Naval Overseers - Power and Propulsion

Job summary

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.

DE&S has recently been integrated into the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group. The NAD Group brings together key Ministry of Defence (MOD) organisations to unite expertise across science, technology, procurement, infrastructure, and support to provide integrated capabilities faster and more efficiently for our armed forces and our allies. This is an exciting new opportunity to enable better ways of working and empower greater collaboration across Defence. For further information about the NAD Group, please visit: National Armaments Director Group - GOV.UK

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of 28.97%, to help make work work for you.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description

This is your opportunity to join a flagship defence programme and be at the forefront of delivering the backbone of the Royal Navy’s future frontline surface fleet.

As a Naval Overseer working alongside industry partners in a dynamic shipyard environment, you will provide on-site technical oversight of ship construction, trials, and upgrade activities, ensuring quality standards and contractual requirements are met throughout delivery. Using your technical expertise and professional judgement, you will identify and resolve issues at the earliest opportunity, support timely decision-making, and help mitigate programme, performance and delivery risks while contributing to testing and acceptance activities. The role offers the opportunity to participate in sea trials, spending time at sea and seeing first-hand how your work contributes to operational capability.

The Type 26 frigate is a strategically important acquisition programme, contributing to the UK's defence prosperity agenda and strengthening international collaboration. This role offers exceptional development opportunities and hands-on experience, and will expand your engineering knowledge and skills, build relationships to engage effectively with colleagues and stakeholders across Government and industry, and foster leadership experience.

If you’re curious, hands-on and enjoy finding solutions to technical engineering challenges, this is an outstanding opportunity to make a tangible contribution to the future effectiveness of the Royal Navy and be part of a programme that will leave a lasting legacy for UK Defence.

Working environment

This role is based within operational shipbuilding facilities and requires regular attendance aboard vessels under construction and trials. Successful candidates must be able to safely access all areas of a ship, including climbing ladders, negotiating narrow access routes, entering confined spaces, and working around scaffolding and temporary structures. Whilst the role is not primarily physically demanding, it requires a suitable level of mobility, agility, and resilience to safely undertake inspection, assurance, and oversight activities within an industrial maritime environment.

This is an on-site position based at the BAE Systems facility on South Street, Scotstoun, Glasgow, G14. The role offers a compressed working pattern of 8-hour days Monday to Thursday and a shortened day on Friday (37 hours/week), and there will be opportunities to support occasional night and weekend working.

What you’ll be doing

• Provide professional engineering oversight of ship construction and trials, acting as a MOD/ National Armaments Director Group representative in the shipyard and helping to ensure ships are delivered to the required contractual, technical, and quality standards.
• Undertake on-site ship build assurance and inspection activity, identifying and recording defects, quality shortfalls, and emerging issues early, and supporting timely resolution with the shipbuilder and MOD project team.
• Use engineering judgement to support local decision-making, provide clear recommendations, and escalate issues where required to help maintain delivery tempo while managing risk appropriately.
• Support acceptance and assurance activities, including attendance at key inspections, tests, trials, and readiness events, and contribute to the evidence needed to demonstrate compliance with agreed requirements.
• Work collaboratively with industry partners, ship’s staff and MOD stakeholders to maintain effective communication, understand delivery risks, and support continuous improvement and lessons from experience.
• Promote safe, compliant, and professional working in shipyard and trials environments, supporting the management of safety, environmental and indemnity risks within the scope of the role.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Have technical Mechanical experience across a broad range of systems e.g. chilled water, HVAC, propulsion.
• Have experience of providing technical advice and delivery of successful Mechanical outcomes.
• As a minimum hold:
• A Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics based qualification at RQF Level 6; or
• A Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics based qualification at RQF Level 4 and current professional registration with a body/institution related to your discipline at the level listed below; or
• A Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics based qualification at RQF Level 3, plus a minimum of 3 further years of relevant professional experience, or
• With a Professional body/institution related to your discipline, hold current professional registration at the level listed below, plus a minimum of 3 further years of relevant professional experience.
• Professional Registration List minimum level held Engineering Technician (EngTech) or Marine Engineering Technician (MarEngTech)

Please see the Professional Engineering Institution Equivalences for a list of approved equivalent professional registration as per the requirements listed above.

Note: Alternatives to RQF listed above (which cover England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only), are the Scottish SCQF; or an international equivalent qualification, which must be supported by a statement of comparability from UK ENIC.

Applicants should also consider their ability to work effectively and comfortably within an operational shipbuilding wor