Senior Human Factors Engineer

Babcock Canada Inc.; Plymouth; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - GBP 66,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent defence contractor is seeking a Senior Human Factors Engineer in Plymouth, UK. This full-time, hybrid position focuses on human-centred engineering in high-hazard environments. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in human factors, particularly in safety assessments, and will mentor junior team members. The role offers competitive compensation, professional development opportunities, and contributions towards pension and health benefits.

Benefits

Matched contribution pension scheme

Access to Digital GP services

Employee share scheme

Holiday Trading benefit

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Human Factors within high-hazard industries.
• Strong understanding of safety-assessment principles.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative Human Reliability Analysis techniques.

Responsibilities

• Provide human-factors advice and guidance across the business.
• Undertake human-factors assessment work and manage assessments.
• Prepare scopes of work and cost estimates for human-factors tasks.
• Support mentoring of junior members of the human-factors team.

Skills

Human Factors in high-hazard industries

Safety-assessment principles

Human Reliability Analysis techniques

Applying human-factors knowledge to engineering

Education

Degree in Human Factors or related field

Job description

Job Title: Senior Human Factors Engineer

Compensation: £54,019 - £65,981 Depending on Experience + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF70448

Drive Human‑centred engineering across high‑hazard, high‑impact defence environments

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 Senior Human Factors Engineer at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.

The role

As a Senior Human Factors Engineer, you’ll play a key role in ensuring that people, processes and technology work together safely and effectively across a high‑hazard, nuclear‑regulated environment. Working within our Engineering Services division, you’ll apply behavioural science, evidence‑based human performance principles and systems thinking to support engineering and scientific teams across the Devonport site.

Day‑to‑day, you’ll support safety‑case development, influence major engineering decisions and help design safer, more resilient systems. You’ll also contribute to the growth of the Human Factors discipline within Babcock, mentoring graduates and junior colleagues as they progress in their careers.

• Provide professional human‑factors advice, guidance and support across the business, applying behavioural science and evidence‑based practice.
• Undertake human‑factors assessment work and manage or check assessments completed by others.
• Prepare scopes of work, cost estimates and schedules for human‑factors tasks supporting business needs.
• Support the development, training and mentoring of junior members of the human‑factors team, including graduates.
• Engage with internal stakeholders (engineers, scientific disciplines, senior leadership) and external stakeholders (MOD, nuclear regulators, auditors).

This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with a minimum of 1 day in the office/onsite.

Essential experience

• Significant experience in Human Factors within high‑hazard industries such as nuclear, petrochemical, oil and gas or defence.
• Strong understanding of safety‑assessment principles and safety‑case production.
• Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative Human Reliability Analysis techniques.
• Experience applying human‑factors knowledge to engineering systems and process design.

Qualifications

• Degree in Human Factors, physiology, anatomy, psychology, sociology or behavioural science;
  or an engineering degree with industry‑based human‑factors experience.
• Ability to work towards chartership.
• Registered Member of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (CIEHF) - Desirable
• Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) - Desirable

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be a sole UK National who is able to achieve and maintain Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information (NNPPI) 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

• 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.

Babcock

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 [e-mail] 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.