At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead design projects, ensuring safety and quality throughout the project lifecycle.
- 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: Experience in managing design-led projects and understanding of safety-critical environments.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 65000 £ per year.
Your Role provides team management and leadership to deliver engineering activities to required technical scope and quality for low complexity engineering multi-discipline projects or a single medium complexity engineering project. Ensures the application of engineering processes, resources and tools in line with Babcock policy to achieve the project or program technical outcomes. Individual may have allocation of a Technical Independent role for another project and/or product, service.
The role at Babcock involves creating a safe and secure world, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Design Manager at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site. 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. This role is full time, 35 hours per week and is based on site at Devonport Royal Dockyard.
- 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
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 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 is 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’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: 25/06/2026
Design Manager in Devon employer: Nuclearinst
At Babcock, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a supportive work culture that values teamwork and innovation. Located at the Devonport Royal Dockyard, our Design Manager role provides not only competitive compensation but also generous benefits, including a matched pension scheme, professional development opportunities, and initiatives like 'Be Kind Day' for volunteering. Join us to contribute to vital defence programmes while enjoying a fulfilling career that respects your work-life balance.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Design Manager in Devon
✨Join Engineering Meetups!
Get yourself along to local engineering meetups or tech conferences. These are great places to connect with like-minded folks and industry leaders who might just have a lead on that full-time Design Manager role you’re after at Nuclearinst.
✨Show Off Your Projects!
Don’t be shy about showcasing your engineering projects. Whether it’s a funky app, a mechanical design, or a complex algorithm, having a solid portfolio on platforms like GitHub can really make you stand out. Plus, it gives potential employers at Nuclearinst a taste of what you can bring to the table!
✨Engage with Online Communities
Dive into engineering forums and online communities, like Reddit or specific engineering Discord channels. Sharing your insights, asking questions, and being active can help you build connections that might lead to job opportunities at Nuclearinst.
✨Apply Through Company Websites
When you spot a role like Design Manager at Nuclearinst, apply directly through their website. Often, this can show your genuine interest in the company and you might just get noticed quicker than via typical job boards.
We think you need these skills to ace Design Manager in Devon
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Technical Expertise:When applying for an engineering role like Design Manager, it’s essential to highlight your technical skills. Include any relevant software or tools you're proficient in on your CV—think CAD software, simulation tools, or programming languages. Don't skimp on any engineering projects you've worked on that demonstrate your ability to solve complex problems.
Focus on Results and Impact:In the engineering world, we love numbers and real-world impact. Quantify your achievements wherever possible—like reducing costs by a certain percentage, improving efficiency, or successfully completing a project ahead of schedule. This gives your future employers at Nuclearinst a clear picture of the value you can bring.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to express your passion for engineering and explain why you’re drawn to Nuclearinst specifically. Share what aspects of their work excite you and how your values align with theirs. This is your chance to show a bit of personality while keeping it professional!
Include Relevant Certifications:If you have any engineering certifications, especially ones that are recognised in your field, make sure to feature them prominently on your CV. They demonstrate not just your knowledge, but also your commitment to professional development, which is something we at StudySmarter value highly.
How to prepare for a job interview at Nuclearinst
✨Brush Up on Core Engineering Principles
Before heading into the interview with Nuclearinst, make sure you're solid on the fundamental engineering principles relevant to the role. Be ready to discuss concepts such as thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, or structural analysis, depending on the specifics mentioned in the job description. Don’t skip any hands-on projects or coursework; these can be excellent talking points!
✨Show Off Your Problem-Solving Skills
Expect technical questions or case studies during your interview—after all, engineering is all about solving problems! Prepare a few examples of how you've tackled engineering challenges in the past, whether at university or in any practical experience. Practising with mock technical interviews can really help you articulate your thought process and solutions.
✨Relate Your Experience to the Role
In a full-time role, employers like Nuclearinst want to see that you can adapt and grow within their team. Be ready to discuss how your previous internships, projects, or studies relate directly to the work you'll be doing. Highlight specific experiences that showcase your collaborative skills and how you've successfully worked within a team environment.
✨Know Your Tools and Software
Most engineering roles require familiarity with specific tools and software. Prepare to talk about your proficiency with programmes like AutoCAD, MATLAB, or SolidWorks if they’re relevant to the role. Even better, have examples of projects where you’ve used these tools, as it'll demonstrate your hands-on experience and readiness for the job.
