Engineering Lab Manager

Leonardo UK Ltd; West of England; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flex hours & flexi‑days

Pension up to 15% employer

Mental health support & employee nets

Bonus scheme

Online courses (Coursera/LinkedIn)

Referral bonus

Flexible benefits up to £500

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd is seeking an Engineering Laboratory Manager for the Bristol Site Antennas team. You will lead the lab for electronics and antenna testing, plan and execute testing activities, and ensure compliance with ESD and safety standards.

You will collaborate with RF, Microwave, Electronics and Mechanical engineers and may travel to Yeovil for tests. The role is on-site with hybrid working options and requires security clearance.

Qualifications

• Experience of managing a lab used for developing and testing electronics products.
• An understanding of general electronics and RF based test equipment and how to use it to take measurements.
• An understanding of Electronics design.
• An understanding of antenna basics.
• Knowledge of risk assessment procedures.
• Understanding safe working with ESD.
• Team player with communication across RF, Microwave, Electronics and Mechanical.
• Systematic approach with proper documentation of test results.

Responsibilities

• Working with project teams to agree test plans and strategies.
• Planning and scheduling testing activities to meet project requirements.
• Setting up test equipment and taking measurements per test plans.
• Maintaining lab risk assessments and inspecting ESD equipment.
• Overseeing maintenance of on-site screened room and near-field chambers.
• Managing test equipment calibration records.
• Conducting lab inductions for new staff.
• Introducing continuous improvement in processes and equipment.

Skills

Lab management

Electronics testing

RF testing

Antenna basics

Risk assessment

ESD safety

Cross-functional communication

Documentation

Driving license

Tools

Lab equipment & test gear

LabVIEW (desirable)

Python/Matlab (desirable)

Job description

Job Description

Your Impact: Are you interested in being part of a team delivering excellent innovative Antenna solutions? We have a fantastic opportunity for an Engineering Laboratory Manager to join our Bristol Site Antennas team.

You will be joining a welcoming and inclusive team of engineers, as part of the Antenna Core Delivery Team (CDT) working on a range of projects supporting the development and delivery of military communications equipment for a broad spectrum of applications and environments.

This role gives the opportunity to lead the Bristol RF testing capability and requires hands on involvement in the planning and delivery of specialist testing activities in the support of electronics and antenna product development.

Key Responsibilities

• Working with project teams to agree test plans and strategies.
• Planning and scheduling testing activities to ensure project requirements are satisfied.
• Setting up test equipment (e.g. power supplies, spectrum analysers, oscilloscopes, network analysers) and following test plans to take measurements with this equipment.
• General lab management tasks including creating and maintaining the lab risk assessments, checking ESD equipment, performing monthly lab inspections.
• Overseeing the operation and organising the maintenance of the on-site screened room and near field chambers.
• Managing the test equipment calibration and records.
• Keeping records of the local engineering assets under test.
• Responsible for performing lab inductions.
• Integrate basic continuous improvement concepts and techniques for both process and equipment.

What you’ll bring

Required:

• Experience of managing a lab used for developing and testing electronics products.
• An understanding of general electronics and RF based test equipment and how to use it to take measurements.
• An understanding of Electronics design
• An understanding of antenna basics
• Knowledge of risk assessment procedures.
• An understanding of safe ways of working with ESD.
• Team player with proven communication skills across engineering functions (RF, Microwave, Electronics and Mechanical).
• Systematic approach to work, with appropriate documentation of test results and related documentation.
• UK Driving License.

Desirable:

• Experience of developing tools to automate measurements (e.g. Labview or scripted)
• Knowledge of programming in C derivatives, Python, Matlab
• Prototyping of mechanical and electronic hardware
• Experience working with screened rooms/near field chambers
• IOSH “Managing Safely” trained or a similar level of qualification.
• An understanding of working with classified material.

Inherent Factors:

• Willingness to travel (e.g. to our Yeovil test site when required).
• Due to the nature of the role, this role would require on site attendance for the majority of the time.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options.
• For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

Leonardo UK operates a grade‑based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity. Leonardo offers an additional allowances for some roles – for more information please contact [e-mail] For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location: GB - Bristol - Coldharbour Lane Contract Type: Permanent Hybrid Working: Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo.

The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know‑how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!