Submarine support engineering

They protect us. You’ll protect them.

At Babcock we play a critical role in keeping Royal Navy submarines at sea, and the submariners who crew them, safe – and with all the training and support you’ll get here to start applying your skills to the maintenance and future-proofing of submarines, you can now play your part in protecting the protectors.

Opportunities in Submarine Support at Babcock

Our Submarine Support Engineering (SSE) team is a critical part of the enterprise that ensures the entirety of the UK’s submarine fleet can provide unrivalled strength and security for our nation. Every minute. Of every day.

Using advanced engineering, digital, data, project and programme management capabilities, we design and integrate the systems that are perfect for the early planning of maintenance. Every system check, every piece of data is crucial to keeping our submarines operational and our submariners safe. Their mission is our mission.

Our door is open to talented individuals ready to take on new, purposeful opportunities and evolve into the Engineer, Project Manager, Digital or Data professional they want to be. Our team includes people with experience gained in industries as diverse as pharmaceutical or financial services. Whether you have worked in the defence sector or not, we will support you, develop you, and equip you with what you need to contribute to our mission. Our contracts run for decades so you will be able to evolve your expertise in a stable and secure organisation.

Engineering

Submarine support engineering work at Babcock offers an extensive range of opportunities, from developing and optimising maintenance plans for critical equipment, to recommending system upgrades and design changes for current and future submarines. Our work covers structural, combat and strategic weapons systems, electrical, mechanical, safety and reliability engineering, meaning our expertise is evident across a huge range of areas to design, deliver, maintain and develop what is the epitome of naval engineering.

Given the scale of what we do, and the rapidly growing field in which we work, we have exciting roles available to match various skill levels. They offer opportunities to get involved in everything from the concept and design stages of a future platform, to providing detailed engineering analysis to support the in-service programme. We believe in providing ample opportunities for promotion and career advancement to self-motivated individuals who want to own their own development. Our approach includes regular development conversations to help you to grow in your current role, and also to identify and plan any training, secondments or accreditation you may need to achieve your future goals. We also encourage people to become professionally registered and will fund your application.

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Project Management

Roles in Project Management offer the opportunity to support major UK and international defence programmes, in addition to a range of work for the commercial sector. In these roles, Project Managers play a vital part in ensuring that key systems and services run smoothly and are continuously updated for long-term success.

Our programmes span concept, delivery, lifecycle management and digital solutions. They provide exposure to various business areas, including Supply Chain, Finance and Management, and offer team members opportunities to manage high-value projects from start to finish, while driving impactful changes. All of that is backed up with support for career development through comprehensive training frameworks and competency tools. These enable self-motivated individuals to own their own development, to enhance their skills and follow clear paths for progression within the organisation that match their ambition, regardless of their current background.

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Digital Solutions

Our Digital Solutions team leverages cutting-edge digital technologies and tools to optimise the lifecycle management of submarines. But we don’t simply maintain the UK’s submarine fleet, we drive innovations that improve business decision making.

We use complex analytics algorithms, machine learning and AI to inform data-driven decision making. And we are leaders in the use of digital twins to better predict performance and anticipate maintenance requirements.

Collaboration is key to unlocking the full potential of the platforms we work on. So we connect the Royal Navy and all of its commercial partners through integrated IT systems that streamline communication and data sharing across the various stakeholders. And all of that happens in an environment that is secured by design.

From Power BI, to SQL, to .Net, Python and JavaScript, our team can draw on an armoury of tools and technologies. And there are plenty of opportunities to apply them, from data science, to development and testing, to security authentication and network monitoring. Whatever your skills, interests and passions, we have the opportunities and structure to match your ambition.

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Meet our people

“Don’t worry that you may not be an engineer. Or you think you may not fit in. Coming here with my background in pharmaceuticals, I constantly had that imposter syndrome. I’ve been building my knowledge and my skills every day. Now people come to me to solve problems and trust me to give them the best solution.”
Benedict – Principal Engineer

“I love working with the submarines. I think it’s the coolest part of my job. If people are genuinely enthusiastic about doing data analytics and data engineering, if they can showcase that they have experience of that kind of work, even if it’s not related to defence, these are the people I would like to work with.”
Tim – Lead Engineer

“I see myself as an enabler, someone who makes it possible for our submarines to go out and protect the UK. That could be by enabling design changes to give submarines new functionality. Or safety-critical changes that submariners would benefit from. Everything we touch is an opportunity to make a real difference to UK-critical programmes and projects.”
Sarah – Deputy Programme Manager

What it’s like to work here

Where we work

Whilst some of our work will naturally take place in naval dockyards, our Submarine Support team are based at a range of engineering hubs within Babcock. In fact, the majority of our roles are based in Bristol with other roles being found in Leicester, HMNB Devonport and HMNB Clyde.

Our work culture

Our working environment is grounded in personal responsibility, mutual respect and teamwork. Honesty, integrity and accountability are key values, and we encourage our team to be thoughtful about how their work impacts on others whilst giving you the freedom to work flexibly. We aim to create a space where maintaining a strong work-life balance is compatible with achieving our vital objectives.

Your development

Every job in Babcock is mapped to a common set of role ‘families’ and five common career pathways. You’ll know what the next step on the pathway is and what that role involves, meaning you’ll not only be joining a place where professional development and career opportunities are transparent but that also has the size and scale to help you realise it.

Your wellbeing

We have several initiatives in place to support your wellbeing. They include: access to virtual healthcare services, such as digital GP appointments; regular check-ups to monitor your health and identify potential issues early; access to nutritional consultants who can help in areas like improving your diet and making healthier lifestyle choices; and access to on-site gym facilities at Bristol and Devonport.

Our principles

The six key principles that run right through the Babcock organisation – be curious, think outcomes, be kind, collaborate, be courageous, and own & deliver – guide our culture and help create a workplace where people can stay, grow and thrive.