Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Placement Year

Nuclearinst; West of England; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Babcock International is offering a Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Placement Year based at the Babcock Technology Centre in Bristol. The role includes a rotation across the Submarine Support Engineering team, exposing you to various mechanical engineering challenges and real-world projects.

You will work with tools like Autodesk, Ansys, Python and MATLAB, contribute to design and analysis, and explore future submarine developments while gaining valuable mentoring from experienced engineers.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate studying Mechanical Engineering.

Responsibilities

• Rotations within SSE to gain broad mechanical engineering experience.
• Contribute to system performance modelling, maintenance optimisations and design.
• Support future submarine projects and collaborate with engineers and stakeholders.

Skills

Autodesk

Ansys

Python

MATLAB

Education

Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree

Job description

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Placement Year

Programme title: Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Placement Year

Salary: £26,800 pro rata

Location: Babcock Technology Centre, Bristol

Application closing date: 20 October 2026

Start date: September 2027

Role ID: 74777

What you’ll be doing

You’ll be based within the Submarine Support Engineering (SSE) team, which focuses on maintaining in-service submarines and provides technical engineering support to the Ministry of Defence.

As a Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate, you will complete a rotation of placements within SSE throughout the year, where you’ll experience different aspects of the business and broaden your engineering skills and knowledge. You’ll have the opportunity to contribute to exciting and varied projects such as system performance modelling and analysis, maintenance optimisations, engineering design, and support for future submarines.

Your work could involve using engineering tools and software (e.g. Autodesk, Ansys, Python, MATLAB), collaborating with knowledgeable engineers and stakeholders, and designing submarine components. You may also be involved in waterfront production and manufacture, as well as researching new technologies.

The placement year is designed to be flexible and tailored to your interests, allowing you to apply your engineering knowledge in real-world situations and gain exposure to a wide range of mechanical engineering challenges.

What you’ll get out of it

Our placements are about more than work experience – they’re an opportunity to immerse yourself in life at Babcock, form meaningful connections, and develop skills that will set you up for your future career. You’ll work alongside supportive colleagues and gain guidance from experienced professionals every step of the way.

We value the fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that placement students bring to our team. We believe you have the potential to shape the future of our business. But we also understand that this placement is as much about you assessing what’s right for you as it is about us getting to know you. Perform well, and you could be considered for a position on our graduate programme – your journey with Babcock could just be getting started.

What you’ll need

• You must be an undergraduate studying a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Many of our programmes are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold or have held may impact which programmes you are eligible for. For this programme, you must be able to achieve and maintain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and Security Check (SC) security clearance. For further details, visit GOV.UK and search ‘United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels’.
• Under applicablenationalsecurity legislation, this post may only be occupied by a UKnational. This legal requirement is independent of our recruitment policies, and all eligible applicants will be assessed fairly and without discrimination.

Application process and important information

Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and if there’s a high level of interest in this programme, we may close applications earlier than advertised. To give yourself the best chance of being considered, we recommend submitting your application and completing any required online assessments as soon as possible.

Please apply to one programme only. If we receive more than one application from you, we’ll assess the first one submitted. If your chosen programme becomes oversubscribed, we may contact you to discuss other programmes you could be eligible for.

We're a Disability Confident Employer.

If you need adjustments or support at any stage, please let us know.

Contact us at [e-mail] to discuss your needs and explore the options available.

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.

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