Semi Skilled Operative

weServed; Wareham; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Matched pension with life assurance

Digital GP and health checks

Employee shopping portal

Payment of Professional Fees

10-days special paid leave for Reservs

Holiday Trading window February–March

Be Kind Day – paid volunteering day

Job summary

Babcock in Bovington near Wareham, Dorset, is seeking a Semi Skilled Operative to support maintenance, refurbishment and overhaul of military vehicles and equipment. The role involves manual work in a busy workshop with 37 hours per week onsite.

Core duties include stripping, cleaning, de-painting, following specifications, and maintaining a safe, productive workshop environment. Security clearance (SC) is required for the role.

Qualifications

• Experience in busy manufacturing, production, engineering or workshop environment.
• Able to follow work instructions, procedures and technical specifications.
• Safe, effective team player with good communication.

Responsibilities

• Carry out workshop support activities including stripping, cleaning, de-painting and supporting overhaul of vehicles and assemblies.
• Work to specifications, job cards, technical publications and customer requirements.
• Maintain tools, equipment and workshop areas to a safe and serviceable standard.
• Report equipment faults and maintenance issues to supervisors.
• Support the wider workshop team to deliver high-quality engineering outputs on time.

Skills

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Quality standards

Communication skills

Proactive work

Job description

Job Title: Semi Skilled Operative

Location: Wareham, Dorset.

Compensation: £27,947+ Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF76507

Help Keep Vital Defence Equipment Mission Ready

At Babcock, we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Semi Skilled Operative at Bovington, near Wareham, Dorset.

The role

As a Semi Skilled Operative, you'll play an important role in supporting the maintenance, refurbishment, and overhaul of military vehicles and associated equipment. Working within a busy workshop environment, you'll contribute directly to programmes that support the UK's defence capabilities. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills within a respected engineering organisation, gain hands‑on experience with specialist equipment, and build a rewarding career supporting work that really matters.

Day-to-day you'll be required to:

• Carry out workshop support activities including stripping, cleaning, de‑painting, and supporting the overhaul of vehicles and associated assemblies.
• Work to required specifications, job cards, technical publications, and customer requirements.
• Maintain tools, equipment, and workshop areas to a safe and serviceable standard.
• Report equipment faults and maintenance issues to supervisors.
• Support the wider workshop team to deliver high-quality engineering outputs on time and to standard.

Please note that this position involves manual work. This could include lifting, bending, using tools or standing for extended periods of time.

The role is based onsite at Bovington, and the set working times are 37 hours per week.

Essential experience of the Semi Skilled Operative:

• Proven experience working within a busy manufacturing, production, engineering, or workshop environment.
• Experience following work instructions, procedures, and technical specifications.
• Ability to work safely and effectively as part of a team.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality standards.
• Good communication skills and a proactive approach to work.

Qualifications for the Semi Skilled Operative:

We value difference and don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and/or willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be 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 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

Babcock

We’re Babcock — a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 29,000 people working together to make a difference.

Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work‑life balance.

We call that lifetime engineering.

Join us and see how far we can go, together.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please [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: 23/10/2026