Job Title: People Director - Marine
Location: Hybrid Working Arrangements
Compensation: Competitive + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF
Shape the people strategy that powers the future of UK defence and marine engineering
At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as People Director – Marine.
The role
As People Director - Marine, you’ll have a strategic and highly influential leadership role at the heart of one of the UK’s most important defence and engineering sectors. This is an exceptional opportunity to shape a long‑term people strategy that directly supports the success of our Marine programmes, from shipbuilding to maintenance, complex engineering, and the delivery of critical national capability.
Day-to-day, you’ll act as a key partner to the Marine Sector Chief Executive Officer and play an active role on both the Sector Leadership Team and the People Leadership Team. Your work will enable transformation, capability growth, organisational performance and cultural progression across a diverse, multi‑site workforce. This is a role where your leadership will make a lasting contribution to our people, our programmes and national resilience.
1. Lead the Marine Sector’s people strategy, ensuring it enables operational performance and future workforce capability.
2. Partner with Executive and Senior Leaders to influence decision‑making and provide expert strategic guidance.
3. Shape and deliver organisational development, talent, culture and workforce planning activities across multi‑site engineering and project environments.
4. Lead and develop the Marine People Team, fostering a high‑performing, future‑focused function.
5. Collaborate across Babcock’s Group‑wide People function to support wider organisational initiatives and long‑term transformation.
This role is full time, 35 hours per week and requires regular travel to Plymouth, Rosyth, Bristol and London alongside home working arrangements.
Essential experience of the People Director - Marine
6. Proven senior HR leadership experience within a complex engineering, defence, marine, aerospace, manufacturing or similarly regulated environment.
7. Experience partnering with Executive or Senior Leadership Teams, with strong influencing and communication skills.
8. Demonstrable success delivering people strategies that support large‑scale operational, engineering or project‑led organisations.
9. Strong organisational development, talent management, cultural transformation and workforce planning expertise.
10. Experience leading HR teams, business partners and professionals across multi‑site or programme‑based environments.
Qualifications for the People Director - Marine
11. Professional HR qualification and/or equivalent senior‑level experience (essential).
12. Additional qualifications in leadership, organisational development or business transformation - Desirable
Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.
Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at Babcock
We’re Babcock — a global FTSE organisation with over 26, people working together to make a difference.
Here, you’ll be part of something bigger. From initial design to final decommissioning, your work will contribute to products and services that are essential to national security and public infrastructure. Together, we’re building a future that lasts — not just through the impact we make, but through meaningful careers that respect your work-life balance.
We call that lifetime engineering.
Join us and see how far we can go, together.
We are a disability confident committed employer.