Principal Systems Engineer in Plymouth

Lead the Future of Engineering Excellence

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Systems Engineer at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.

The Role

• You’ll have a unique opportunity to influence strategic objectives, mentor future engineering talent, and embed systems engineering principles that strengthen organisational capability.
• You’ll be the technical authority driving world-class engineering practices across complex projects.
• You’ll define, implement, and oversee processes that span requirements management, design, integration, verification, and validation, ensuring compliance with international standards and reducing risk throughout the project lifecycle.
• Defining and governing engineering processes across full project lifecycles.
• Applying systems engineering principles to reduce risk and improve predictability.
• Acting as a bridge between strategic intent and practical execution.
• Day to day management, mentoring and developing engineers to build organisational capability.
• Influencing stakeholders and driving engineering excellence across teams.

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with 2 days per week on site.

Essential Experience

• Extensive experience applying systems engineering across all project lifecycle phases.
• Proven ability to implement and govern processes in line with international standards.
• Expertise in early-stage risk identification and mitigation to improve predictability.
• Strong leadership in translating strategy into practical engineering solutions.
• Demonstrated success in mentoring and developing engineering talent.

Qualifications

• Degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent professional experience.
• Formal Systems Engineering certification (e.g., INCOSE CSEP/ESEP or equivalent).

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. This role may be subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions; eligibility may be affected by place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held.

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 share scheme
• 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.
• 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
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

About Babcock

For over a century Babcock has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal. We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email 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: 23/01/2026