Job Title: Principal Construction Engineer
Location: Flexible, UK + Hybrid Working Arrangement
Compensation: Attractive Salary + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF 72083
Shape The Future of Nuclear Energy And Engineering Excellence
At Cavendish Nuclear, we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together. If you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Construction Engineer at any of our main UK locations, near one of our key sites including Bristol, Warrington, Leicester, Newbury, or Preston.
The role
The UK’s small and advanced modular reactor sector is entering a pivotal phase, with major programmes progressing and strong government backing.
Join us as a Principal Construction Engineer at the centre of this momentum and build your career across the nuclear and defence sector.
We’re seeking a Principal Construction Engineer to join our Advanced Nuclear Technologies team, working in a fast‑moving, innovation‑led environment with real national impact. You’ll help shape the next generation of nuclear power through cutting‑edge design, accelerated deployment and projects that strengthen the UK’s long‑term energy resilience. If you want your work to matter at scale, this is the role for you.
This is a full-time role, based across any of our main UK locations. Flexible working patterns are available, and travel to other customer sites will be expected.
Day-to-day, you’ll be required to:
- Leading and coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver construction work to time, cost, and quality expectations
- Reviewing and approving technical outputs including reports, calculations, and design deliverables
- Ensuring compliance with safety standards, regulatory frameworks, and quality requirements
- Collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders to drive integrated project delivery
- Managing customer relationships and providing clear updates on progress and technical solutions
Essential experience of the Principal Construction Engineer:
- Proven experience leading teams and delivering complex engineering or construction projects
- Demonstrable knowledge of safety, regulatory standards, and technical assurance processes (such as Construction Design and Management regulations)
- Experience working within highly regulated industries, such as nuclear, defence, energy, or infrastructure
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
- Ability to oversee technical solutions and ensure alignment with project scope and requirements
Qualifications for the Principal Construction Engineer:
- Relevant degree or equivalent experience in engineering, construction, or a related discipline
- Chartered status with a recognised engineering institution is desirable
Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) 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
We’re Cavendish Nuclear — a team of c5,000 specialists and a core part of Babcock International Group.
Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. Across clean energy, defence, and civil decommissioning, your work will contribute to projects that are critical to energy security and national protection. Together, we’re shaping a future that lasts — not only through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.
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: 08/06/2026
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