Calibration & Maintenance Engineer - Graduate Programme 2026

MBDA; Bolton; Hybrid; GBP 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defence organisation in Bolton is seeking a Calibration & Maintenance Engineer for their Graduate Programme starting in September 2026. The role involves working collaboratively with teams to maintain high manufacturing standards across various technologies. Ideal candidates will hold a degree in Engineering or a related field and possess strong problem-solving skills. The position offers a competitive salary of £31,500 plus a joining bonus, along with excellent career progression opportunities and a hybrid working model.

Benefits

Company bonus up to £2,500

Pension contribution up to 14%

25 days annual leave with additional options

Paid overtime opportunities

Subsidised meals and free parking

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in Engineering (General, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Aeronautical, Electrical/Electronic) or Physics/Mathematics.
• Hands-on experience in diagnostics and fault finding on Test & Process Equipment.
• Ability to author instructions and specifications.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with engineers across various teams.
• Perform commissioning and repair of equipment.
• Conduct fault finding on Test & Process Equipment.

Skills

Collaborative teamwork

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Education

Degree in Engineering or related field (minimum 2:2)

Job description

Overview

Calibration & Maintenance Engineer - Graduate Programme 2026

As a Calibration & Maintenance Engineer, you'll collaborate with experienced engineers across the UK. Working on a range of technologies, including electronics, optics, and RF, your hands-on approach combined with office-based technical work will see you play a pivotal role in delivering outstanding manufacturing standards.

Salary: £31,500 plus a £3,000 joining bonus

Dynamic (Hybrid) Working: 5 days per week on-site due to workload classification

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship.

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ROLE IS MIDNIGHT ON 3RD NOVEMBER 2025

What we can offer you

• 2 year Programme: starting September 2026

• Salary reviews throughout the Programme

• Company bonus: up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)

• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%

• Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime

• Annual Leave: 25 days plus option to purchase extra holiday

• Flexi Leave: up to 15 additional days

• Excellent career progression and development opportunities

• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…

The opportunity

Calibration & Maintenance (C&M) is part of our Operations directorate, covering different aspects of support for all equipment used for both product manufacture and test.

C&M Engineers work closely with several collaborative functions such as Product Design, Test Equipment Design, Test Engineering and Quality Assurance to support our key customer; Manufacturing Operations.

In the time spent within C&M you will rotate through different teams and you may have the opportunity to work within the following areas;

• Electronic Engineering – Bespoke Test Equipment commissioning & repair

• Environmental & Mechanical Test Engineering - ESS & Pressure Test Equipment

• Electrical Calibration – Bespoke Test Equipment & Commercially Available (COTS) TE

• Calibration, Mechanical Calibration – Positioner systems, alignment TE etc. calibration

• Maintenance Engineering - Process & Mechanical Equipment commissioning & repair

In each placement you will be working with a team of engineers who have varied experiences and expertise, working together to support a set of equipment.

Daily activities in C&M are varied and could see you working hands on with the equipment on the shop floor and in the lab, to working in the office on technical documentation and drawings.

Our work involves diagnosing and fault finding on Test & Process Equipment and analysing fault related data. You could also get involved in authoring instructions and specifications, or draft and publish drawing packs.

As an engineering organisation process improvements comes as standard with this role; with innovation being one of our values you’ll get to introduce new equipment into Manufacturing as well.

What we're looking for from you

Degree qualified in Engineering (incl. General, Mechanical, Manufacturing/Production, Aeronautical/Aerospace, Civil, Electrical/Electronic and Software) or Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics, Computing or Applied Science to a minimum of 2:2

Our company

Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.