Principal Quality Engineer

Job Title:                     Principal Quality Engineer

Location:                     Ashton Vale, Bristol,  Ashchurch, Gloucestershire or Devonport, Plymouth + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation:           Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role Type:                   Full time / Permanent

Role ID:                       SF75396

Shape Quality. Strengthen Defence. Make a Lasting Impact.

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 Quality Engineer at our Ashton Vale, Bristol or Ashchurch, Gloucestershire, Devonport site.

The role

As a Principal Quality Engineer, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You'll play a pivotal role in supporting complex and exciting defence programmes that help protect national security. Working across the project lifecycle, you'll provide expert quality leadership, ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety and performance are embedded in everything we deliver.

This is a highly influential role where you'll collaborate with programme managers, engineering teams and customers, helping to drive continuous improvement and deliver successful project outcomes. You'll have the opportunity to shape quality strategy, influence organisational culture and further develop your expertise within a leading international engineering organisation.

Day-to-day, you’ll be required to 

• Partner with Programme Managers and Engineering leads


• Develop and implement Project Quality Plans


• Establish and monitor KPIs


• Drive best-practice quality approach


• Manage and implement quality risk-based assurance activities

This is a full-time, 37-hour per week role based at Ashton Vale, Bristol, Tewksbury or Devonport, Plymouth. Hybrid working patterns are available.

Essential experience of the Principal Quality Engineer

• Considerable practical, hands-on experience in a related industry and be familiar with how Quality applies throughout a product or service delivery lifecycle.


• Experience of implementing quality improvements and encouraging culture change within an organisation.


• Experience writing and implementing quality processes


• Knowledge across product lifecycle quality disciplines


• Problem-solving tools (FMEA, 8D, 5 Whys) and experience with leading investigations

Qualifications for the Principal Quality Engineer

• ONC, HNC or NVQ Level 3 qualification in a Quality, science, engineering discipline,


• Experience working in a Quality or Engineering Leadership role.


• Chartered Membership of an applicable body, CQI is preferred.


• ISO 9001 / AS9100 lead auditor

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be a sole UK National who is able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) Developed Vetting (DV) (required to gain in the post) 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 International

For over a century Babcock  has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal.

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: 21/08/2026

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