Systems Engineering

About the programme

Babcock is a leading provider of critical, complex design and engineering services. We support national defence, save lives, and protect communities.

On this graduate programme you’ll develop into a Systems Engineer. You’ll help us to ensure our clients’ systems remain reliable, work well when their partner systems change and run effectively without any problems.

You’ll work on a variety of complex engineering projects that could see you getting involved in everything from designing instrumentation software to measure radiation, to developing and maintaining nuclear and marine systems for the Royal Navy.

As part of this programme, we encourage mobility across our sectors to give you a broader experience and wider exposure to our business.

Systems Engineering at Babcock

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach to the design, development, operation, and maintenance of complex systems.

As a systems engineer, you’ll work alongside experienced design, software, mechanical and electrical engineering teams as well as with project management, quality, and supply chain teams.

You’ll apply your developing systems engineering skills and understanding of the interactions and interfaces in working with a variety of stakeholders to understand the needs of the system, identify and mitigate risks, and ensure that the system meets its requirements.

On this programme, you may:

Work on a variety of complex engineering projects, from defence systems to critical infrastructure.
Collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including engineers, customers, suppliers, and business leaders.
Develop your skills in Babcock’s systems engineering lifecycle through formal training, mentoring and on the job learning.
Use your systems engineering skills to identify and mitigate risks and ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.

What you'll need

A STEM degree. Our preference is that your degree is also accredited by the relevant institution.
Many of our early careers roles are subject to Security Clearance and Trade Control restrictions which mean that your place of birth, nationality, citizenship, or residency you hold or have held may impact which roles you are eligible for. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). For our early careers roles, you must be able to achieve BPSS and many of them require you to be eligible for Security Clearance.

What you'll get

We will provide you with a supportive and engaging environment where you can grow your career.

In addition:

Minimum 25 days holiday entitlements + bank holidays + agile working* subject to conversation with your manager
Generous pension and employee share schemes
Flexible benefits, including cycle to work scheme, discounts
Employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing
You’ll also have the chance to get involved in our STEM outreach and volunteering activities, which our graduates find incredibly rewarding in all sorts of other ways.

Your career development

It’s hard to beat the variety of fantastic opportunities and business experiences you’ll receive. You can expect real world encounters and exposure to exciting projects that will really help you navigate where you want to take your career.

Plus, when you join us, you’ll be automatically enrolled onto our Graduate Development Programme. Through a series of digital and face to face sessions, presented by wellbeing and performance experts and our external partner Gen Healthy Minds, we will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to thrive and perform at your very best on your programme and beyond.

Where you'll be based

See the list below to find out more about the areas of our business that are offering places on our Systems Engineering programme for Autumn 2024. But no matter which team you join, you could be based anywhere in the UK. That’s why we ask all our graduates to be flexible and willing to move during their programme.

Cavendish Nuclear – Cumbria

You’ll be based in our radiometric instrument laboratories at Sellafield in Cumbria for the four years of your programme. In that time, you’ll design, implement, test, and maintain instrumentation software and supporting applications that measures all types of radiation for our clients’ sites around the world. This will provide experience of the full development lifecycle within a small team and develop an understanding of how this part of our business contributes to our success.

Marine – Mission Systems – Bristol

Our Marine – Mission Systems business, based in Bristol, forms a critical part of Babcock’s Marine organisation. Working across a range of exciting design, manufacture and support projects, our 1,500 strong team operate from a number of sites across the UK and internationally ensuring our global customer portfolio is always supported.

Your home base will be Bristol, but some of your placements may be at other Babcock sites.

Marine – Energy and Marine – Rosyth

At the heart of our Marine sector is our 320 acre Rosyth facility, which is home to one of the largest waterside manufacturing and repair facilities in the UK. At Rosyth we specialise in the design and engineering of complex marine platforms, we design at a whole ship or module level and develop innovative solutions to our customers’ projects with our integrated design and manufacturing approach.

Your home base will be our Rosyth facility, however, some of your placements may be at other locations, therefore you will need to be ready and willing to move to other sites throughout your programme.

Plymouth

Our business in Plymouth works in partnership with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Royal Navy at HM Naval Base Devonport. We provide through-life support for submarines, surface ships and associated systems and equipment as part of our continuing commitment to support our nation’s naval capability.

Depending on your programme, your home base could be Devonport Royal Dockyard, Plymouth. However, some of your placements may be at other sites.

Current openings in
Systems Engineering

Application guidance

Check out our helpful advice on how to prepare for our application process.

Please be aware that if there is a high level of interest in this programme, applications may close earlier than advertised. To give yourself the best chance of being considered for a place on this programme, please submit your application as early as possible. 