Principal Design Engineer Mechanical in London

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

Salary: Up to £54,000 depending on skills and experience + bonus.

Responsibilities:

• Participating fully in Design Reviews either presenting information to the review or as part of the reviewing team i.e. assessor or chair.
• Carrying out relatively complex technical analyses and investigations, including evaluation and selection of technical options, and prepare reports with suggested recommendations to support the resolution of problems and the improvement of engineering capability.
• Preparing specifications, developing designs in line with specifications and all quality and technical standards, and carrying out design appraisals in assigned areas to ensure all standards are maintained.
• Carrying out investigations into operational problems or developments, developing, and preparing solutions, individually or as a member of a project team.
• Supporting the identification of business opportunities and the preparation of bids in area(s) of expertise to facilitate the development of the highest quality bids.
• Checking processes of all information, as defined in the Quality Plan, contract specification and regulatory issues (e.g. Lloyd Rules, Maritime coastguard agencies, Def Stan etc).

Qualifications:

• Expert-level knowledge of mechanical engineering design principles, with the ability to apply this expertise to diverse design challenges and address technical issues across various engineering disciplines in Ship Engineering.
• Subject Matter Expert (SME) in mechanical piping systems, including auxiliary cooling, routed systems, and fastening, with a solid understanding of adjacent trades, particularly S&O, and practical knowledge of interfaces like bracketry.
• Knowledge of industry-standard tools, including Vault (or equivalent), SAP (or equivalent), AutoCAD, Inventor (or similar CAD tools like NX), and JIRA (or equivalent task management software), with a focus on tracking engineer availability and managing task performance (e.g., actual vs. estimated spends).
• Understanding of the engineering life cycle, with expert-level technical drawing skills, including draughting and drawings for manufacture. Strong technical writing ability.
• Mentoring and training experience, including process derivation, skills management, and the creation and delivery of training programs.
• HNC (or equivalent) in an engineering discipline, or possess equivalent experience, ideally working towards Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status.

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.

The Design Services Mechanical Team, based at Portsmouth Naval Base, is a dynamic group of 31 engineers delivering expert mechanical design integration for all current naval platforms. Your work will have an immediate, tangible impact, with your contributions directly shaping the vessels at the heart of UK defence. Join us to make a real difference by supporting those who serve and protect our nation.

As Principal Design Engineer Mechanical Lead, you’ll provide expert engineering input across projects, conduct research, and develop new technologies to enhance BAE Systems’ knowledge base. You’ll track external innovations and drive the adoption of new technologies within the business.

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: 4th February 2026. 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.