Principal Engineer - Human Factors

BAE Systems; Ulverston; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor is seeking a Principal Engineer – Human Factors to enhance human safety in submarine design and operations. Located in the UK, this role involves assessing human error risks, conducting task analyses, and improving procedures. Candidates should have a degree in Human Factors/Psychology and substantial experience in safety cases within nuclear settings. The position offers a competitive pension and various health benefits as part of a supportive workplace culture.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health benefits

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Demonstrable Human Factors experience.
• Experience in delivering Human Factors into safety case in a nuclear setting.
• Experience in writing assessment reports and safety cases.

Responsibilities

• Assess risks of human error and provide Human Factors advice.
• Perform task analysis.
• Improve procedures to reduce risk of unintended outcomes.

Skills

Human Factors experience

Stakeholder management

Coaching and mentoring

Education

Degree in Human Factors/Psychology or equivalent

Job description

Job Title: Principal Engineer – Human Factors

Location: Barrow-In-Furness / Filton / Frimley /BroadOak / Manchester / Coventry (Hybrid)

Salary: Negotiable (Commensurate with skills and experience)

What you’ll be doing:

• Assessing risks of human error and providing Human Factors advice
• Performing task analysis
• Working with Process authors to improve procedures to reduce risk of unintended outcomes
• Representing Human Factors at design technical reviews
• Conducting design substantiation reviews
• Supporting Safety Case delivery
• Leading Human Factors programmes of work

Your skills and experiences:

Essential

• Degree in Human Factors/Psychology or equivalent experience
• Demonstrable Human Factors experience
• Experience in delivering Human Factors into safety case in a nuclear setting
• Previous experience of stakeholder management
• Proven experience in coaching and mentor others
• Experience in writing assessment reports and safety cases

Desirable:

• Chartered Ergonomist status with CIEHF (or capable of achieving this)
• Submarine experience

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 Human factors Team:

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Principal Engineer – Human Factors, working within The Human Factors Team. You will be looking at the Human Factors of Site Safety of the Barrow site and Boat programmes.

As a Principal Human Factors engineer, you will be part of a team working across all 3 submarine programmes at BAE Systems. This is a very exciting time to be joining one the largest Human Factors teams in the UK. Our team provides safety-oriented support to the day-to-day business of designing, building and operating submarines and to the maintenance of our nuclear site licence.

Should you wish to relocate closer to the nuclear site at Barrow, 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: 11th January 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.