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Engineering Technician (Weapon Engineering) (Submariner)
Job Role

Engineering Technician (Weapon Engineering) (Submariner)

You’ll maintain the firepower and defensive technology of a Royal Navy submarine.

TechnologyWeaponsEngineeringApprenticeships
  • £25,200 - £88,872
  • No qualifications
  • Submarine Service
  • Engineering
  • Rating level

At a glance

This job sits within the Engineering Profession and is an Engineering Rating role. Responsible for our nation’s nuclear deterrent, you’ll be maintaining and preparing some of the most advanced defence technology ever developed. From ballistic missile systems to state-of-the-art sensors and radars. As a Weapon Engineer in the Silent Service, you provide the firepower, and the stealth.

£5,000

For earning your ‘Dolphins’

£25,200

What you will get paid from day one

£88,872

Earn over this amount per year as a your career progresses (Not including Longer Separation Allowance (LSA))

£1,375

Minimum additional pay per month at sea once qualified as a Submariner

6 weeks

Of paid holiday every year

Travel

All around the world
Weapons Engineer checking submarine equipment
It’s a real team effort to keep a submarine safe and running well. It’s extremely rewarding when we solve a problem under pressure, as we have to be very self reliant when we’re submerged.

Izzy

Junior Rating, Engineering Branch

Role details

What you’ll do

As an Engineering Technician (Weapon Engineering) (Submariner) in the elite Silent Service, you’ll be a key member of your vessel’s engineering team. Patrolling the oceans and maintaining and operating some of the most advanced defence technology, you’ll be hands on with formidable kit. From working with ballistic missile systems one day, state-of-the-art sensors and radars the next and high-tech comms systems another, every day will be different.


It’s much more than that though. Because a submarine’s first line of defence is its stealth and superior sensors, you’ll have to know every detail about your submarine - from the onboard systems and how it communicates, to its lethal effectiveness through superior Strategic and Tactical Systems. This means the safety and success of the boat – and your crewmates - is in your hands.

It takes something special to be a Submariner, living below the surface and being responsible for our nation’s nuclear deterrent, firepower, and stealth. It’s what makes you elite.

Your role

  • Take responsibility for the safety of your crewmates. Whether that’s ensuring your boat is able to defend itself, or identifying threats and helping the submarine stay undetected.
  • Maintain and operate the complex communication, detection and weapon systems, and guarantee missiles, and torpedoes are fully operational. 
  • Get your hands on some of the most sophisticated electronic equipment in existence, working with your team, and under the guidance of the Engineer Officer.
  • Complete daily rounds, checking equipment to ensure the ship remains operational, and finding innovative solutions when there’s a problem.

Pay & benefits

  • A starting salary of at least £25,200
  • A £5,000 bonus on being awarded your Dolphins – the mark of a qualified Submariner
  • Additional pay starting at £1,375 per month at sea once qualified as a Submariner
  • £25,000 Retention Payment after serving 6 years as a submariner
  • Potential to earn £88,872.23 per year as a your career progresses (Not including Longer Separation Allowance (LSA))
  • An excellent non-contributory pension scheme – we pay into it for you, so you don’t have to sacrifice any salary
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year
  • Free medical and dental care
  • Extra financial bonuses if you’re on a longer operation
  • Forces Help to Buy scheme – a 0% loan to get you on, or further up, the housing ladder
  • Subsidised travel, accommodation and food

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • A Level 2 Apprenticeship in Maritime Mechanical Electrical Mechanic

Opportunities open to you 

  • Study for GCSEs, then A-Levels in subjects including English, Maths and Science. 
  • Gain specialist vocational - such as a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Engineering Manufacture.
  • Eventually, you can work toward a degree like Electronic Engineering depending on your career progression.

Skills you'll develop

  • Learn to maintain and operate some of the most cutting-edge weapon systems, radars and detection equipment on the planet.
  • Develop your natural aptitude for fixing things.
  • Gain the discipline and teamwork skills that are essential for life on-board a submarine.
 

Eligibility

  • You must be aged between 16-39
  • No qualifications are required for this role
  • You must be a United Kingdom citizen or British Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
  • You must have lived in the UK for 5 years continuously prior to application
  • You need to be a minimum height of 157cm
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)

Skills & Interests

  • A quick thinker, with a passion for working with the latest equipment and technology
  • A problem-solver who can work well as part of a team
  • A real sense of adventure and great people skills
  • Enthusiasm for fixing and maintaining electronic and mechanical systems

Joining Process

From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.

Step 1

Submit an application

Once you’ve registered your interest in a Profession, and have satisfied some basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form.

Step 2

Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)

You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension. You will need to attempt all sections of the DAA.

To help you prepare, you can practise the DAA.

Practise the DAA
Step 3

Interview

A formal Selection Interview to confirm suitability of your chosen Profession followed by discussion of your preferred roles that are available within that Profession, including Submarine Service It will also cover the initial stages of the Security application. This is normally conducted using your own device over the Shine video platform.

Step 4

Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)

This is a four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, which includes assessments of your Fitness and your Medical eligibility, it is a pass or fail course.

Step 5

Start training

Once you’ve passed all eligibility criteria, including a Security Check, you’ll be offered a place at HMS Raleigh to commence your initial training. Allocation to a specific role within your chosen profession will occur during the latter part of initial training.

Career Progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.
Day one
Begin phase one training at HMS Raleigh, gain military skills
Year one
Join a submarine, learn new skills, earn your ‘Dolphins’
First promotion
Become Leading Hand, mentor others, handle advanced systems
Second promotion – Petty Officer
Become a manager, take responsibility for defect diagnosis

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