Software Engineer - Undergraduate Placement 2027

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

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension: up to 14% total contrib.

Overtime pay

Annual leave 25 days (+)**

Flexi Leave: 15 days

Subsidised meals

Free car parking

Healthcare cash plan

Job summary

MBDA UK is offering an undergraduate Software Engineer placement for 2027 in Stevenage. You will work on real-time software for weapons systems, primarily in C/C++ across Windows and Linux, with exposure to the full software development lifecycle and documentation tasks.

Successful candidates will join a team delivering critical software in a secure environment, with potential for a graduate role after the placement.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science or related field (incl. Aeronautical/Aerospace, Mathematics, Physics).
• Currently an undergraduate working towards a degree in software or engineering.
• Willingness to work in a fast-paced defence software environment and learn the software lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Work with embedded and front-end software in C/C++ across platforms (Windows and Linux).
• Gain exposure to the software development lifecycle and produce technical documentation.
• Collaborate with multiple teams across weapons systems and DevOps-oriented projects.

Skills

C

C++

ADA

C#

Python

Education

Software Engineering

Tools

Windows

Linux

Job description

Software Engineer - Undergraduate Placement 2027 The Software team at MBDA deliver software for the next generation of weapons in an ever evolving environment - to support those on the battlefield. Salary: £24,460 Dynamic working: 4-5 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: provides support with everyday health related costs - including medical, dental, optical, physio and health & wellbeing

The opportunity:

Our teams provide high integrity real time software products running on our munitions, weapon systems, software infrastructures (i.e. DevOps) and production test software to support functional test & manufacturing. We use a variety of programming languages, software tools and software lifecycle methodologies to achieve this. You will get exposure to some aspects of a software development lifecycle and develop some of the skills necessary to become a well-rounded software engineer. Work closely with other teams in a variety of development stages within our weapons systems including both embedded and front end software development on a range of platforms, such as Windows and Linux, utilising primarily C, C++ with potential for ADA and some scope for C# and Python dependant on the specific group and team. Learn about the functional and technical robustness of project deliverables The importance of technical documentation. Work with other departments within the company, learning a general overview of the business. Most undergraduate roles will be working in C/C++ with the possibility of working with a variety of verification environments, from host based testing to system integration.

What we're looking for from you:

Current undergraduate working towards a degree in degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science or relevant Engineering field (incl. Aeronautical/Aerospace, Mathematics, Physics)

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.

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.