Systems Design Engineer - Graduate Programme 2027

MBDA; West of England; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual salary review

Company bonus up to £2,500

Pension up to 14%

Healthcare plan

Overtime opportunities

25 days leave + extra via purchase

Flexi leave up to 15 days

Subsidised meals & free parking

Job summary

MBDA is offering a Systems Design placement where you will blend design viewpoints to satisfy customer needs, shaping architectures and coordinating with multiple engineering teams across Land, Maritime, Air and Cyber domains.

The role places you within a 2-year programme with ongoing salary reviews, a joining bonus, and clear progression in a leading defence organisation. Applicants must be British citizens or dual nationals and eligible for BPSS checks.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Maths, Technology, Computing or General Science with at least a 2:2.

Responsibilities

• Integrate design viewpoints to meet customer requirements with innovative solutions.
• Coordinate with development teams to optimise detailed design and performance.
• Support verification and validation activities across lab tests and trials.

Education

Engineering/Physics/Math/Science degree (2:2 min)

Job description

Systems Design is at the heart of the product lifecycle, providing an opportunity to experience every phase of development and collaborate across all engineering disciplines. From researching novel technologies and identifying customer needs, through concept development and performance assessment, to product verification in lab tests and firing trials - Systems Design underpins it all.

Salary: £31,900 plus a £3000 joining bonus

Dynamic Working: Up to 5 days per week on-site due to workload classification, depending on project

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship.

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

This role is scheduled to close for applications at midnight on Monday 2nd November 2026 but may close earlier depending on application volumes.

What we can offer you:

• 2 year Programme: starting September 2027
• Annual Salary Review
• Company bonus: up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime
• Annual Leave: 25 days plus option to purchase extra holiday
• Flexi Leave: up to 15 additional days
• Healthcare Cash Plan: provides support with everyday health related costs - including medical, dental, optical, physio and health & wellbeing.
• Excellent career progression and development opportunities
• Facilities: fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more...

The opportunity:

Systems Design engineers are responsible for bringing the full range of design viewpoints together - ensuring customer requirements are met by proposing innovative solutions, honing in on the detailed design, and coordinating with development teams to make best use of their expertise.

We offer exposure to a variety of engineering methodologies and processes across all domains - Land, Maritime, Air, and Cyber. Our Systems Design functions in Bristol are Weapon Systems, Command and Control Systems, Integration and Systems Validation, Emerging Portfolio and Capability, and Sparkworks.

Depending on your home function and choice of placements, you may be involved in technology research, deriving requirements, brainstorming concept solutions, developing functional architectures, analysing system performance, conducting trade studies, or gathering verification evidence in the lab or through offsite trials - we cover the whole Systems 'V' Model!

Systems Design is suited to those that enjoy the creativity and practicality of working with problems to arrive at logical solutions. Our people are adaptable and the role is varied and fast paced - innovation is the company value that we practice the most.

We collaborate with people across all engineering fields and business teams, meeting suppliers and customers, and engaging with international MBDA colleagues.

Systems Designers have a high-level view over the whole product definition and lifecycle, laying the foundations for the delivery of future weapons capabilities that achieve the best result for the Customer and MBDA.

What we're looking for from you:

Degree qualified in an Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Maths, Technology, Computing or General Science discipline (minimum 2:2).

Our company

Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more...

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.