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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.

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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 Junior Officer Common Training (JOCT) on joining the Navy. After successful completion, those without engineering qualifications are sponsored by the Navy through a tertiary scheme to complete either a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) or a Diploma in Engineering. Once the appropriate tertiary qualifications have been completed, you will travel to England to undertake a 14-month Systems Engineering Management Course (SEMC) with the Royal Navy.

The SEMC is a professional application training course in Naval Marine Engineering equipment and systems, which will complement your academic training and prepare you for the next step of your professional development. The SEMC includes six months on a ship with the Royal Navy where you will gain practical experience in charge of the operation of all propulsion and auxiliary systems. SEMC training is recognised as professional development towards registration as a Chartered Engineer.

On completion of SEMC you will be posted to a New Zealand ship to gain further skills and experience necessary to manage the entire Marine Engineering Department onboard a ship as a fully qualified MEO. 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
Following completion of SEMC and while posted to a New Zealand ship your primary task is to work towards obtaining your Marine Engineering Charge Qualification. This qualification sees you capable of running your own Engineering Department as a fully fledged Marine Engineering Officer. The Marine Engineering Charge Qualification is a written and oral examination that will test your knowledge and experience of the engineering systems at sea and your ability to be a Ship’s MEO. You can expect to be examined for this qualification within 18-months of graduating from SEMC.

On completion you can then 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, co-ordinating 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.

Career Progression Chart

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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 »