Lifecycle Engineer

Job Description Lifecycle Engineer – SSNA (Nuclear Watchkeeper) - Submarines Full Time Derby Why Rolls Royce? A vacancy has arisen for a Lifecycle Engineer to join the SSNA Chief Engineering team based in Derby. This role would be ideally suited to a Nuclear Watchkeeper with experience of Naval Reactor Plant. The SSNA submarines will be the largest, most advanced, and most powerful attack submarines ever operated by the Royal Navy, combining world-leading sensors, design, and weaponry in one vessel. At the heart of the platform is the Naval Reactor Plant, for which Rolls‑Royce is the sole provider and Technical Authority. Not only is this the UK’s largest submarine programme to-date, it’s also one of the largest engineering programmes in the country and will provide a significant contribution to the UK’s defence and national security to the end of this century. We have an exciting opportunity in the SSNA Chief Engineering team in a key role responsible for improving submarine availability, by influencing design to consider maintainability, supportability, operability, and reliability principles. Improvement in the availability of the submarine flotilla is one of our customer’s key priorities and in this position you will be responsible for ensuring we meet their expectations. You’ll be working with key stakeholders across the Rolls-Royce Submarines business and wider enterprise, including the MoD, BAE Systems and Babcock, to ensure all through-life aspects of the Naval Reactor Plant are optimised to achieve this outcome. You’ll be the driving force behind these activities, and to succeed, you’ll be an experienced and pragmatic engineer, with excellent communication skills, as collaboration is essential as part of this role. You will provide technical leadership and support to the programme teams to enable delivery of these activities through alignment of key business areas and supporting functions. We’re expecting that you’ll be up for the challenge that a complex technical programme with tight timescales brings. We offer excellent development, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts. Your needs are as unique as you are. We encourage flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working wherever possible, so you can always be at your best – wherever and whenever you work. Join us and we’ll provide an environment where you can be yourself. An inclusive, digital-first culture that invests in you, gives you a platform for continuous learning, and access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities to grow your career. What You Will Be Doing In this role you’ll form a key part of the SSNA Chief Engineering team and be responsible for identifying and enabling delivery of work packages across the business. You’ll be an experienced and pragmatic engineer that’s able to identify and deliver solutions to complex problems, often requiring innovative approaches affecting multiple stakeholder groups. Developing the strategy and providing technical leadership for the Integrated Product Support programme of work for the SSNA Naval Reactor Plant Working closely with key stakeholders (internal and external) in a collaborative manner, to ensure effective solutions are identified and the ‘best-for-enterprise’ solution adopted Representing Rolls-Royce at external meetings with the SSNA Support Integrator organisation (comprising MoD, BAE Systems and Babcock). Ensuring LfE from in-service programmes is considered and implemented on the SSNA programme where appropriate. Identifying opportunities to reduce the maintenance burden associated with the Naval Reactor Plant and enabling delivery of associated work packages. Ensuring environmental, sustainability and disposal aspects are appropriately considered for the Naval Reactor Plant. Providing technical leadership and supporting the project teams to ensure successful and timely delivery of work packages and ensuring the required level of quality is achieved. Who We Are Looking For Being a part of Rolls-Royce, you’ll know we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference in everything we do. These principles form our values and behaviours and are an essential component of our assessment process and are fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles. To Be Successful In The Role You Will Have Detailed knowledge of the Naval Reactor Plant is highly desirable. The ability to initiate strategies for solving complex problems and the making of accurate decisions and recommendations. Self-starter who can take the initiative and make risk-based, informed judgements, whilst recognising when to escalate or consult specialists and subject matter experts. Ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and collaboratively with stakeholders from multiple disciplines, both internally and externally. Strong planning and organising skills to manage short, medium and long-term activities and deliverables. Engineering degree or equivalent. We’re an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive working environment. We believe that people from different backgrounds and cultures give us different perspectives. And the more perspectives we have, the more successful we’ll be. By building a culture of respect and appreciation, we give everyone who works here the opportunity to realise their full potential. You can learn more about our global inclusion strategy at Our people | Rolls-Royce To work for the Rolls-Royce Submarines Business an individual has to hold Security Check (SC) clearance without any caveats to that clearance. Rolls‑Royce will support the application for Security Clearance if the individual does not currently already have this in place. Due to the nature of work the Business conducts and the protection of certain assets a person must be a UK national or in MoD approved cases a Dual National from a non ITAR country. As part of our selection process, candidates in certain locations may be asked to complete an online assessment, which can include cognitive and behavioural aptitude testing relevant to the role. If required, full instructions for the next steps will be provided. Job Category Engineering for Services Posting Date 11 Dec 2025; 00:12 Posting End Date 18 Dec 2025