Marine Engineer / Naval Architect - Full AUV Design (Hull, Buoyancy, Modular Electronics)

We are developing an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV/UUV) for subsea surveillance and critical infrastructure monitoring applications. Our V1 proof-of-concept has completed field trials and we are now ready to design V2 from the ground up. We need an experienced naval architect or marine engineer to lead the full mechanical design of V2 - this is a complete, paid design engagement with clear milestones and deliverables. What you'll be designing: The vehicle is a flooded-hull AUV (~600–900mm LOA) targeting neutral buoyancy in saltwater at operational depths. The design must incorporate a modular, hot-swappable electronics bay system using pogo-pin spring contacts — tool-free access is a priority. Hull form should be optimized for low drag and straight-line tracking stability, with a corrected thruster configuration to eliminate the prop torque yaw issue present in V1. We can utilize the base v1 design as a starting point. Core scope includes: - Full hull CAD (STEP + native format — Fusion 360, SolidWorks, or Onshape) - Hydrostatic analysis — CB/CG, trim curves, GM, mass budget table for both fresh and saltwater - Modular ballast tray system — removable, adjustable, field-reconfigurable - Syntactic foam placement and buoyancy zone mapping - Pogo-pin module bay design with toleranced interface drawings and pin spec. Fully modular design for sensor packages etc. - Thruster placement and prop torque compensation strategy - Full fabrication BOM with supplier references You're a strong fit if you have: - A portfolio of AUV, ROV, or small submersible design work (required — please include examples) - Hands-on experience with hydrostatic analysis tools (Maxsurf, Orca3D, or equivalent) - Connector/penetrator design experience in wet or subsea environments - CFD experience is a plus (OpenFOAM, ANSYS, or similar) - Familiarity with Blue Robotics hardware ecosystem is a strong plus To apply, please include: - Portfolio examples of relevant marine/subsea vehicle work - Your hydrostatic analysis approach and tools - Proposed milestone structure and timeline - Fixed-price bid per milestone or hourly rate with estimated hours NDA required before full technical briefing. Serious inquiries only. We will be working with you on all elements needed.