Engineering and technical recruitment in Plymouth

YP Recruitment is a specialist engineering and technical recruitment agency placing engineers and technical professionals across Plymouth and South Devon. Plymouth's engineering market is dominated by naval and marine engineering, with Babcock's Devonport Dockyard being one of the largest defence engineering sites in Europe.

The Plymouth engineering and technical market

Devonport Dockyard is the UK's primary naval refitting facility, managed by Babcock. The site covers submarine maintenance, surface ship refit, and complex infrastructure engineering, sustaining a large marine, mechanical, electrical, and nuclear engineering workforce. The dockyard's long-term programme of work provides multi-year employment stability.

Beyond Devonport, Plymouth has a growing construction market driven by residential development and city centre regeneration. The University of Plymouth's marine and engineering research adds a graduate pipeline. The city's coastal position also supports marine engineering businesses outside the defence sector.

Marine and naval engineers in Plymouth earn £41,000 to £56,000. Mechanical and electrical engineers at Devonport achieve £43,000 to £60,000. Construction site managers earn £49,000 to £65,000. Contract rates for defence-cleared engineers run £380 to £580 per day.

Defence clearance and what it means for Plymouth engineers

Many engineering roles at Devonport require security clearance, which narrows the available talent pool and drives up salaries for cleared professionals. Engineers who already hold Developed Vetting (DV) or Security Check (SC) clearance are in particular demand. The clearance process can take months, so employers increasingly ask us to identify candidates who already hold the necessary approvals.

Plymouth's marine engineering heritage extends beyond defence. The fishing industry, leisure marine sector, and oceanographic research at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory all create demand for mechanical and electrical engineers with marine experience. The city's regeneration programme, including the Millbay waterfront development, sustains construction demand.

Roles we place in Plymouth

We recruit marine engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, nuclear engineers, structural engineers, welders and fabricators, project managers, site managers, quantity surveyors, and technical sales engineers across Plymouth. Mid-level engineers earn £41,000 to £56,000. Senior defence-cleared engineers command £54,000 to £70,000. Contract day rates for cleared engineers run £380 to £580 per day. For a detailed breakdown, use our salary checker.

Sectors we cover in Plymouth

Our engineering recruitment team in Plymouth covers marine, mechanical, electrical, and nuclear engineering roles. Our construction recruitment specialists work with contractors across South Devon. We also cover manufacturing, property services, technical sales, and executive and leadership appointments.

Browse Plymouth roles

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