Principal Mechanical Engineer

BAE Systems; Eastleigh; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense engineering firm is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead lifecycle engineering activities at Portsmouth Naval Base. In this role, you will define technical requirements, manage design risks, and ensure compliance with defense standards. The ideal candidate will possess a degree in mechanical engineering and relevant experience in marine applications. This position offers competitive benefits and hybrid working options.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Flexible health and wellbeing benefits

Private health plans

Qualifications

• Experience in complex industrial/military marine applications.
• Competent in assessing mechanical solutions from first principles.
• Proactive in professional development.

Responsibilities

• Lead early lifecycle engineering activities and investigations.
• Define technical requirements for mechanical systems.
• Manage design risks and compliance requirements.

Skills

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Understanding of marine/mechanical engineering

Project management awareness

Knowledge of defence and marine standards

Competence in mechanical assessments

Education

Degree level qualification or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Job title: Principal Mechanical Engineer

Location: Portsmouth Naval Base - We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements - please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: Up to GBP60,000 (dependent on skills and experience)

What you'll be doing

• Lead and conduct early lifecycle engineering activities, including technical investigations, root cause analysis and feasibility studies. Apply engineering theory/technical knowledge to support findings and recommendations
• Define equipment/system technical requirements and acceptance routes. Apply and manage requirements to drive the development of design solutions for marine mechanical equipment and systems
• Undertake design substantiation via calculation for marine mechanical systems and equipment. This shall include mechanical simulation/analysis in the areas of structures, fluids and heat transfer, incorporating appropriate optimisation and verification/validation (acceptance) routines
• Manage technical risk, safety, requirements compliance and design maturity to align with design review gate requirements. Present to engineering design review panels
• Produce design/analysis/technical reports, system/equipment specifications, scopes of work and undertake assessment of supplier responses
• Liaise with MOD establishments, test facilities, sub-contractors, suppliers and customers as required to satisfy the needs of a project

Your skills and experiences

• Be qualified to degree level, or equivalent, in mechanical engineering or similar STEM subject
• Ideally professionally registered (CEng) through a relevant professional engineering institution such as the IET, IMechE, IMarEST etc or defined plan to get there. Proactive continuation of professional development
• Have experience in application of marine/mechanical engineering in complex industrial/military applications
• Competent in assessing mechanical solutions from first principles in support of recognised toolsets
• Awareness of project management principles with an ability to consider time, scheduling, cost, and quality factors
• Have an awareness of Systems Engineering and the benefits it brings to complex engineering projects
• Experienced in applying defence and marine standards, including DefStan, classification society rules, ISO, and relevant regulatory frameworks (MCA, IMO)

Benefits

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers 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 Warship Technical Authority team

The Warship Technical Authority (WTA) - Principal Mechanical Engineer will deliver professional engineering services to Warship Support in the areas of Naval Marine Mechanical Equipment and Systems.

The Principal Mechanical Engineer will be required to undertake and routinely lead others in activities across the breadth of the engineering lifecycle to support in-service Naval Marine Platforms. They will be responsible for providing mechanical engineering capability across a broad set of challenges to meet the needs of specific Naval platforms, the WTA team and the customer programme.

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

Closing Date: 11 September 2025.

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.