At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams on complex vehicle programmes and ensure technical integrity.
- Company: Babcock is a global FTSE 100 organisation focused on national security and public infrastructure.
- Benefits: Generous holiday allowance, matched pension contributions, and access to a Digital GP.
- Other info: Hybrid working available with 2 days onsite per week in Plymouth or Bristol.
- Why this job: Join a team influencing critical vehicle capability programmes in defence and aerospace.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in leading complex engineering programmes and a degree in an engineering discipline.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Location: Flexible UK + Hybrid Working Arrangements
Compensation: From £75,100 Dependant on Experience + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Overview
Bring Your Commercial Skills to Projects That Help Create a Safer World. 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 Chief Engineer based at our Plymouth, Devon or Bristol sites.
The role
As a Chief Engineer you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You’ll provide strategic and technical leadership across multidisciplinary engineering teams working at the forefront of defence, aerospace, and engineering innovation. This is your opportunity to influence some of the UK’s most critical vehicle capability programmes — ensuring they are safe, reliable, resilient, and built to the highest technical standards.
Responsibilities
- Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams delivering complex vehicle programmes.
- Oversee system architecture development, design solutions, integration strategies, and verification and validation activities.
- Act as the primary technical interface with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.
- Represent engineering at technical reviews, governance boards, and programme milestones.
- Ensure technical integrity, safety, and performance across all protected mobility vehicle systems.
This is a full time role, working 37 hours per week. Hybrid working patterns are available with 2 days onsite per week based in Plymouth, Devon or Bristol.
Essential experience
- Proven experience leading complex, multidisciplinary engineering programmes at a senior level.
- Strong understanding of vehicle systems engineering, integration, and lifecycle management.
- Deep knowledge of defence standards, safety assurance, and regulatory compliance.
- Demonstrable leadership and stakeholder management capability.
- Ability to influence technical strategy in a high‑integrity engineering environment.
Qualifications
- HNC/HND or Degree in an Engineering discipline.
- Chartered Engineer status or working towards it (Desirable).
- Additional systems engineering, safety engineering or defence-accredited qualifications (Desirable).
Security clearance
The successful candidate must be 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 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.
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: 08/04/2026
Chief Engineer in Bristol employer: Nuclearinst
Babcock offers a competitive salary starting from £75,100 and a matched contribution pension scheme. Located in Plymouth or Bristol, the company focuses on creating a safer world through innovative engineering solutions. Join a diverse team of over 26,000 professionals dedicated to meaningful careers.
