WTA Mechanical Discipline Lead

BAE Systems.; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor is looking for a Mechanical Resourcing Lead at Portsmouth Naval Base. The role involves managing Principal Mechanical Engineers, overseeing the mechanical engineering resource pool, and enhancing team capabilities through training and development. The position requires excellent people management and communication skills. The successful candidate will ensure a skilled engineering discipline that meets operational demands. This role offers a competitive salary and a range of benefits including flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health and wellbeing benefits

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Annual incentive eligibility

Qualifications

• Background in people and capability management in complex engineering.
• Experience in mentoring and developing team capabilities.
• Ability to solve problems and make decisions under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Direct line management of Principal Mechanical Engineers.
• Oversee mechanical engineering resource pool in WTA.
• Ensure training and professional development of engineers.
• Manage relationships with the Mechanical Engineering Function.

Skills

People management

Stakeholder engagement

Problem solving

Team development and mentoring

Excellent communication

Building networks

Job description

Job Title: Mechanical Resourcing Lead

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

Salary: £60,000+ Dependent on skills & experience

What you’ll be doing:

• Direct line management of all Principal Mechanical Engineers within the WTA
• Oversight of mechanical engineering resource pool within the Warship Technical Authority (WTA)
• Ensure Mechanical Discipline maintains the right level of trained, professional engineers, including appropriate subject matter experts, in accordance with the demands placed by the WTA Delivery Leads
• Manage resource movement within the WTA and the wider BAE Systems organisation, to ensure engineers obtain the necessary development and experience
• Liaising with the wider BAE Systems organisation to grow and maintain links and relationships with wider network of expertise
• Act as the focal point for all line managers within the Mechanical Engineering Discipline to ensure effective and consistent delivery of personnel management activities
• Represent the Warship Technical Authority Mechanical Discipline at internal reviews and management meetings, including management of the relationship with the Mechanical Engineering Function within Maritime & Land

Your skills and experiences:

• A personable and professional approach that positively influences the team dynamic
• A considerable background in people and capability management in a complex engineering organisation
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills across engineering, functional, and programme boundaries
• Experienced in growing team capabilities through individual development and mentoring
• Skilled at problem solving to enable decisions and prioritisation, when dealing with unexpected demands and ambiguous information
• Effective at building and maintaining a network of relationships in support of developing the technical expertise of the discipline

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.

Warship Technical Authority:

The Mechanical Discipline Lead is responsible for supporting and resourcing the day-to-day delivery of engineering output from the Asset Management Warship Technical Authority (WTA), in alignment with the agreed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The role supports the Asset Management WTA Capability Lead in ensuring activity across the Mechanical Discipline is coherently resourced and executed.

The primary responsibility is the generation and maintenance of a robust, suitably qualified and experienced Mechanical Engineering Discipline. This is enabled through development, training and providing experiences to a Discipline comprising of approximately 45 engineers, ranging from a Principal level to Early Careers.

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.