Lead Mechanical Engineer – Air Purification Systems

BAE Systems; Borwick Rails; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence contractor in the UK is seeking a Lead Mechanical Engineer to design Air Purification and Atmosphere Monitoring systems for the Royal Navy. The role includes overall system design, stakeholder engagement, and technical leadership in a safety-critical environment. Candidates should have experience in gas scrubbing and system delivery, with opportunities for professional development and relocation support.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Experience in safety-critical environments like maritime, aerospace, or defence.
• Knowledge of gas scrubbing, CO₂ removal, and O₂ generation.
• Experience in engaging stakeholders across multi-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Design Air Purification and Atmosphere Monitoring systems for submarines.
• Produce design documentation and validation evidence.
• Collaborate with suppliers for specification qualification and procurement.

Skills

Design of gas scrubbing and filtration systems

System lifecycle delivery

Leadership and mentoring

Education

Chartered engineer or working towards professional accreditation

Job description

Overview

Job Title: Lead Mechanical Engineer – Air Purification Systems

Location: Barrow-in-Furness. We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: Competitive

Responsibilities

• Design of Air Purification and Atmosphere Monitoring systems, sub-systems and equipment for the next generation Royal Navy submarines
• Undertake functional design activities, modelling and analysis
• Produce design documentation, Verification & Validation evidence and safety justifications
• Support specification qualification and procurement of components, working collaboratively with suppliers
• Engaging with stakeholders across the cross-functional project team
• Driving engineering governance through peer reviews and design reviews

Your skills and experiences

Essential:

• Experience in the design of gas scrubbing, filtration, and environmental control systems (e.g. CO₂ removal, O₂ generation, trace contaminant management, radiological hazards) – ideally in complex, safety-critical environments (e.g. maritime, aerospace, defence, nuclear, oil & gas and sub-sea)
• Proven capability in system lifecycle delivery – from concept through to commissioning
• Demonstrated leadership – either through technical direction, mentoring, or project ownership
• Chartered engineer or working towards professional accreditation

Desirable:

• Knowledge of platform-level constraints such as noise, shock, or survivability
• Previous experience integrating purification systems with submarine life-support, HVAC, and emergency protocols

Benefits

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The team

As a Lead Mechanical Engineer – Air Purification Systems, you will play a pivotal role in the design and development of submarine Air Purification and Atmosphere Monitoring systems. This includes system-level design, technical leadership, supplier engagement, and the opportunity to steer design architecture across a major submarine programme. We offer relocation support packages across all Submarines roles, subject to meeting eligibility criteria.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 3rd October 2025