Principal Mechanical Engineer

Location: Devonport, Plymouth, GB, PL1 4SG. Onsite or Hybrid: Hybrid

Job Title: Principal Mechanical Engineer

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

At Babcock, we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Mechanical Engineer at Devonport, near Plymouth, Devon.

The role

As a Principal Mechanical Engineer, you’ll be at the heart of one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure programmes, supporting the upgrade and development of facilities for the Royal Navy’s submarine maintenance operations.

Day-to-day, you’ll be part of our Major Infrastructure Projects (MIP) Business Unit, helping to deliver complex engineering solutions that shape the future of naval capability.

• Apply systems engineering approaches to develop and validate design requirements
• Ensure compliance with client specifications, technical regulations and standards
• Collaborate across engineering functions and stakeholders to integrate designs and manage interfaces
• Technically manage specialist sub-contract designers
• Maintain the engineering configuration of the design intent through change control

Essential experience of the Principal Mechanical Engineer:

• Proven background in mechanical engineering within Defence, Nuclear, Oil and Gas or other highly regulated industries
• Strong understanding of mechanical process systems and building services (e.g. water services, industrial gases)
• Knowledge of regulations and standards relevant to mechanical system design and construction, including CDM responsibilities
• Experience in substantiating process equipment for Nuclear Safety Functions (desirable)
• Experience supporting design for construction, operation, or refit of submarines or related facilities (desirable)

Qualifications for the Principal Mechanical Engineer:

• A degree, degree apprenticeship, or demonstrable time served in an appropriate engineering discipline
• Chartered Engineer status or actively working towards registration with the Engineering Council

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with typically 2 days in the office/onsite and 3 days working from home.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive.

What we offer

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement.
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.