Principal Engineer - Maintenance Refinement

Babcock International; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor in the UK is seeking a Principal Engineer - Maintenance Refinement to ensure the resilience and operational excellence of the Royal Navy's submarine fleet. The role offers a full-time, hybrid working arrangement and requires proven engineering experience with complex assets. Ideal candidates will have a relevant STEM degree and strong leadership skills, with a competitive salary between £59,110 and £66,110 plus benefits.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Matched contribution pension scheme

Access to a Digital GP

Employee share scheme

Holiday Trading

'Be Kind Day' for volunteering

Excellent development opportunities

Qualifications

• Understanding of project initiation, governance and delivery principles.
• Ability to prioritise effectively in a complex environment with multiple interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Drive development and delivery of maintenance refinement capability.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to secure support and achieve success.
• Lead technical oversight and ensure quality management processes are applied.

Skills

Proven engineering experience with maintenance of complex assets

Strong track record in technical oversight and quality management

Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Education

Degree in a relevant STEM discipline

Chartered Engineer status or evidence of working towards professional registration

Job description

Applies Engineering concepts and theories to provide technical direction and leadership for the delivery of designs, calculations and technical solutions across a range of applications for Babcock products and services across the Engineering Product Lifecycle. Uses their experience to make decisions in complex situations. Able to work under own initiative to produce high quality outputs. Capable of managing others and/or delivery of engineering and technical activities, through the application of process, domain knowledge and experience. Can apply a broad and/or deep range of knowledge to complex situations whilst extending their business knowledge base in the subject area. Provides coaching, direction, assistance and mentoring to others.

Job Title: Principal Engineer - Maintenance Refinement

Location: Stoke Gifford, Bristol + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation: £59,110 to £66,110 dependent upon experience + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF70135

The role

As a Principal Engineer in Maintenance Refinement, you’ll be at the heart of ensuring the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet remains resilient, fit for the future and capable of delivering sustained engineering excellence. This is a unique opportunity to influence the future direction of submarine maintenance, optimising processes that underpin operational availability.

Day‑to‑day, you’ll join a growing and talented team and you will use your technical, leadership and management skills to deliver, motivate and inspire those around to achieve success. You will be key to driving the delivery of the required outcomes of maintenance refinement by:

• Driving development and delivery of a maintenance refinement capability across In‑Service submarine platforms.
• Collaborating with stakeholders across Babcock and the MoD to secure support and achieve success.
• Leading technical oversight and ensuring quality management processes are applied.
• Supporting initiatives that align with the Submarine Support Engineering (SSE) mission.
• Providing expert input into maintenance work package generation and related projects.

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with 2 days in the office/onsite and 3 days working from home.

Essential experience of the Principal Engineer - Maintenance Refinement

• Proven engineering experience with maintenance of complex assets.
• Strong track record in technical oversight and quality management.
• Understanding of project initiation, governance and delivery principles.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to prioritise effectively in a complex environment with multiple interfaces.

Qualifications for the Principal Engineer - Maintenance Refinement

• Degree in a relevant STEM discipline with experience in engineering.
• Chartered Engineer status or evidence of working towards professional registration.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be a sole UK national who is able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) 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 UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
• ‘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 well‑being.

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 [e-mail] 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: 12/12/2025

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