Engineering and technical recruitment in Southampton

YP Recruitment is a specialist engineering and technical recruitment agency placing engineers and technical professionals across Southampton and Hampshire. Southampton's engineering market is shaped by its port, marine engineering heritage, defence sector, and a growing construction market driven by waterfront regeneration.

The Southampton engineering and technical market

The Port of Southampton is one of the UK's busiest, creating demand for marine, mechanical, and logistics engineers. BAE Systems' shipbuilding operations in the Solent area sustain a naval engineering workforce covering Type 26 frigate blocks and other defence programmes. The University of Southampton's engineering research, particularly in marine and aerospace, feeds a graduate pipeline.

Hampshire's defence corridor, stretching from Southampton through Portsmouth to Farnborough, hosts BAE Systems, Thales, and QinetiQ. Construction activity is sustained by waterfront regeneration, residential development, and infrastructure investment. The proximity to the Isle of Wight adds marine and composites engineering demand.

Marine and defence engineers in Southampton earn £44,000 to £60,000. Civil and structural engineers achieve £44,000 to £60,000. Construction project managers command £63,000 to £81,000. Site managers earn £52,000 to £69,000.

The Solent engineering cluster

The Solent area, stretching from Southampton through Portsmouth to Farnborough, is one of the UK's densest defence and marine engineering corridors. BAE Systems' shipbuilding at Portsmouth, Thales at Crawley, and QinetiQ at Farnborough are all within commuting distance of Southampton. Engineers based here can access defence, marine, and aerospace roles across a 40-mile corridor without relocating.

The University of Southampton is one of the UK's top engineering research universities, producing graduates in mechanical, aerospace, civil, and marine engineering. Cruise ship servicing at the port creates niche demand for marine electrical and mechanical engineers. The Isle of Wight's composites manufacturing cluster, accessible by ferry, adds further engineering roles for Southampton-based professionals. Southern Water and utilities infrastructure programmes across Hampshire generate civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering demand.

Roles we place in Southampton

We recruit marine engineers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, defence engineers, structural engineers, project managers, site managers, quantity surveyors, and technical sales engineers across Southampton. Mid-level engineers earn £44,000 to £60,000. Senior defence and marine engineers command £58,000 to £75,000. Construction project managers achieve £63,000 to £81,000. For a detailed breakdown, use our salary checker.

Sectors we cover in Southampton

Our engineering recruitment team in Southampton covers marine, mechanical, defence, and civil engineering roles. Our construction recruitment specialists work with contractors across Hampshire. We also cover property services, manufacturing, technical sales, and executive and leadership appointments.

Browse Southampton roles

View current engineering and technical jobs in Southampton, or register your CV to hear about roles before they are advertised. Southampton sits within our South East region.