Job Title: Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer
Location: Plymouth, Devon
Compensation: £57,300 – £71,600 Depending on Experience + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF72860
Lead Commissioning Excellence on the UK’s Most Advanced Submarine Programmes
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 Mechanical Commissioning Engineer at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.
As a Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer, you’ll play a pivotal role in the commissioning of complex mechanical systems during deep maintenance periods on A‑Class nuclear submarines. Acting as a subject‑matter expert, you’ll provide technical leadership, assurance and guidance to joint project teams, helping to deliver safe, compliant and high‑quality commissioning outcomes that directly support the Royal Navy’s operational capability.
Day-to-day, you’ll collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, contribute to programme delivery at pace, and support the development of people and capability within the commissioning function. It’s a role that offers challenge, professional credibility and the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on nationally significant defence programmes.
- Providing technical leadership and support for the planning and delivery of submarine commissioning activities.
- Producing and assuring commissioning documentation to meet Design Authority and programme requirements.
- Ensuring compliance with licence conditions, operating rules and operating instructions throughout commissioning.
- Managing and supporting commissioning engineers to meet programme milestones and quality standards.
- Supporting continuous improvement, resource assurance and professional development within the commissioning team.
This role is full time, 35 hours per week and is based on site at Devonport Royal Dockyard.
Essential experience of the Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer
- Extensive experience commissioning mechanical systems on nuclear submarines, with reactor systems expertise.
- Experience supporting or delivering deep maintenance periods or comparable operational environments.
- Strong knowledge of safe release of systems, control of work and safe systems of work.
- Sound understanding of nuclear licence conditions, operating rules and operating instructions.
- Proven ability to manage multiple complex commissioning activities across concurrent projects.
Qualifications for the Principal Mechanical Commissioning Engineer
- NVQ Level 4 or equivalent in an engineering discipline, or HNC/HND supported by extensive relevant 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. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
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. There is an annual Window to request this benefit. ‘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.
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: 24/04/2026
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