Summer Placement - Engineering

Leonardo UK Ltd; England; On-site; GBP 16,000 - 20,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave pro rata

Employer pension contribution up to 15

Mental health support

Access to 4,000+ online courses

Job summary

Leonardo invites ambitious students to join the Engineering Summer Placement Programme at Capability Green, Luton. You will work across EW and FCA lines, gaining hands-on experience on real projects for manned and unmanned aircraft, with mentoring from experienced engineers.

The 9-week placement begins 28 June 2027, offering exposure to software, systems, hardware, firmware, microwave or antenna engineering, and opportunities for extension or graduate recruitment.

Qualifications

• Minimum predicted 2:2 in Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or STEM discipline.
• Interest or experience in software, systems, hardware, firmware, microwave or antenna engineering is preferred.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Assist in various engineering disciplines (Software, Systems, Hardware, Firmware, Microwave or Antenna).
• Apply academic knowledge to real projects and contribute to design, testing and validation.
• Collaborate within multidisciplinary teams to deliver tasks on time and with quality.
• Communicate effectively with team members and share knowledge.
• Develop engineering skills while supporting product lifecycle activities.

Skills

Communication skills

Technical problem solving

STEM degree

MATLAB/Simulink

MS Office

Education

2:2 degree in Engineering/Physics/Maths

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Description: Your Impact

Are you ready to make an impact and gain hands‑on experience working on real‑world projects from day one? At Leonardo, we’re looking for summer placement students who want to be part of something extraordinary—shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

Our placements are designed to help you apply your studies in a practical setting, develop your technical skills, and gain valuable insight into how our business operates.

Engineering Summer Placement Programme

We have an exciting opportunity for a Summer Placement Engineer to join our team within the Electronic Warfare (EW) and Future Combat Air (FCA) lines of business. This opportunity is based at Capability Green, Luton.

The engineers based at this site work with the latest technology to develop a wide range of products for both manned and unmanned aircraft platforms, including airborne sensors, protection, countermeasure, and integrated mission systems.

We have created a programme across our UK sites that not only increases your technical skills but gives you the opportunity to work alongside experienced engineers across our business on meaningful real‑life projects.

Throughout your summer placement, you will receive coaching and support from a dedicated team of subject‑matter experts to work in multidisciplinary teams to gain experience across the product lifecycle.

Our ultimate aim is to see you through your undergraduate years. Successful placements may result in an offer to return for further placements or an offer on our Graduate Development programme.

The Engineering Summer Placement Programme commences on the 28th June 2027 and lasts for 9 weeks. During the programme, there may be options to extend your placement with us.

What you will do as a Summer Placement Student

Summer placement students will be involved in a variety of tasks in one of the following engineering disciplines – Software, Systems, Hardware, Firmware, Microwave or Antenna Engineering.

Providing support to real projects, placement students will be required to apply knowledge gained while studying in a practical way.

Placement students will undertake activities including designing, testing, qualifying, and supporting technology across our range of products. The challenging tasks will involve communicating with other team members to gain information before completing objectives and examining outcomes.

Working as part of an established engineering community, and supported by a team of experienced engineers, you will be responsible for:

• Delivering small packages of work to time, cost, and quality.


• Working within a team to achieve project targets, collaborate across multiple disciplines and solve problems.


• Communicating with team members to share knowledge.


• Gaining an understanding of the EW domain to support the development of relevant products and technologies.


• Completing tasks to a high standard in accordance with appropriate processes and procedures.


• Using the opportunity to develop engineering skills.

A supervisor will be available to provide mentoring whilst working as a fully integrated member of the team.

What we need from you

All our Summer Placement roles require a minimum of a predicted 2:2 grade in a relevant degree discipline.

For technical roles please note that our preferred degree disciplines include Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or other STEM subject degrees.

Competencies we look for

• Excellent communication skills are essential, both written and verbal.


• Ability to solve technical problems.


• Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related degree.


• Computer literacy and the ability to use the MS Office suite of tools.


• MATLAB/Simulink experience beneficial.


• A strong passion/interest in engineering and/or science.

Personal attributes

• Self‑motivated with drive and enthusiasm.


• Able to use own initiative to achieve overall objectives.


• Able to work under pressure and achieve challenging deadlines within an environment of changing priorities.


• Thorough, seeing job through to completion while maintaining high standards.


• Able to work flexibly and be readily adaptable to situational changes, in keeping with our custom working policy.

Security Clearance

Many of our roles are subject to security requirements and, where applicable, export control restrictions arising from UK Government requirements and customer obligations many of our roles are subject to security and export control restrictions set by UK Government Security requirements and customer obligations.

As a result, and in line with the UK Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) requirements, all successful applicants will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record declaration information and employment and/or education history verification for the previous five years.

For staff operating in more sensitive posts, there is an additional range of personnel security controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV).

As part of this process, a range of factors may be considered, including an individual's background, travel history, nationality, previous nationalities held and other information relevant to the vetting assessment.

To be eligible for National Security Vetting at SC level, applicants will generally be expected to have continuously resided in the UK for the previous five years. For DV clearance, this is typically ten years.

In some circumstances, time spent overseas may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

Additional vetting requirements may apply upon appointment.

For more information and guidance please visit https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do, key contributors in shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

Benefits

• Time to recharge: Our employees are entitled 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays. As a Summer Placement student you will receive this allowance pro rata.


• Secure your future: 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.


• Never stop learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn learning.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/company-benefits

Inclusion and Diversity

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, communities, and customers.

If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Location and Contract

Primary Location: GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type: Fixed term

Hybrid Working: Onsite 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!