Principal Mechanical Engineer

ZipRecruiter; Waterlooville; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence contractor is looking for a Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead engineering activities at their Portsmouth Naval Base. The role includes conducting technical investigations, defining requirements for marine systems, and managing compliance. Ideal candidates should have a degree in mechanical engineering and experience in industrial applications. The position offers hybrid working options and a salary of up to £60,000, along with various benefits.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Flexible health and wellbeing benefits

Share plans

Qualifications

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent in mechanical engineering.
• Ideally professionally registered or have a plan for registration.
• Experience in marine/mechanical engineering.
• Competent in assessing mechanical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering activities including investigations and feasibility studies.
• Manage technical risk and compliance during design.
• Liaise with MOD and customers to satisfy project needs.

Skills

Mechanical engineering expertise

Project management awareness

Systems engineering knowledge

Problem-solving

Education

Degree in mechanical engineering or similar

Job description

Overview

Job title: Principal Mechanical Engineer

Location: Portsmouth Naval Base – hybrid and flexible working options available; speak to your recruiter about the options for this role. Salary: Up to £60,000 (dependent on skills and experience).

Responsibilities

• 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, including mechanical simulation/analysis in structures, fluids and heat transfer, with appropriate optimisation and verification/validation routines.
• Manage technical risk, safety, requirements compliance and design maturity to align with design review gate requirements.
• Present to engineering design review panels and produce design/analysis/technical reports, system/equipment specifications, scopes of work and assessment of supplier responses.
• Liaise with MOD establishments, test facilities, sub-contractors, suppliers and customers to satisfy project needs.

Qualifications and Experience

• Be qualified to degree level, or equivalent, in mechanical engineering or a similar STEM subject.
• Ideally professionally registered (CEng) or have a defined plan to achieve registration through a relevant engineering institution (e.g., IET, IMechE, IMarEST).
• Proactive continuation of professional development.
• Experience in applying 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 the ability to consider time, scheduling, cost and quality factors.
• Awareness of Systems Engineering and its benefits for complex engineering projects.
• Experience applying defence and marine standards, including DefStan, classification society rules, ISO and relevant regulatory frameworks (MCA, IMO).

Benefits and Team

Benefits include a competitive pension scheme, share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits (including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts); there may also be eligibility for an annual incentive.

The Warship Technical Authority

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 routinely lead others across the breadth of the engineering lifecycle to support in-service Naval Marine Platforms and provide 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 integrity and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and strive to make our recruitment processes as inclusive as possible.

Inclusion and Adjustments

If you have a health condition or impairment (for example, dyslexia, autism, or an anxiety disorder) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about reasonable adjustments. Some roles at BAE Systems are subject to security and export control restrictions; factors such as nationality, past employment and place of birth may limit eligibility for certain roles.

Security and Eligibility

All applicants must at minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles require higher levels of Security Vetting, typically with 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK, depending on the vetting level required.

Closing Date

Closing Date: 11 September 2025. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Please submit your application as early as possible.

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