Principal Naval Architect

Locations: Devonport, Plymouth, Rosyth, Fife, Bristol

Compensation: £59,110 - £72,337 per annum (subject to qualification and location)

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF69804

Lead the Future of Naval Design

As a Principal Naval Architect you will lead the development of technical solutions across the outfitting of naval vessels, from concept design studies through to new build bid submissions and final vessel acceptance. Your work will shape the future of naval engineering, support national security, and open pathways for your own career growth.

Day‑to‑day responsibilities:

• Lead design teams throughout the design lifecycle to ensure coordination and functionality.
• Support and develop team members to enhance performance and career progression.
• Develop innovative design solutions and produce substantiation reports for tasks such as stability assessments and concept designs.
• Produce technical reports and maintain high standards of engineering outputs.
• Collaborate across projects within the wider engineering capability group for long‑term career development.

This role is full‑time and is a hybrid role with 2 days onsite and 3 days working from home.

Essential experience:

• Proven experience in the naval/marine industry.
• Proficiency in naval architecture design packages (e.g. Paramarine, Maxsurf, Aveva).
• Experience with naval platforms (surface ships and submarines advantageous).

Qualifications:

• Degree‑qualified (HND/HNC with extensive relevant experience considered).
• Membership of a relevant institution (e.g. RINA, IET, IMechE, IMarEst).
• Chartered Engineer status.

Security Clearance: The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain a Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Many positions within the company are subject to national security clearance and trade control restrictions, which may affect eligibility based on nationality or residency.

What we offer:

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme with life assurance
• 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‑day special paid leave
• Holiday trading – employees can buy or sell up to one working week of annual leave between February and March each year
• Be Kind Day – one paid day per year to volunteer with a chosen organisation or registered charity
• Employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial well‑being

Babcock International

For over a century, Babcock has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal.

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 are committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone is free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing date: 12/01/2026