Summer Placement Systems Engineering (CS3)

Leonardo UK Ltd; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading defense and aerospace company is offering a Systems Engineering Summer Placement in Luton. Ideal candidates should be pursuing a relevant STEM degree and have a passion for engineering. You'll work on impactful projects, collaborate with experienced engineers, and receive mentorship. Join us to gain valuable skills in a hybrid working environment with a commitment to personal development and wellbeing.

Benefits

25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays

Award-winning pension scheme

Free mental health support

Access to 4000+ online courses

Qualifications

• Passionate about engineering.
• Able to work with minimum direction or supervision.
• Confidence to challenge technical issues.

Responsibilities

• Solve problems and generate ideas as part of the team.
• Develop practical skills in engineering design and verification.
• Take an active role in engineering process improvement.

Skills

Problem solving

Collaboration

Communication skills

Self-motivation

Education

Minimum 2:2 grade in relevant degree discipline

Job description

Job Description

Your impact

At Leonardo, we have an exciting opportunity for a Systems Engineering Summer Placement to join our team within the Customer Support and Service Solutions (CS3) line of business. The CS3 line of business operates across the UK, providing innovative and invaluable support solutions to our customers. We help to ensure the availability of front‑line capability wherever and whenever required.

We have created a programme that not only increases your technical skills but gives you the opportunity to work on meaningful real‑life projects. We have a variety of different areas in CS3, and as part of the application process you will have the opportunity to explore which area would be the best fit for you. Areas include carrying out cross‑cutting activities to improve the services that we can offer to customers, which could involve new technologies, data and information exploration, and developing different approaches to support.

You will be part of a team working alongside leading engineers, using new technology to solve customer problems. You will be engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to understand their needs at all stages of the engineering lifecycle.

Throughout your Summer Placement, you will receive coaching and support from your team, including our dedicated CS3 Early Careers Manager, to achieve your objectives as well as your personal development goals. You will gain a wide array of experience on your placement that you can apply to your academic studies and future career.

This is a nine‑week placement (29 June 2026 to 28 August 2026), based out of our Luton site. Leonardo also operates a Custom hybrid working model that allows our employees to split their time between attending the workplace and working remotely.

We also have Engineering Summer Placement roles available in our Electronic Warfare and Future Combat Air lines of business, which are also based out of the Luton site. For these roles you will be involved in a variety of tasks in one of the following engineering disciplines: Software, Systems, Hardware, Firmware, Microwave or Antenna Engineering. The role reference number is R0022112 for further details.

As a Summer Placement Systems Engineer (CS3) you will:

• Use technical expertise to solve problems, generate ideas and be pro‑active within the team.
• Develop and apply your academic knowledge to undertake various activities across the engineering lifecycle, delivering to agreed performance targets, including cost and schedule.
• Work closely with engineers across multiple disciplines to solve problems.
• Develop practical skills in engineering design, development and verification for complex solutions, understanding key processes and technologies.
• Complete tasks to a high standard and in accordance with appropriate processes and procedures.
• Take an active role in engineering process improvement.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

What you’ll bring

• 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.
• Passionate about engineering.
• Self‑motivated with an aptitude for problem solving and an ability to drive difficult issues to conclusion.
• Able to work with minimum direction or supervision on complex tasks.
• Able to apply big‑picture thinking to look at problems as a whole.
• Strong collaboration and inter‑personal skills, and the ability to interact with subject matter experts regarding a range of technical and operational topics.
• Confidence and ability to challenge and respond to technical or process issues.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience of creating documentation and presentations.
• Able to plan, prioritise and deliver high quality work.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC). 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 are entitled to 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 (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• 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

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.

Be part of something bigger – apply now!

Primary Location: GB – Luton – Cap. Green 300

Contract Type: Fixed term

Hybrid Working: Hybrid