Summer Placement - Photonics

Leonardo UK Ltd; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave pro rata

Company pension with up to 15%

Mental health support

Access to online courses (Coursera/LL)

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in Edinburgh is seeking a Photonics Summer Placement student to work in our Advanced Targeting Engineering Team for 13 weeks. You’ll contribute to laser and optical design, modelling, and lab work, gaining hands-on experience from day one.

The role runs 1 June 2027 to 27 August 2027, with a hybrid arrangement and at least three days on site weekly, embedding you with multidisciplinary teams across the product lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Working towards a master’s level degree, typically in Physics or related field.
• Relevant photonics experience from lab work or internships.
• Experience with technical writing and project planning.
• Strong analytical and modelling skills, plus lab programming ability.
• Evidence of teamwork and enthusiasm for photonics.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to laser/optical design, lens design and optical ray tracing.
• Perform performance modelling, tolerancing and FEM problem solving.
• Hands-on lab work with solid-state lasers or fibre optics.
• Carry out verification testing and troubleshoot complex assemblies.
• Gain training and broader business awareness through sessions.

Skills

Photonics experience

Analytical skills

Modelling skills

Lab work

Teamwork

Education

Master's degree in Physics or related field

Penultimate year student

Tools

Zemax Optics Studio

Matlab

LabVIEW

COMSOL

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. Our Summer Placement Programme gives you the chance to work on meaningful projects alongside industry leaders, within multidisciplinary teams, and across the product lifecycle. Throughout your placement, you’ll receive coaching and support from a dedicated team, with the potential to return for future placements or progress onto our Graduate Development Programme. The programme will run from 1st June 2027 to 27th August 2027. We encourage you to spend at least three days each week on site to integrate with your team and maximise your learning experience. This is a great opportunity for undergraduate students to join the Advanced Targeting line of business as Photonics Summer Placements working within our Engineering Team for a period of 13 weeks.

As a Photonics Summer Placement, you will:

• Contribute directly to the development and delivery of Laser/Optical design, including lens design and optical ray tracing.
• Performance modelling, including tolerancing and finite element modelling problem solving technical issues across the product lifecycle.
• Hands on lab and integration work with solid‑state lasers or fibre optics.
• Verification testing and problem solving within complex assemblies.
• Receive training in the technical skills which are tailored to the role and area of the business you are in, and the opportunity to gain wider business knowledge through various awareness sessions.
• Be given opportunities to apply the technical and soft skills you have gained from your degree course to date in industry.

What you’ll bring

• You should be working towards a master’s level degree, typically in Physics, although degrees in other physical sciences or engineering disciplines will be considered.
• Relevant photonics experience, such as laboratory work, previous summer placements or internships.
• Experience with technical writing and project planning.
• Strong analytical, modelling skills and laboratory skills.
• Evidence of successfully working in a team.
• Enthusiasm for photonics and an interest in developing your skills.
• Experience of modelling tools such as Zemax Optics Studio, Matlab, LabVIEW, and COMSOL (or equivalent) is desirable.
• Ideally you be in your penultimate year.

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. We offer a comprehensive, company‑funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

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: Benefit from our 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 our website.

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.

Primary Location: GB - Edinburgh Contract Type: Fixed term Hybrid Working: Hybrid 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!