Job Title: HR Business Partner
Location: Plymouth, Devon + Hybrid Working Arrangements
Compensation: Competitive + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / 12 Month Fixed Term Contract
Role ID: SF
Lead People Transformation and Shape the Future of a Critical Defence Workforce
At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a HR Business Partner at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.
The role
As a HR Business Partner, you’ll play a central role in enabling cultural transformation, organisational development and people‑centred change across one of the UK’s most important defence engineering sites. This 12‑month fixed‑term opportunity places you at the heart of a complex, evolving environment where your HR expertise will directly support leaders, shape workforce capability and influence decision‑making that strengthens operational excellence.
Day-to-day, you’ll deliver meaningful people initiatives, improve processes, develop insight‑driven solutions and champion best practice, all while helping colleagues develop the skills, behaviours and confidence needed to thrive.
1. Manage, develop and deliver people‑focused change projects aligned with sector people plans, collaborating with leaders and HR colleagues.
2. Analyse and problem‑solve complex business challenges, considering wider organisational implications.
3. Use data and analytics to guide decisions and identify areas for improvement.
4. Develop and monitor KPIs to measure the impact of HR initiatives.
5. Contribute subject‑matter expertise to policy, processes and best‑practice frameworks that deliver value and support Babcock’s Purpose and Principles.
This role is full time, 35 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with 3 days in the office/onsite and may require travel to other UK sites on occasion.
Essential experience of the HR Business Partner
6. Proven experience operating as a HR Business Partner with strong expertise in culture and change management.
7. Experience working within unionised environments.
8. Track record of delivering projects in complex, multi‑site and multi‑disciplinary environments.
9. Strong project and stakeholder management capability.
10. Ability to build trusted relationships and balance diverse stakeholder needs.
Qualifications for the HR Business Partner
11. Level 7 HR qualification or equivalent, with Chartered CIPD membership and commitment to continued professional development.
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.