Naval Overseer – Electrical Lead

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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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 and trials, 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. The successful candidate will be required to obtain an Eng1 Medical Certificate demonstrating they have suitable physical fitness to undertake this role, which will involve frequent visits to ships in manufacture/maintenance and potentially on sea trials, often with difficult or confined access arrangements.

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

• Lead professional engineering oversight of ship construction and trials within the assigned technical area, acting as a senior MOD/National Armaments Director Group representative in the shipyard and helping to ensure delivery to the required contractual, technical, and quality standards.
• Coordinate and direct on-site assurance and inspection activity, ensuring defects, quality shortfalls and emerging issues are identified early, prioritised appropriately, and progressed with the shipbuilder and MOD project team.
• Provide leadership in the application of engineering judgement, supporting local decision-making, making clear recommendations, and escalating issues where needed to maintain delivery tempo while managing risk effectively.
• Lead or support key acceptance and assurance activities, including inspections, tests, trials, and readiness events, ensuring the required evidence is available to demonstrate compliance with agreed requirements.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with industry partners, ship’s staff, and MOD stakeholders, using influence and clear communication to align priorities, manage delivery risks and support continuous improvement.
• Set a positive example for safe, compliant, and professional working in shipyard and trials environments, supporting the management of safety, environmental and indemnity risks and helping others understand their responsibilities.

Person specification

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

• Lead criterion: Can demonstrate previous experience in:
• Delivery of maritime projects; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures construction; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures maintenance / refit / upgrade; or
• Ship or offshore oil/gas structures operation.
• Can demonstrate experience of providing technical advice and leading the delivery of successful low voltage electrical system outcomes.
• As a minimum hold Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Incorporated Marine Engineer (IMarEng) registration, or an equivalent professional registration recognised by a licensed Professional Engineering Institution. Candidates who can demonstrate equivalent professional competence may be appointed, subject to achieving IEng (or an approved equivalent) by 31 December 2027. Overseas registrations are acceptable where they are recognised under the International Professional Engineers Agreement/Accord.

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

AND

Be able to satisfy requirements of and