Search Jobs

Marine Engineer Officer

As a fully qualified Marine Engineer Officer (MEO) on board a ship, you will be directly responsible to the Commanding Officer for the engineering department. You are responsible for the Ship’s ‘float and move’ capability and ensuring that all engineering plant and equipment is correctly operated and maintained. This includes: diesel engines, gas turbines, electrical power and distribution systems, machinery control and monitoring systems, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, refrigeration and air conditioning plant, the hull, structures and internal fittings amongst others.

Marine Engineers also carry out a range of important roles ashore - from training our personnel to designing and testing the technology of the future. Examples include: managing engineering projects; equipment upgrades, trials and acquisition; equipment repair and maintenance; and budget control. Navy engineers are involved in equipment assessment, installation design, installation and operational testing form very early in their careers. This provides them with the competencies to manage complex engineering projects involving of millions of dollars.

Jump to Section:

Pre-joining Requirements
Career Progression
Qualifications
Training
Your Future
Featured Crew Video

Pre-joining Requirements

Be a minimum of 17 years of age
Have completed at least three years of secondary education
Be a NZ citizen or have permanent residency and have lived in NZ for five years
Be medically fit for service
Be of good character – assessed by study of testimonials and a police record check
Be free of any criminal convictions for the previous two years
Minimum of 80 credits at level three over five subjects
Minimum of 14 credits at level one mathematics
Minimum of 14 credits at level two or above in reading or writing
For those Officers wishing to gain a BE, a minimum of 18 credits in calculus AND a minimum of 18 credits in physics is required
A BE, a B.Tech or a Dip Eng is offered

Download the Entry Requirements Guide to see what school subjects and credits are required.

Career Progression
Your hard work, experience and training accomplishments as a Marine Engineer Officer are rewarded by promotions in rank and salary. If you are joining with a relevant tertiary qualification, this is recognised by a four year ‘jump start’ in your career and you will be promoted to Sub-Lieutenant upon completion of Junior Officer Common Training (JOCT). The time before sitting the Marine Engineer Officer Charge Qualification (MCQ) and becoming a fully qualified MEO will involve a variety of training courses and on-the-job training both at sea and in shore establishments.

Qualifications
You can join the Navy after you have completed (or partially completed) a suitable tertiary engineering qualification. Or, if you are a student with good grades and suitable potential, you can join through our Tertiary Scheme where you will be sponsored through university and get paid a salary at the same time.

Training
All Officers must complete JOCT on joining the Navy. On successful completion, those without engineering qualifications are sponsored by the Navy through a tertiary scheme to complete either a Bachelor of Engineering or a Diploma in Engineering. Once the appropriate tertiary qualifications have been completed, you will undertake a Systems Engineering Management Course (SEMC) with the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The SEMC is a professional application training course in marine engineering equipment and systems, which will complement your academic training and prepare you for the next step of your professional development. The systems engineering training is 16 weeks at HMS SULTAN. Following this, you will be posted to a Royal Navy warship as the Assistant Marine Engineering Officer (AMEO) for 26 weeks to consolidate your theoretical knowledge and gain practical experience.

You will then return to HMS SULTAN to complete the administration and management training (19 weeks) in preparation for sitting the Marine Engineer Surface Ship Qualification (MEQ). MEQ recognises the ability of an officer to perform the duties of an AMEO.

On return to New Zealand, you will post to a RNZN Ship to prepare for your final qualification, the Marine Charge Qualification (MCQ).

Along the way, you will complete professional development courses, including leadership and management courses, and specialist Navy training. Once you have completed the necessary courses and fulfilled the time requirements, you will be promoted to Lieutenant.

Your Future
You can expect to be a fully qualified MEO within three to four years of graduating from university. You will be responsible for the entire marine engineering department, leading a motivated team of up to 35 personnel to maintain the ship’s systems. When your ship is in a combat or an emergency situation you will be the Action Damage Control Officer, coordinating the control and repair of damage from fires, floods or explosions while maintaining equipment so that your ship can continue to manoeuvre and fight as necessary. As your experience increases you may find yourself dealing with the reliability and availability of the entire fleet, introducing new ships into service, overseeing equipment upgrades and developing policy. Roles like UN Peacekeeping are also open to you, as is post graduate study.

Career Progression Chart

Crew

Find out more about the job from somone who's currently doing it! Click on the video image to launch the video.

Apply Now
To apply for this job contact us on 0800 NZ NAVY, contact a recruitment consultant in your area or download the Application Form now.

More information about the joining process can be found in our How to Join section.

Featured Crew

Marine Engineering Officer, Brendan Wallis

Meet Brendan Wallis and hear about his experiences as a Marine Engineering Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy and what his job involves. Find out more »