Navy Command - Principal Design Engineer RW

At Navy Command, we lead, support, and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms, and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.

As the authority for the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine capability, the Submarine Directorate oversees one of the most complex and critical elements of UK defence. Covering everything from in‑service management to long‑term fleet modernisation, the directorate ensures the Submarine Flotilla remains safe, reliable, and ready to meet national security requirements.

You'll be based at HMNB Clyde, home to the UK Submarine Service. It sustains the nation’s continuous at-sea deterrent and supports the Royal Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. As a centre of excellence for submarine operations, Clyde plays a critical role in national security and global stability.

This position is a Reserved Post within the Civil Service, for which only sole UK nationals are eligible. Under the Civil Service Nationality Rules, UK nationals include British citizens, British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom, and British Overseas Territories citizens.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Within HM Naval Base Clyde, the Design Authority acts on behalf of the Clyde Authorisee to ensure that nuclear activities remain safe, compliant and capable of supporting current and future Royal Navy operations. We are recruiting two Approving Authority Principal Design Engineers at Senior Executive Officer grade within the Replacement Warhead Design team: one Civil and one Mechanical. This is an opportunity to help shape major new infrastructure at RNAD Coulport from its earliest design stages, supporting the future undertaking of Replacement Warhead activities. Reporting to the Assistant Head Approving Authority (Design) – Replacement Warhead, the postholders will provide technical assurance within their discipline and influence how safety, operability, maintainability and through-life requirements are built into the developing design.

The Principal Design Engineers will act as the Design Authority Intelligent Customer for their assigned Civil or Mechanical discipline. Working closely with project teams, designers and specialist stakeholders, they will provide informed challenge and assurance as the new infrastructure develops from concept and early design. They will help ensure that design intent, engineering substantiation and safety requirements are defined clearly and embedded from the outset, creating facilities that can safely and effectively support Replacement Warhead activities at RNAD Coulport.

What you will be doing:

• Act as the Design Authority Intelligent Customer and subject matter expert for the assigned Civil or Mechanical discipline.
• Assess, approve, maintain and manage engineering substantiation for relevant Class 1, 2 and 3 structures, systems and components.
• Ensure design intent, safety and operational functional requirements, operating constraints and applicable standards are appropriately defined and met.
• Assess design changes, concessions and maintenance or operational changes that may affect design intent or the approved safety justification.
• Support independent technical review and resolve findings relating to engineering substantiation.
• Develop and review through-life examination, inspection, maintenance and testing requirements, procedures and results.
• Work collaboratively with Replacement Warhead project teams and designers, providing technical direction and assurance to influence the developing infrastructure design.
• Lead and develop staff within the relevant engineering discipline and promote a strong nuclear safety and security culture.

Open to UK nationals only.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of Defence Reform, Navy Command continues to review and evolve its Target Operating Model to support more agile ways of working. In this context, the role and responsibilities of this role may develop over time to reflect changing business priorities and opportunities.

At Sift, you will be assessed against the following;

• Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history and qualification details.
• Candidates will be required to provide a personal statement. This should be a maximum of 500 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for the role.

At Interview, you will be assessed against the following success profiles:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical Skills:

• Nuclear Competence Framework 4.4: Nuclear Infrastructure Concept, Assessment, Design, Modifications and Life Extensions
• Nuclear Competence Framework 5.4: Nuclear Infrastructure Procurement, Supervision of Manufacturing and Acceptance

Candidates who are unsuccessful at interview for the advertised post may be considered for another suitable vacancy at the same or a lower grade within the HMNB Clyde Design Authority, provided they meet the requirements of that role

Further information:

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.