Manufacturing Engineer - Undergraduate Placement 2027

MBDA UK; Bolton; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension: up to 14%

Overtime

25 days annual leave (plus extra)

Flexi Leave

Subsidised meals

Free car parking

Healthcare Cash Plan

Job summary

MBDA UK is advertising a Manufacturing Engineer undergraduate placement for 2027. The role is based on-site at the Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, with a structured 1-year placement starting September 2027.

The successful candidate will work closely with design to influence producibility, develop tooling and processes, and support operators on the shop floor. Security clearance BPSS is required; a UK or dual UK nationality is essential.

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate studying towards a degree in Physics or Maths or various Engineering degrees (Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Systems, Electrical/Electronic and General).
• Engineering mindset with ability to turn technical information into usable producibility improvements.
• Experience with production tooling, cost considerations and problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Influence producibility of designs with design teams.
• Own the tooling required to build products and provide build instructions.
• The cost of manufacture and industrial validations of production lines.
• Day-to-day support of operators and the architecture of production lines.
• Develop new manufacturing processes and work with suppliers; occasional travel to MBDA sites.

Skills

Engineering Mindset

Problem solving

Technical translate

Education

Undergraduate in Physics/Engineering

Tools

Simul8

SAP

Creo

Configuration Control

Job description

Manufacturing Engineer - Undergraduate Placement 2027

Manufacturing Engineering is part of the Operations directorate based at our Manufacturing Centre of Excellence. Manufacturing consists of Assembly, Integration and Test of all our products for the company. The products we make are delivered directly to the customer/end user and therefore manufacturing are vitally important to the delivery aspects of MBDAs business.

Salary: £24,460

Dynamic 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.

This role is scheduled to close for applications at midnight on Monday 4th January 2027 but may close earlier depending on application volumes.

What we can offer you

• 1 year placement: Starting September 2027, that allows you to apply your university learning to real-world projects and technologies Perform well on your placement and you could secure a graduate role before your final year
• Company bonus: 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
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more...
• Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more.

The opportunity

Manufacturing Engineers work closely with design to influence the producibility of designs. They are also responsible for the ‘how’ we build our products including being responsible for:

• Any tooling required to build our products.
• Instructions on how to build our products.
• The cost of manufacture of our products.
• The industrial validations of our production lines and our suppliers.
• Day-to-day support of our operators building our products.
• The architecture of the production lines.
• Developing new manufacturing processes.

Each day for a Manufacturing Engineer is different, it is a mix of time spent on the shop floor and office based working. There are also opportunities to travel to other MBDA sites and countries, plus visiting suppliers. As part of dynamic working there may be opportunities to do some work remotely, however due to the nature of the job, there will always be a requirement to work on site some of the time. In Manufacturing, you are also able to not only see but also be part of the realisation of our products.

What we’re looking for from you

• Current undergraduate studying towards a degree in Physics or Maths or various Engineering degrees (Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Systems, Electrical/Electronic and General).
• An ‘Engineering Mind-set’.
• This is the ability to take technical information and turn it into something that can be used in building our products, the ability to find improvements and cost saving in the production of our products, the problem solving when something needs fixing.
• Training in the use of tools will be provided, as necessary, but previous use of tools such as Simul8, MRP tools (SAP), Engineering Drawing tools (Creo), Configuration Control would be an advantage.

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.

Why we matter

What we do matters. Because defence matters. As a leading company in the defence industry we support our nations by delivering essential military capabilities, both for today and the future. We are proud to be an award-winning employer and are proud of the growing diversity of our workforce. Our people are the ones who drive our constant innovation and deliver against challenging targets. Whatever your background, we welcome your application to MBDA UK and look forward to speaking with you soon.