Principal Human Factors Engineer

Location: Bristol, GB, BS16 1EJ; Leicester, GB, LE3 1UF; Barrow-in-Furness, Lancaster, GB, LA14 1AF; Devonport, Plymouth, GB, PL2 2BG

Onsite or Hybrid: Hybrid

Compensation: Up to £71,600 Dependent upon Experience + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF75505

Shape the Future of Defence Engineering Through Human-Centred Design

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 Human Factors Engineer at our Plymouth, Devon, Bristol, UK, Barrow, Cumbria or Leicester, Leicestershire site.

The role

As a Principal Human Factors Engineer, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You'll lead the integration of Human Factors across major defence programmes, ensuring that people remain at the heart of system design. You'll work alongside multidisciplinary engineering teams, influencing products from concept through to delivery while helping to shape Human Factors strategy across the business. This is a highly visible leadership role where your expertise will directly impact safety, usability, operational effectiveness and the wellbeing of end users. You'll also play a key role in developing Human Factors capability across the organisation, supporting both technical excellence and future growth.

Day-to-day, you’ll be required to:

• Lead Human Factors Integration workstreams across complex engineering programmes.
• Conduct task analysis, workload assessments, usability studies and safety evaluations.
• Collaborate with internal and partner design teams to embed Human Factors throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop Human Factors strategies and supporting bids, projects and programme delivery.
• Represent Human Factors at technical reviews, stakeholder meetings and customer briefings.

This role is full time working 35 hours per week. Based at one of our main UK locations in Plymouth, Bristol, Barrow or Leicester. Flexible working arrangements are available, with a minimum of two days per week on site.

Essential experience of the Principal Human Factors Engineer:

• Demonstrable expertise in Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics, with a track record of successful programme delivery.
• Applying Human Factors Integration within complex engineering or defence environments.
• Influencing design decisions through evidence-based, user-centred approaches.
• Communicating technical recommendations effectively to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Analysing complex challenges and developing practical, risk-informed solutions.

Qualifications for the Principal Human Factors Engineer:

• Degree-level qualification in Human Factors, Ergonomics or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrable industry experience.

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:

• 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.