Location:
Devonport, Plymouth, GB, PL1 4SG
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Onsite or Hybrid: OnSite
Job Title: Lifting Operative
Location: Plymouth, Devon
Compensation: £32,200 + Benefits - Gross OTE £44,724
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF65129
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 Lifting Operative at our Devonport Royal Dockyard site.
The role
As a Lifting Operative, you’ll play a vital role in supporting critical operations within our submarine and warship programmes. Working in a highly skilled team, you’ll be responsible for safely moving equipment and materials that keep major defence projects progressing.
Day-to-day, you’ll have an opportunity to build a long-term career in defence, engineering, and naval operations. You’ll gain specialist skills, work in a unique dockyard environment, and contribute directly to projects that support national security.
Carrying out slinging and lifting operations safely and efficiently
Supporting fleeting operations on submarines and warships
Producing and following lift plans and operational instructions
Setting up and maintaining safe exclusion zones during lifting activities
Inspecting lifting equipment and reporting or isolating non-compliant items.
This role is full time, 35 hours per week and is based on site at Devonport Royal Dockyard.
There is an opportunity for Optimised Working Patterns (OWP) within this role. OWP is a temporary variation to your standard terms and condition that commits you to support 7-day working arrangements. For full details of the patterns, pay and durations, this can be found in the OWP 1 and OWP 2 agreements (available from hiring manager).
Primarily, it involves 4-week shift cycles consisting of either day/back shift or day/night shift. An example of the remuneration for these shifts is as follows:
Gross salary: £32,200
Gross OTE for core Dayshift/Backshift Pattern: £44,724
Essential experience of the Lifting Operative
Experience in lifting operations or similar hands-on industrial roles
Ability to follow procedures and work safely in a structured environment
Strong communication skills, including signalling to crane operators
Willingness to learn, develop, and undertake further training
Experience in marine, construction, or heavy engineering environments is desirable.
Qualifications for the Lifting Operative
CPCS Blue A40 Slinger Signaller, NPORS 402 Slinger Signaller, or NVQ Level 2 in Lifting and Moving Loads (or equivalent)
Additional rigging or lifting certifications are advantageous but not essential.
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 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 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 Babcock 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
Babcock
We’re Babcock — a global FTSE 100 organisation with over 26,000 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. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email
[email protected] 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: 13/08/2026
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