Naval Overseers - Acceptance Team Leader

National Armaments Director Group; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Performance bonuses

Training and funded qualifications

Discounts and benefits

Enhanced parental leave schemes

Flexible working

Job summary

National Armaments Director Group seeks an experienced Naval Overseer - Acceptance Team Leader to lead Type 26 joint assurance and acceptance activities at the Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow. The role involves on-site oversight during build, trials, and handover, with significant stakeholder engagement across MOD, industry partners, and Navy command.

Expect sea-trial exposure and leadership in assessive decisions.

Qualifications

• Delivery of maritime projects; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures construction; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures maintenance / refit / upgrade: or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures operation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Type 26 Joint Assurance and Acceptance Team, setting clear direction and priorities.
• Own and drive Type 26 ship acceptance with coherent plans and timely decisions.
• Provide senior leadership on acceptance risk, concessions, readiness, and compliance.
• Collaborate with naval overseers, project engineering teams, industry partners and Navy/ MOD stakeholders to align priorities and maintain momentum.
• Assure the quality, completeness, and traceability of acceptance evidence for auditable decisions.
• Develop a positive, inclusive, high-performing assurance culture and support continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Stakeholder engagement

Maritime project delivery

Education

CEng registration

Equivalent professional registration

Job description

Working Pattern: Full time, Job Share, Flexible Working

Contract Type: Permanent

Job description for Naval Overseers - Acceptance Team Leader

This is your opportunity to join a flagship defence programme and be at the forefront of delivering the backbone of the Royal Navy’s future frontline surface fleet.

As a Naval Overseer, working in a dynamic shipyard environment you will play a pivotal role in developing and sustaining strong, effective relationships with our industry partners. Working collaboratively with BAE Systems and the MOD/National Armaments Director Group, you will support the delivery of shared strategic objectives, while also cultivating productive stakeholder engagement with Navy Command and our export partners. You will provide on-site technical oversight and assurance throughout naval vessel construction and trials, and proactively identify and address risks, apply constructive challenge to resolve shipyard quality and performance issues, and support the successful delivery of critical maritime capability. You will play a key role in managing delivery and indemnity risks, ensuring due diligence is applied throughout the build and support lifecycle, while also contributing technical expertise to testing, acceptance, and assurance activities to support the successful delivery of naval capability. The role offers the opportunity to participate in sea trials, spending time at sea and seeing first‑hand how your work contributes to operational capability.

The Type 26 frigate is a strategically important acquisition programme, contributing to the UK’s defence prosperity agenda and strengthening international collaboration. This role offers excellent development opportunities for professional growth and to build experience supporting long‑term career progression. The role will provide valuable experience in establishing productive stakeholder relationships, fostering the communication, and influencing skills required to operate effectively across Government and industry, and enhance your leadership capability.

If you’re effective at developing trusted partnerships, promoting collaboration, and finding practical solutions and thrive working with diverse stakeholders this is an exceptional opportunity to make a tangible contribution to the future capability of the Royal Navy. Join a programme that will leave a lasting legacy for UK Defence.

Working environment

This role is based within operational shipbuilding facilities and requires regular attendance aboard vessels under construction and trials. Successful candidates must be able to safely access all areas of a ship, including climbing ladders, negotiating narrow access routes, entering confined spaces, and working around scaffolding and temporary structures. Whilst the role is not primarily physically demanding, it requires a suitable level of mobility, agility, and resilience to safely undertake inspection, assurance, and oversight activities within an industrial maritime environment.

This is an on‑site position based at the BAE Systems facility on South Street, Scotstoun, Glasgow, G14. The role offers a compressed working pattern of 8‑hour days Monday to Thursday and a shortened day on Friday (37 hours/week), and there will be opportunities to support occasional night and weekend working.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the Type 26 Joint Assurance and Acceptance Team, setting clear direction, priorities, and expectations to ensure acceptance activity is planned, coordinated, and delivered effectively across the programme.
• Own and drive Type 26 ship acceptance, ensuring the project has coherent plans, appropriate evidence, and timely decisions to demonstrate that ships meet contractual, technical, and operational requirements.
• Provide senior leadership and professional judgement on acceptance risk, concessions, readiness, and compliance, ensuring issues are understood, prioritised, and escalated with clear recommendations where required.
• Work closely with naval overseers, project engineering teams, industry partners, ship’s staff and other MOD stakeholders to align acceptance priorities, resolve blockers, and maintain delivery momentum through build, test, commissioning, and trials.
• Assure the quality, completeness, and traceability of acceptance evidence, helping the programme make confident, auditable decisions on readiness, compliance, and handover.
• Develop a positive, inclusive, and high‑performing assurance and acceptance culture, supporting team members to apply sound engineering judgement, learn from experience and contribute to continuous improvement.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Delivery of maritime projects; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures construction; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures maintenance / refit / upgrade: or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures operation.
• Demonstrable experience of providing technical advice at a senior level and leading the delivery of successful engineering outcomes in multidisciplinary projects.
• Wide ranging depth and breadth of technical experience in own specialism with knowledge and application of Systems Engineering approaches.
• As a minimum hold Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration, or an equivalent professional registration recognised by a licensed Professional Engineering Institution. Candidates who can demonstrate equivalent professional competence may be appointed, subject to achieving CEng (or an approved equivalent) by 31 December 2027. Overseas registrations are acceptable where they are recognised under the International Professional Engineers Agreement/Accord.
• Please note applicants who hold only Chartered Quality Practitioner (CQP) must also hold, as minimum, RQF Level 6 Engineering qualification or Engineering Technician (EngTech).

Please see the Professional Engineering Institution Equivalences for a list of approved equivalent professional registration as per the requirements listed above.

Note: Alternatives to RQF listed above (which cover England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only), are the Scottish SCQF; or an international equivalent qualification, which must be supported by a statement of comparability from UK ENIC.

Applicants should also consider their ability to work effectively and comfortably within an operational shipbuilding working environment.

AND

Be able to satisfy requirements of and obtain ENG1 seafarer medical fitness certificate. For recruitment purposes, external candidates do not need to hold these but must have no known reasons not to achieve this within 6 months of employment.

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Core Behaviour 1: Making Effective Decisions (CSBC4)
• Core Behaviour 2: Leadership (CSBC4)
• Technical Competence 1: ECF 1.3 - Setting Technical Requirements, Evaluation and Acceptance (Expert)
• Technical Competence 2: ECF 3.4 - Technical Decision Making (Expert)

Alongside your salary of £61,100, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,700 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Market‑leading average employer pension contribution of 28.97%
• Annual performance‑based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family‑friendly organisation to be a part of - and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.