Graduate Engineer (Sept 2026)

L3Harris; Brighton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace and defence company based in Brighton is seeking Graduate Engineers to join their Engineering team. The role offers a structured 2-year graduate development programme providing hands-on experience across the engineering lifecycle in a regulated industry. Candidates should possess a degree in Engineering with a minimum grade of 2:2 or be graduating in 2026. Opportunities for further training and professional registration are provided, along with additional benefits like private medical insurance and a pension scheme.

Benefits

Structured graduate development programme

Private medical insurance

Pension scheme

Flexible opt-in extras

Qualifications

• Degree qualified with a minimum grade of 2:2 (or graduating in 2026).
• A genuine interest in defence and aerospace engineering.
• Awareness of engineering standards or regulations is desirable but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the design analysis and testing of systems.
• Support the preparation of technical documentation and reports.
• Participate in design reviews and project meetings.

Skills

Problem-solving

Analytical skills

Communication

Teamwork

Eagerness to learn

Education

Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Aerospace or related)

Tools

CAD

MATLAB

Simulink

Job description

Job Title Graduate Engineer

Start Date - September 2026

Job Location Brighton

About this opportunity and L3Harris UK

From 11 UK sites our team of nearly 1000 people delivers unique capabilities across space air land sea and cyber for military security and commercial customers across the UK and worldwide.

L3Harris in Brighton are part of Release Systems and the Mission Avionics sector operating in the Aerospace domain. Our mission-critical release systems equipment is on most major airborne fighter platforms worldwide including the F-35 along with other aircraft like the Gripen and Typhoon. Brighton designs manufactures and tests a large portion of its release systems portfolio. This facility offers 48500 square feet of manufacturing space for the development of high-performance multi-station solutions used to launch air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions from bay wing or fuselage stations.

Your next role

We are looking for enthusiastic Graduate Engineers to join our Engineering team. As part of our graduate programme you will gain hands‑on experience across the engineering lifecycle supporting the design development and verification of advanced defence and aerospace systems. You will be given the opportunity to build your skills through structured training mentoring and involvement in live projects.

Once you’ve completed the programme you’ll be assigned to a role in engineering to continue your career and personal development.

Please note applications will close on Friday 31st October.

What we offer

• A structured 2 year graduate development programme with mentoring and training
• Opportunities to rotate across different engineering disciplines projects and gain experience outside of engineering.
• The chance to contribute to cutting‑edge defence and aerospace programmes
• Support towards professional registration (IEng / CEng)

Additional benefits

• Half day finish on a Friday
• 25 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays) increasing with long service and with the opportunity to buy / sell up to 5 days
• Private medical insurance with optional family cover
• Pension scheme of up to 7% employer contribution
• Life Assurance 4x salary (flexible up to 10x)
• Group income protection
• Flexible opt‑in extras such as a health care cash plan dental insurance gym membership critical illness cover and cycle to work scheme
• Employee assistance program providing mental health and wellbeing support
• Employee Resource Group support

What your role will involve

The responsibilities of your role will include the following :

• Assist with the design analysis and testing of systems sub‑systems or equipment under the guidance of experienced engineers
• Support the preparation of technical documentation drawings and reports
• Contribute to requirements management and problem‑solving activities within project teams
• Participate in design reviews and project meetings learning how complex engineering projects are delivered in a regulated industry
• Engage with suppliers and internal teams to support engineering activities
• Proactively contribute to continuous improvement and knowledge sharing

What you’ll bring

• Degree qualified with a minimum grade of 2 : 2 (or graduating in 2026) in Engineering (Mechanical Electrical Systems Aerospace or related discipline)
• A genuine interest in defence and aerospace engineering
• Good problem‑solving and analytical skills
• Strong communication and teamwork abilities
• Eagerness to learn and apply engineering principles in a practical environment
• Awareness of engineering standards or regulations (e.g. aerospace defence or safety‑critical industries) is desirable but not essential
• Experience with relevant software tools (e.g. CAD MATLAB / Simulink or coding languages) desirable but not essential
• Industrial placement / internship or project experience in a relevant engineering environment desirable but not essential

Important to know

Applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment must meet the requirement of right to work in the UK and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to government security checks.