. Basic training and military officer qualification training are required before being assigned.