At sea as a Weapon Engineer Officer, your role is to provide advice and recommendations to the Commanding Officer about the ship and its weapon state so the command knows the ship’s ability to fight. To do this, you will manage a team of highly trained technicians that make sure equipment is fully maintained and always ready for use. Your advice to the command is based upon your professional understanding of the systems onboard, your ability to make sound engineering decisions under pressure, your whole-ship knowledge and knowing the capabilities of the team you lead.
General ship duties include involvement in damage control, with responsibilities for keeping the ship safe from fires and floods, working within a team to manage the Ship’s activities, provide training and professional guidance to trainees under your charge, and participating in whole ship activities that can vary from ceremonies to sports events. You may be in charge of classified materials on board, or be given the role of port liaison officer, responsible for interaction between the ship and a foreign country when over seas. There are many exciting things to do, and as an officer you will be involved with most of them.
Weapon Engineer Officers carry out a range of important roles ashore – from training our personnel to designing and testing the technology of the future. Every piece of weaponry, sensors and communication equipment must be tested to ensure compatibility and functionality. Navy engineers are involved in equipment assessment, installation design, installation and operational testing from very early in their careers so in the future they can be responsible for the expenditure of millions of dollars on state of the equipment or for the training of the future Navy.
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.
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 school grades and suitable potential, you can join through the Midshipman scheme where you’ll be sponsored through your tertiary qualification and paid a salary at the same time.
Training
As an Officer, you will start your naval career with Junior Officer Common Training (JOCT). If you already hold an engineering qualification you would usually be promoted on completion of initial training but if not then you will be sponsored through one of a number of tertiary schemes to complete either a Bachelor of Engineering or a Diploma in Engineering on full pay. During breaks from your study you will be employed within the Navy’s engineering environment. You will then complete a System Engineering Management Course (SEMC) with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth, England which teaches you skills specific to Naval Engineering and administration.
Having gained many qualifications recognised in the civilian sector, including management and leadership, you will then return to New Zealand to consolidate your training and undertake a range of specialised positions. You will gain experience in areas such as: managing engineering projects, provision of engineering support for repairing ship defects or managing training at the Weapon Engineering School. Your career will be varied and, while you will spend most of your time at the Devonport Naval Base, you can expect postings to sea, Wellington and overseas. Time at sea is limited and selection for sea going positions is competitive.
Your time at sea is spent gaining the skills and experience to achieve the goal of every junior Weapon Engineer Officer: managing the entire Weapon Engineering department onboard an ANZAC Frigate as a fully qualified WEO. 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.
Career Progression
Your hard work, experience and training accomplishments as a Weapon Engineer Officer are rewarded by promotions in rank and salary. If you are joining with a relevant tertiary qualification, this is recognised by a 4 year ‘jump start’ in your career and you will be promoted to Sub-Lieutenant upon completion of JOCT. The time before undertaking the Weapon Engineer Officer Charge Board Examination and becoming a fully qualified Weapon Engineer Officer will involve a variety of training courses and on-the-job training both at sea and in shore establishments.
Your Future
Upon promotion to Lieutenant, and the gaining of your navy-specific professional qualification, the Navy can sponsor you to gain Chartered Engineer status. A wide range of opportunities will present themselves, including tri-service work in Defence House in Wellington, overseas postings, United Nations peacekeeping deployments, project work, and further civilian training, culminating with the opportunity to return to sea as the Weapon Engineer Officer onboard a warship – the highlight of every Weapons Engineer Officers’ career. There are many, many other exciting roles open to you; the versatility and opportunities of your career in the Navy are second to none.
Career Progression Chart
Crew
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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.