At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead continuous improvement initiatives and enhance engineering processes at a key naval base.
- Company: Join Babcock, a global leader in engineering and national defence.
- Benefits: Generous holiday, pension scheme, health support, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible working options and a commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on national security while developing your career in engineering.
- Qualifications: Experience in managing engineering processes and delivering improvement initiatives.
The predicted salary is between 54019 - 54019 £ per year.
Strengthen Engineering Capability at the Heart of National Defence
At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as Continuous Improvement Lead at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.
The role
As Continuous Improvement Lead, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and strengthening the facilities engineering capability at HMNB Devonport—one of the most strategically important naval bases in Western Europe. Working within the Engineering Capability Team, you’ll help ensure our engineering organisation has the right processes, governance and capability to support complex ship and submarine sustainment programmes.
Day-to-day, you’ll focus on enhancing engineering processes, driving continuous improvement, and leading change initiatives. You’ll work across teams to ensure our engineering processes are efficient, effective, and aligned to business needs, while also leading projects that deliver measurable improvements.
- Leading the measurement, management and continuous improvement of facilities engineering processes.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives, identifying inefficiencies and implementing practical solutions.
- Deliver process improvement projects from capture through to handover and close.
- Reviewing and updating technical and design processes to maintain effective governance.
- Facilitating process working groups and leading the process steering forum.
- Assessing process capability health, identifying risks, inefficiencies and improvement actions.
- Supporting internal and external audits, including ISO9001 compliance activities.
This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with a minimum of 2 days in the office/onsite.
Essential experience of the Continuous Improvement Lead
- Proven experience managing or improving engineering or business processes.
- Experience delivering continuous improvement or change initiatives.
- Strong understanding of business management systems / process frameworks.
- Experience analysing processes, identifying vulnerabilities and delivering improvement initiatives.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams and diverse stakeholder groups, including international partners.
- Strong communication skills with the confidence to influence and guide engineering best practice.
Qualifications for the Continuous Improvement Lead
We’re open to a range of backgrounds and are more interested in your experience and impact than specific qualifications.
- Lean, Six Sigma, APM, or similar methodologies - Desirable.
Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be a sole UK National who is able to achieve and maintain Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information (NNPPI) / Developed Vetting (DV) 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.
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.
Babcock
We’re Babcock — a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 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 email careers@babcockinternational.com 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: 11/06/2026
Continuous Improvement Lead employer: Babcock International
Babcock is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment at the strategically significant HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, where you can contribute to national defence while enjoying hybrid working arrangements. With a strong focus on employee development, generous benefits including a matched pension scheme, and initiatives like 'Be Kind Day' for volunteering, Babcock fosters a culture of inclusivity and support, ensuring that every team member can thrive both personally and professionally.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Continuous Improvement Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the engineering field, especially those at Babcock. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that might just land you that Continuous Improvement Lead role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your continuous improvement methodologies. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've driven change in past roles. We want to see your impact!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your collaboration skills! Highlight experiences where you've worked with diverse teams or stakeholders. This is key for the role, so let us know how you’ve influenced best practices.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Continuous Improvement Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in continuous improvement and engineering processes. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Continuous Improvement Lead, so don’t hold back!
Showcase Your Achievements:When detailing your past roles, focus on specific projects or initiatives where you made a measurable impact. Use numbers and examples to illustrate how you’ve driven improvements—this will really catch our eye!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and ensure your key points stand out. This will help us quickly see why you’re a great fit for the team.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure it gets into the right hands and helps us keep track of all applicants. Plus, it’s super easy!
How to prepare for a job interview at Babcock International
✨Know Your Processes
Familiarise yourself with the engineering processes relevant to the role. Be ready to discuss specific examples of how you've improved processes in the past, and think about how you can apply those experiences to Babcock's operations.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Continuous Improvement Lead, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead change initiatives. Prepare to share stories that highlight your leadership style, particularly in multidisciplinary teams, and how you've successfully influenced stakeholders.
✨Understand the Business Needs
Research Babcock’s mission and values, especially their focus on national defence. Be prepared to articulate how your skills align with their goals and how you can contribute to enhancing their engineering capabilities.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect questions related to Lean, Six Sigma, or other methodologies. Brush up on these concepts and be ready to discuss how you've applied them in real-world scenarios, particularly in relation to process improvement and governance.
