Summer Placement Supportability Engineer

Leonardo; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 22,000; Full time

Job summary

Leonardo is offering a 13‑week Summer Placement for an aspiring Supportability Engineer. You will work within multidisciplinary teams, contributing to real projects across the product lifecycle and receiving coaching from experienced engineers.

You will analyse RMT, support design improvements, and gain hands‑on experience with Supportability processes and tools. The role emphasizes collaboration, problem solving, and a proactive approach to learning in a dynamic aerospace environment in the UK.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills, written and verbal.
• Ability to solve technical problems.
• Familiarity with MS Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Supportability engineering across the product lifecycle from concept to in‑service support.
• Analyze and report on Reliability, Maintainability and Testability (RMT) to advise on design and development.
• Act as expert in Root Cause Analysis during production when defects are observed.
• Contribute to a real ongoing project with mentoring and guidance from experienced engineers.
• Learn about and apply Supportability processes and tools.

Skills

Strong communication

Problem solving

MS Office

Lifecycle understanding

Reliability / root cause analysis

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Our 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 bigger‑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

Our 13 weeks Summer Placement Programme gives you the chance to work on meaningful projects alongside subject matter experts, 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 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.

What you'll do as a Summer Placement Supportability Engineer

Supportability Engineers are integral to a product's lifecycle: from concept and initial design, through production, and into in‑service support.

They analyse and report on the Reliability, Maintainability and Testability (RMT) of a product and advise on design and development in order to satisfy customer specifications. Supportability Engineering are the experts in Root Cause Analysis and are integral during production when manufacturing defects are observed.

As a Summer Placement Supportability Engineer, you will contribute to a real ongoing project within the department alongside experienced engineers who will provide training, mentoring and guidance. You will be exposed to real‑world engineering and learn about the use of Supportability processes and tools.

In Edinburgh, Supportability Engineering are directly involved with:

• IRCM (Infra‑Red Counter Measures) Systems
• Laser Target Designator and Laser Ranging Systems
• Eurofighter Typhoon Radar
• SAAB Gripen Radar
• Surveillance AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) Radars
• The Global Combat Air Programme

Examples of summer placement projects include:

• Physics of Failure & Finite Element Analysis - an evaluation of Ansys Sherlock in addition to experience of other tools within Ansys suite
• Electronics Reliability Analysis - Evaluating Radar PCAs for Reliability, Maintainability, and Testability
• Lead Free & Materials Science - design, development and production support and interaction with engineers in a variety of functions and roles
• Data Analytics - producing reports using analysis from Production and Field Defect Data

What you'll bring

Entry Requirements

Currently studying Aerospace, Electronics or Mechanical Engineering or related disciplines

Competencies we look for

• Strong communication skills, written and verbal
• Ability to solve technical problems
• Computer literacy (MS Office)
• Appreciation of the lifecycle of a product and electronic product design
• A passion for reliability and root cause analysis

Personal attributes

• Self‑motivated, enthusiastic, and able to use initiative
• Analytical with an eye for data
• Outgoing with a willingness to ask questions
• Collaborative and flexible in approach

Security Clearance

At Leonardo, 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.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports your wellbeing, learning and development, and work‑life balance:

Time to recharge : Our employees