Summer Placement - Photonics

Leonardo; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days leave pro rata

Employer pension contribution up to 15

Mental health support

Free online courses (Coursera/LinkedIn

Job summary

Leonardo in the United Kingdom is offering a Photonics Summer Placement within the Advanced Targeting line of business. You will support design and development of laser/optical components under the guidance of Optical Engineers, gaining hands-on experience through the full development lifecycle.

The 13-week placement runs from 1 June 2027 to 27 August 2027. Participants should be available on-site at least three days per week to integrate with the team and maximise learning opportunities.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Strong analytical skills

Team collaboration

Enthusiasm for photonics

Master’s degree in physics or related

Education

Master's degree (penultimate year)

Tools

Zemax Optics Studio

Matlab

LabVIEW

COMSOL

Job description

Job Description:

Are you ready to make an impact and gain hands-on experience working on real-world projects from day one?

At

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. Your role as a Photonics Summer Placement student will be to support the design and development of our world and electro-optic products under the guidance of experienced Optical Engineers. You will be introduced to utilising state-of-the-art methods, technology and tools to explore all aspects of the development lifecycle, which may include requirements analysis, design, implementation, test, build and product support.

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:

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.