Principal Mechanical Engineer
Principal Mechanical Engineer
Warrington, GB, WA3 6YD Preston, GB, PR2 2YB
Job Title: Principal Mechanical Engineer
Location: Flexible, UK + Hybrid Working Arrangement
Compensation: Competitive Salary+ Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF71562
Lead the Way in Nuclear Decommissioning
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 play a pivotal role in a major civil nuclear decommissioning initiative. This project is part of a broader effort to safely dismantle and remediate legacy nuclear infrastructure, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, regulatory compliance, and environmental stewardship. You’ll be working on the integration of complex mechanical systems within a multidisciplinary team, developing innovative engineering solutions to support the safe deconstruction and long-term management of nuclear facilities.
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, at one of our key locations: Warrington (Cheshire), Hessle (East Riding of Yorkshire), or Preston (Lancashire).
Essential experience of the Principal Mechanical Engineer:
Although a benefit, nuclear experience is not essential and we welcome applicants from all highly regulated industries.
- 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
Cavendish
Join us and discover 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 careers@babcockinternational.com 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: 01/06/2026
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