Electronics Engineer

The work covers the bridge, the engine control room and the networks that link them. You maintain radars, ECDIS, autopilot, gyro and GMDSS kit. You also look after the VSAT and 4G systems, fire and flood alarm panels, CCTV, tank gauging and the PLCs that run stabilisers, HVAC and power management. Much of it is planned maintenance and keeping software and firmware current. The rest is fault-finding: a dropped sensor, a failed network switch, a radar that will not transmit an hour before departure.

With guests aboard the priority changes. Anything that touches the guest experience or navigation comes first, and you keep noisy work out of sight and out of guest hours. On a busy charter in the Caribbean you might spend the day on the Wi-Fi and satellite link while the ETO handles a generator alarm. In the yard, in La Ciotat, Barcelona or the Netherlands, you work with contractors on system upgrades, class surveys and new installations, and you check their work closely.

Captains and chief engineers hire people with proven board-level skills. Common routes in are former naval or merchant navy electronics technicians, marine electronics installers from Fort Lauderdale or Antibes, and electronics graduates with practical experience. Yacht experience helps, but a strong trade background often counts for more. Manufacturer training on Furuno, Kongsberg, Sperry or Raymarine systems makes a CV stand out, as does solid networking knowledge.

Most electronics engineers aim for the ETO role. The STCW III/6 ETO certificate of competency makes that step much easier. After a few years as ETO, some move ashore into technical management, new build supervision or specialist contracting. Others stay on large yachts on rotation, where the pay is good and the systems keep getting more complex. Turnover in the role is low, so a good reference from your first large yacht goes a long way.