Principal Mechanical Engineer - PNED

-; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer for a role located in Barrow-in-Furness. You will provide engineering support, lead design changes, and solve complex technical challenges in the Naval Reactor Plant. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Engineering, strong report writing skills, and familiarity with mechanical drawings. The role offers a competitive salary, hybrid working options, and extensive benefits. Applications close on 19th December 2025.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health benefits

Green car scheme

Private health plans

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification in Engineering, preferably Mechanical or Structural.
• Strong technical report writing skills with experience in design changes.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the build team to ensure product alignment with design intent.
• Lead design change assessments impacting structural elements.
• Investigate and present technical solutions to construction challenges.

Skills

Degree-level qualification in Engineering

Proficiency in interpreting mechanical drawings

Familiarity with welding engineering principles

Strong technical report writing skills

Education

Degree in Mechanical or Structural Engineering

Job description

Job Title

Principal Mechanical Engineer - PNED

Location

Barrow-in-Furness. We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements - please speak to your recruiter about the options for this role

Salary

£45,628 - £57,500 dependent on experience

What you'll be doing

• Collaborate closely with the build organisation, providing engineering support to ensure the final product aligns with original design intent
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of key requirements and critical dimensions related to major structural components
• Lead the assessment and implementation of design changes impacting primary structural elements, whether driven by emergent issues, continuous improvement, or process updates
• Support, or where appropriate, serve as the engineering representative within test and authorisation groups
• Develop specialised knowledge of the unique build sequence of the Reactor Compartment Unit and deliver ongoing engineering support throughout construction
• Represent the engineering function during the planning and execution of major construction milestones within the Reactor Compartment Unit's scope
• Investigate and present robust technical solutions to challenges encountered during the construction of the Naval Reactor Plant
• Provide well‑reasoned technical recommendations to key stakeholders, including Rolls‑Royce and the Ministry of Defence, to support or constructively challenge existing requirements

Your skills and experiences

Essential

• Degree‑level qualification in Engineering, preferably with a focus on Mechanical or Structural disciplines
• Proficient in interpreting mechanical drawings, with a solid understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
• Familiarity with welding engineering principles and non‑destructive examination (NDE) techniques
• Strong technical report writing skills, with experience in producing clear justifications for design changes

Desirable

• Understanding of stress, fatigue, and thermal analysis principles in engineering applications
• Awareness of nuclear radiation shielding requirements and best practices
• Prior experience working within a nuclear plant environment
• Knowledge of the nuclear industry, including familiarity with regulatory bodies and compliance standards

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 Platform Nuclear Engineering Department team

As a Principal Mechanical Engineer - PNED, you will play a critical role in supporting the design, build, and test phases of the Naval Reactor Plant (NRP) across multiple programmes, ensuring alignments with the original design intent. This includes leading the resolution of complex technical issues encountered during construction and testing, with a focus on developing robust engineering solutions and maintaining the integrity of the supporting safety case. You will provide expert guidance to internal teams including Engineering Delivery, Test & Commissioning, Operations, and Project Management . Additionally, you will represent the business in collaboration with key external stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Rolls‑Royce Power, ensuring effective coordination across the wider enterprise. We offer relocation support across all Submarine 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

19th December 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.