Offshore engineering jobs

Marine and offshore engineers and seafarers build and run the hardware of energy at sea: foundations, subsea cables, installation and service vessels, and wave energy devices. Most openings here come from the Belgian and Dutch marine contractors DEME, Boskalis, and Van Oord, which install offshore wind farms and hire everyone from deck cadets to cable installation managers.

What the jobs involve

• Masters and crew run crew transfer vessels (CTVs), which carry technicians to wind farms, and multicat workboats.
• ROV pilot technicians and supervisors fly remotely operated vehicles for subsea survey, inspection, and intervention.
• Works managers and cable installation project managers run subsea cable and landfall campaigns, from tender to offshore execution.
• Marine operations engineers plan jack-up vessel campaigns, load-out, sea fastening, and installation procedures.
• Fleet engineers prepare dry dockings, repairs, and new-build vessels; shore-based marine engineers change engines and gearboxes on CTVs.
• Geologists and surveyors run the seabed surveys that decide where foundations and cables go.

Who is hiring

Marine contractors lead: DEME from its Belgian headquarters, Boskalis with ROV crews out of Aberdeen, Van Oord in Rotterdam, and Seaway7 in Vejle, Denmark. Windcat maintains and crews a fleet of CTVs around the UK. CorPower Ocean hires for its wave farms in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, and Stockholm. Primo Marine (Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Darlington) advises on cable projects, and Aventa in Aix-en-Provence runs cable landfalls. Installation and service roles also appear under offshore wind.

Skills and qualifications

• Seagoing posts need STCW certificates: Van Oord's multicat master needs an unlimited or large-ship Certificate of Competency, and DEME's cadet internships take maritime students with the STCW basic safety certificate.
• ROV careers follow IMCA's competence scheme, from pilot technician to supervisor.
• Engineering roles ask for a master's in naval architecture or in civil, mechanical, or electromechanical engineering. English is DEME's working language.
• Oil and gas experience counts: Primo Marine accepts offshore pipeline installation as well as cable work.
• Graduates start with DEME's master's thesis projects and surveyor internships; its geologists need GIS and Python.

The wind energy career guide compares offshore pay by country.

What is changing

Britain's January 2026 auction awarded a record 8.4 GW of offshore wind, for delivery between 2028 and 2031, which lines up foundation, cable, and vessel work. Germany's August 2025 tender for two North Sea sites drew no bids, and its re-run has moved to 2027; construction of projects already awarded carries on.