Principal Mechanical Engineer

Job Title:                      Principal Mechanical Engineer

Location:                      Plymouth, Devon + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation:            Starting Salary from £61,474 dependent upon experience + Benefits

Role Type:                    Full time / Permanent

Role ID:                        SF65708

Lead the Future of Engineering Excellence

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Mechanical Engineer at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.

The role
As a Principal Engineer, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. Join us as a Principal Mechanical Engineer in a forward-thinking, agile environment where your technical expertise and leadership will drive innovation and support national defence. You’ll oversee the design and delivery of bespoke mechanical handling and lifting equipment for refit support operations, making a tangible impact on engineering excellence.

Day-to-day, you’ll Provide technical support and design consultancy for non-nuclear and nuclear mechanical, you’ll lead a team of engineers designing and delivering bespoke mechanical handling and lifting equipment for submarine and warship refit programmes. You’ll oversee technical reviews, sign off designs and calculations, and provide expert guidance on complex engineering challenges.

• Leading and managing a team of engineers working on refit support equipment


• Reviewing and signing off technical designs, calculations, and documentation


• Attending authorisation group meetings and supporting fault diagnosis


• Conducting asset condition surveys and preparing health reports


• Responding to technical queries and reviewing industry standards

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements. 

Essential experience of the Principal Mechanical Engineer

• Extensive industry experience in mechanical engineering environments, as a Principal Engineer, Engineering Manager, or Senior Engineer


• Skilled in Inventor (preferred), SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or other 3D design tools


• Proficiency in FEA (Finite Element Analysis) - Desirable


• Experienced in hand calculations

Qualifications for the Principal Mechanical Engineer

• Mechanical Engineering degree or CEng accreditation or qualified by experience


• Chartered Engineer status (support provided) – Desirable

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be a sole UK national who is able to achieve and maintain Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information (NNPPI) security clearance for this role.

Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

What we offer 

• Generous holiday allowance 


• 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 the majority of 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

Babcock

We’re Babcock — a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 people working together to make a difference.
Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance. 

We call that lifetime engineering.
Join us and see how far we can go, together.

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 [email protected] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview. 

Closing date: 16/06/2026

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