Principal Structural Designer
Permanent, Full-time
Devonport, Plymouth Based

Overall Department Direction

Babcock Marine Engineering & Systems is looking to recruit a Principal Structural Designer to deliver and grow our design support capability. Our core skills include Naval Architecture, Systems Engineering, multi-discipline design support and project management for new build and in-service commercial and defence vessels. Our state-of-the-art facilities offer world-class efficiency, scale and quality and our customers include: governments, international shipyards and ship owners and energy majors.

With a diverse product portfolio, we offer an exciting opportunity to join an ever-growing business with longevity. Projects include design packages to support submarine and surface ship refits for the Royal Navy as well as International Commercial and Naval contracts.

The Department offers a friendly, flexible working environment, with further opportunities for development and progression within the Company.

Main Purpose of Role

Reporting to the Discipline Lead, you will lead and manage a team of Structural Designers who support numerous and varied projects. As a principal designer, you will promote a culture of best practice, be responsible for the allocation of design tasks to design resource within discipline and for providing specialist technical advice and guidance to others. You will diagnose and resolve complex design issues, lead the resolution of production & technical queries, approve discipline-specific design outputs, be accountable for the delivery of fit for purpose design outputs consistent with design brief, act as focal point for discipline estimating and ensure that procedures, codes and standards are correctly identified and applied to design activities.

Key Roles and Responsibilities include:

• Exercise care for own health and safety and that of others as defined by Health and Safety legislation, adhere to endorsed Company policy, procedures and delegations (e.g. Health & Safety, Diversity & Inclusion, Performance & Development Reviews and Finance etc.).
• Promote a positive culture of ownership, responsibility and pride in discipline/team products.
• Allocate discipline tasks to allocated team of Designers, approve team design outputs, and ensure integration of inter discipline design in accordance with company and regulatory standards.
• Ensure selecting the correct methods and tools for tasks and provide technical guidance to allocated team of Designers.
• Ensure preparation/production of drawings in support of basic, detail and production design in line with recognised ISO standards and to the required time, cost and quality requirements.
• Provide point of contact with professional engineering colleagues and various stakeholders for multi discipline related issues during design lifecycle, lead design reviews and ensure integration and functionality of design.
• Lead resolution of Production & Technical Queries & development of multi discipline solutions for the team in relation to manufacturing & installation issues
• Contribute to learning from experience (LfE) requirement during and post project.
• Assist with creation, reviewing and ongoing continuous improvement of discipline processes and practices.
• Develop innovative design solutions, and fulfil Design Lead responsibilities as assigned for multi discipline for highly complex and high risk projects.
• Continually seek to develop team of designers to their full technical capability through demonstrated leadership and coaching.
• Assist with Designer recruitment.
• Support discipline capability review and PTS cycle.

What do I need to do the role?

Qualifications

You'll need to hold a minimum of a HNC (or BTEC Level 4) in a relevant engineering subject or a suitable higher education qualification and significant experience in technical leading of a design team, with breadth and depth of knowledge of platform structure and design processes.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Competences

To undertake this role, you need to possess the following:

• Incorporated Engineer status, or willing to work toward.
• A sound understanding of specific design practices as relevant to individual and related discipline, post and project requirements
• Familiarity with the Babcock Business Management System
• A sound understanding of Company and departmental procedures relating to Design, Health & Safety and Quality requirements
• Good knowledge of design tools and computer applications
• Experience of design support to the operation, refit or repair of nuclear submarines and complex warships.