At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead design projects and ensure technical delivery meets safety and quality standards.
- Company: Join Babcock, a global leader in defence and engineering.
- Benefits: Generous holiday, pension scheme, health support, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible working options and a commitment to inclusivity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on national security while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Degree in relevant field and experience in design-led projects.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 65000 £ per year.
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 Design Manager at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.
The role
As a Design Manager, you’ll be responsible for the technical delivery of design projects, acting as the Technical Authority throughout the project lifecycle. You will ensure that design solutions are developed, validated and delivered in line with safety, quality, time and cost requirements. Day‑to‑day, you’ll coordinate resources, maintain robust design processes, and support the delivery of complex solutions within a safety‑critical environment. Your work will directly contribute to vital defence programmes, giving you the opportunity to make a real difference while developing your leadership capability and technical expertise.
- Acting as the Technical Authority, ensuring designs are developed, verified and delivered across the project lifecycle
- Managing the technical delivery of design projects, ensuring alignment with safety, quality, time and cost requirements
- Coordinating resources to support effective and efficient design delivery
- Maintaining structured and compliant design processes, ensuring governance and regulatory standards are consistently met
- Supporting the delivery of complex, safety‑critical solutions through validation, planning, and stakeholder collaboration
This role is full time, 35 hours per week and is based on site at Devonport Royal Dockyard.
Essential experience of the Design Manager
- Demonstrable experience managing technical delivery within design‑led projects
- Strong understanding of design processes, lifecycle management, and governance
- Experience working within regulated, safety‑critical environments such as defence, marine, nuclear, or aerospace
- Proven ability to lead teams and coordinate multi‑disciplinary resources
- Experience managing design assurance, risk, and compliance requirements
Qualifications for the Design Manager
- Degree qualified in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience
- Chartered status (or working towards) with a recognised professional institution – Desirable
Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be a sole UK National who is 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.
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 allows employees to buy additional leave or sell up to one working week of annual leave. There is an annual window to request this benefit.
- Be Kind Day enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year 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 with the subject header Reasonable adjustments requirement. We are committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone is free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.
Closing date: 25/06/2026
Design Manager employer: Babcock International
Babcock is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment at the Devonport Royal Dockyard where you can contribute to vital defence programmes while developing your leadership and technical skills. With a strong focus on employee wellbeing, generous benefits including a matched pension scheme, and excellent development opportunities, Babcock fosters a culture of inclusivity and support, ensuring that every team member can thrive in their career. Join us to be part of a global FTSE 100 organisation dedicated to making a meaningful impact in national security and public infrastructure.
