Principal Mechanical Engineer

We Served; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - GBP 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading nuclear engineering company is seeking a Principal Mechanical Engineer with significant experience in leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex technical projects. This role offers a hybrid working arrangement and focuses on enhancing operational resilience in Defence Nuclear initiatives. Candidates should hold an engineering degree and have a strong background in technical supervision and customer engagement. The position provides competitive salaries and a generous benefits package.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Matched contribution pension scheme

Access to a Digital GP and health consultations

Employee share scheme

Payment of Professional Fees

‘Be Kind Day’ for volunteering

Excellent development opportunities

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Proven ability to mentor engineers and technical specialists.
• Strong background in producing detailed engineering outputs.
• Expertise in ensuring compliance with relevant codes and standards.
• Track record of effective customer engagement and relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver technical solutions.
• Supervise and mentor engineers, ensuring performance and development.
• Liaise with customers and communicate project progress effectively.
• Oversee compliance of engineering outputs with relevant standards.
• Promote health, safety, and environmental standards across projects.

Skills

Leadership of multidisciplinary teams

Complex project delivery

Technical supervision and mentorship

Customer engagement

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent qualification

Job description

Job Title: Principal Mechanical Engineer

Location: Flexible, UK + Hybrid Working Arrangement

Compensation: Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

Role ID: SF66879

Drive Innovation in Defence Nuclear Engineering

At Cavendish Nuclear we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Mechanical Engineer at one of our key locations: Warrington (Cheshire) or Preston (Lancashire).

The role

As a Principal Mechanical Engineer, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. This role will contribute to a high-impact public sector Defence Nuclear infrastructure initiative focused on enhancing operational resilience and sustainability across critical systems. The project involves complex mechanical systems integration, requiring innovative engineering solutions within a multidisciplinary team.

Day-to-day, you’ll lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, oversee the delivery of complex technical solutions, and act as a key point of contact for customers, ensuring high standards of safety, quality, and performance while mentoring others and driving continuous improvement across projects.

• Lead and manage multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver high-quality technical solutions aligned with customer requirements and project scope.
• Supervise and mentor engineers and technical specialists, ensuring effective performance, development, and adherence to engineering standards.
• Act as a key liaison with customers, fostering strong relationships and ensuring transparent communication on technical progress and delivery.
• Oversee the production, review, and approval of engineering outputs, including calculations, specifications, and reports, ensuring compliance with relevant codes and standards.
• Champion health, safety, and environmental standards across engineering activities, promoting a culture of best practice and continuous improvement.

This role is full time, 37 hours per week provides hybrid working arrangements with 3 days in the office/onsite, at one of our key locations: Warrington (Cheshire) or Preston (Lancashire).

Essential experience of the Principal Mechanical Engineer

• Extensive experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and delivering complex technical projects within agreed scope, timeframes, and quality standards.
• Proven ability to supervise and mentor engineers and technical specialists, fostering professional development and ensuring high performance.
• Strong background in producing, reviewing, and approving detailed engineering outputs, including calculations, specifications, and technical reports.
• Demonstrated expertise in applying relevant procedures, codes, and standards to ensure compliance and technical integrity across engineering activities.
• Track record of effective customer engagement, including managing relationships, resolving technical issues, and supporting business development initiatives.

Qualifications for the Principal Mechanical Engineer

• Engineering degree (or equivalent qualification) in relevant engineering discipline, with significant demonstrable experience.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) / Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What we offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• 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 Cavendish employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
• ‘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.

Cavendish Nuclear

As a leader within the UK nuclear industry, Cavendish Nuclear, part of Babcock International Group, provides a comprehensive range of critical nuclear solutions in clean energy, defence and civil new build and decommissioning projects. Together, we’re innovating to make nuclear safer, faster and cost-effective across the nuclear energy life cycle. Your career with us could take you anywhere within Babcock International Group – from Canada, the USA to Japan. Work with us to create a safe and secure world, 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.

Closing date: 16/02/2026