Principal Manufacturing Test Engineer

MBDA UK Ltd; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 46,800 - 57,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension up to 14%

Overtime opportunity

Flexi Leave up to 15 days

Flexible working arrangements

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

MBDA UK Ltd. is seeking a Principal Test Engineer to join the Manufacturing UK Test Engineering team in Stevenage, delivering test system introduction and diagnostics for electrical/electronic weapon systems in development and early production.

You will lead testing activities, support facility setup with controlled configurations, and mentor engineers while collaborating with Operations and design teams to overcome challenges in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• HNC level qualification or equivalent with significant electronics test/manufacture experience.
• Strong understanding of electrical/electronic and RF measurement principles and test equipment.
• Experience in product development lifecycle in electronics manufacturing.
• Experience using manual and automated test equipment, ideally in defence/manufacturing env.

Responsibilities

• Provide Test Engineering support during design, development to Production Readiness Review.
• Assist test facility introduction and ensure equipment/configuration control.
• Diagnose development test failures to component level and propose corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Operations and design teams to solve technical challenges.
• Mentor junior test engineers within the team.

Skills

Digital electronics

Analog electronics

RF electronics

Test engineering

Communication skills

Education

HNC or equivalent

HND/degree in relevant subject

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Multimeters

RF test equipment

Automated test equipment

Job description

This role provides a unique chance to shape how MBDA undertakes production testing.

Salary: Circa £52,000 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 4-5 days per week on-site due to workload classification

Security Clearance: British Citizen only.

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.

What we can offer you:

• 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
• Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more...

The opportunity:

This opportunity is for a Principal Test Engineer to join the Manufacturing organisation supporting test system introduction and test and diagnostics of electrical/electronic weapon systems and sub-assemblies during the development / early production phase.

You will work as part of the Manufacturing UK Test Engineering function and will be deployed to the Stevenage-based Manufacturing Equipment team, responsible for development testing and ensuring production readiness of new products and their test solutions.

• Providing Test Engineering support during Design / Development phases from initial concept through to Production Readiness Review and release to Operations.
• Supporting Test Facility introduction and ensure that appropriate configuration control of equipment and facilities is in place prior to use, including generating supporting test specifications and operator instructions.
• Supporting testing of electrical/electronic weapon systems, sub-assemblies and circuit cards, with diagnosis of development test failures down to circuit card and potentially component level, including identification of proposed remedial and corrective actions.
• Working closely with Operations, design teams and other stakeholders to overcome any technical challenges.
• Providing technical support and advice to the Test Engineering Team Lead and guiding and mentoring less experienced test engineers within the team.

You will be working with a small team of dedicated engineers in a fast‑paced but friendly and inclusive manufacturing environment. The team has a great mix of personnel ranging from apprentices and graduate engineers through to experienced technical practitioners, all striving to deliver technical excellence across a number of different products in development and production.

What we're looking for from you:

• Minimum HNC level of qualification or equivalent (ideally HND/degree) in a relevant subject, plus significant experience in digital, analogue and RF electronics manufacture and test.
• A good understanding of electrical/electronic and RF measurement and test principles and test equipment, as well as systems‑level functional testing.
• Experience of the product development lifecycle and supporting processes, in an electronics manufacturing environment.
• Significant experience of using both manual and automated test equipment, preferably in a defence organisation or similar manufacturing environment.
• The ability to plan and organise own work in order to ensure multiple tasks can be prioritised and delivered against Project objectives, whilst being available to support others.
• Good verbal and written communication skills, including working within a team, generation of test specifications, operator instructions and technical reports based on higher‑level requirements.