Senior Design Engineer in Plymouth

Location: Plymouth, Devon + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation: £44,600 - £55,800 Depending on Experience + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Help design the future of submarine infrastructure and national defence. 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 Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.

The role:

• As a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, you’ll play a pivotal role in delivering complex mechanical system designs that directly support the United Kingdom’s submarine fleet.
• Your work will contribute to critical defence programmes with a clear, visible impact.
• You’ll have the unique opportunity to be involved in the full engineering lifecycle—from concept design through to implementation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning.
• You’ll lead technical activities, provide expert engineering guidance, and ensure compliance with rigorous safety and regulatory standards in a highly regulated environment.
• Working on major programmes across Devonport, you’ll see your designs come to life on-site while developing your career across diverse, technically challenging projects.

Responsibilities:

• Leading the development and delivery of mechanical designs across the full project lifecycle.
• Managing and supporting engineers, coordinating work and driving technical progress.
• Producing and reviewing design, safety and substantiation documentation.
• Providing expert advice on mechanical systems, compliance, and engineering standards.
• Conducting site visits, surveys and supporting through-life system performance.

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with a minimum of 2 days in the office/onsite.

Essential experience:

• Demonstrating strong mechanical engineering experience across design, operation or maintenance of fluid or pipework systems.
• Applying the full engineering design lifecycle within complex projects.
• Working within regulated industries such as defence, nuclear, utilities or similar.
• Understanding fluid mechanics principles including water systems, valves and pipelines.
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders to deliver engineering solutions.

Qualifications:

• Level 6 qualification in a mechanical engineering discipline, or Level 5 with significant relevant experience (essential).
• Professionally registered with a recognised engineering institution such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers or Institution of Engineering and Technology - 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.

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 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: 09/07/2026