Systems Engineering Industrial Placement (Customer Support)

Leonardo UK Ltd; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 21,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Pension scheme with employer contrib.

Mental health support

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd invites industrial placement students to join our CS3 team and gain hands-on experience across the systems engineering lifecycle in the UK.

You’ll work on real projects, develop technical and professional skills, and contribute to solutions that keep critical capabilities available. This is a hybrid placement in the UK with security requirements and opportunities to learn from diverse engineering disciplines.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2:2 degree in a relevant STEM subject.
• Interest in engineering and Systems Engineering in industry.
• Curiosity and logical approach to solving unfamiliar problems.
• Self-motivation and proactive learning and problem solving.
• Ability to consider both detail and the wider system.
• Collaborative approach and willingness to learn from others.
• Organise and prioritise work and take ownership of tasks.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Use and develop technical knowledge to investigate problems.
• Develop Systems Engineering skills across design, development, integration and verification.
• Apply academic knowledge to real engineering challenges within cost and schedule constraints.
• Work collaboratively with engineers and specialists from multiple disciplines.
• Work with customers and stakeholders to understand needs and problems to solve.
• Capture, analyse and manage requirements and influence design and development.
• Use data analysis, modelling, visualisation and dashboards to support engineering decisions.
• Complete work to a high standard following engineering processes and standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering processes, methods and tools.

Skills

Curiosity

Self-motivation

Collaborative

Communication

Problem solving

Ownership

Learning agility

Attention to detail

Education

2:2 degree in STEM

Job description

Job Description

The opportunity: Are you ready to apply your studies to real-world engineering challenges and gain hands‑on experience from day one? At Leonardo, we're looking for industrial placement students who are curious about how complex systems work, enjoy solving problems and want to gain experience working on projects that make a real‑world difference. You'll have the opportunity to apply what you've learned at university, develop your technical and professional skills, and gain valuable insight into how engineering is delivered within industry. We have several exciting opportunities for Systems Engineering Industrial Placements within our Customer Support and Service Solutions (CS3) line of business. CS3 operates across the UK, developing and delivering innovative support solutions and services that help our customers keep critical capabilities available wherever and whenever they are needed.

Role Areas

• Support Solution Design: Help to understand customer needs and develop the support solutions and services that enable complex equipment to remain available and effective throughout its life. This could involve requirements, modelling, analysis and conceptual design, including work associated with Typhoon and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
• Technical Support: Develop hands‑on engineering experience through the testing, investigation and repair of some of our in‑service equipment across helicopters and fast jets. You could work with electronic‑based systems and associated test equipment, while developing your understanding of how individual products and equipment contribute to the wider support system.
• Digital: Help to develop, maintain and support digital tools used by our customers. These tools support activities such as asset and logistics management and decision‑making, using capabilities including data processing, reporting and visualisation. You will gain experience of how digital technologies and data can be used to understand customer problems and improve support solutions and services.
• CS3 Engineering Capability Development: Help us improve how we engineer and deliver support solutions across CS3. You could explore new technologies, analyse and visualise data, develop engineering methods and tools, or investigate new approaches that improve the services we provide to our customers.

What you'll do as a Systems Engineering Industrial Placement (Customer Support)

Depending on your specific role, you will have the opportunity to do a combination of the following:

• Use and develop your technical knowledge to investigate problems, generate ideas and contribute proactively within your team.
• Develop practical Systems Engineering skills in the design, development, integration and verification of complex systems and support solutions, while building your understanding of the processes and technologies involved.
• Apply your academic knowledge to real engineering challenges across the engineering lifecycle, developing your understanding of how high‑quality technical work is delivered within cost and schedule constraints.
• Work collaboratively with engineers and specialists from multiple disciplines, learning from their expertise and contributing your own ideas and perspectives.
• Work with customers and stakeholders to understand their needs, operational context and the problems they need us to solve.
• Help to capture, analyse and manage customer and stakeholder requirements, and understand how these influence the design and development of a solution.
• Use data analysis, modelling, visualisation and dashboards to support engineering decisions and communicate insights.
• Complete your work to a high standard and in accordance with appropriate engineering processes, procedures and standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering processes, methods and tools, and contribute ideas for how we can work more effectively.
• The exact activities will vary depending on the team and area you join, giving you the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of Systems Engineering while building your technical knowledge and practical experience.

What we need from you

• A minimum predicted 2:2 degree classification in a relevant subject. Preferred disciplines include Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science or another STEM subject.
• An interest in engineering and enthusiasm for developing your understanding of Systems Engineering in an industry environment.
• Curiosity and a logical approach to solving unfamiliar problems.
• Self‑motivation and a proactive approach to learning and problem solving.
• The ability to consider both the detail of a problem and the wider system or context.
• A collaborative approach and willingness to learn from, and share ideas with, people from different technical and professional backgrounds.
• The ability to organise and prioritise your work and take ownership of tasks, seeking guidance where appropriate.
• Confidence to ask questions, constructively challenge ideas and speak up when something doesn't look right.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical information and ideas to different audiences.
• A willingness to seek feedback, learn from experience and develop increasing independence as your knowledge and confidence grow.
• An enthusiasm for contributing ideas and exploring different ways to solve technical and customer problems.
• You do not need previous experience of the defence or aerospace industry.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we encourage you to apply even if you don't yet have experience in all of the areas above. We recognise that an Industrial Placement is an opportunity to develop your skills and experience. A positive attitude, curiosity and a willingness to learn are some of the most important qualities we're looking for.

Security Clearance

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 individuals 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

• Time to recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• 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.
• Tailored perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.

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 our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location: GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300 Additional Locations: 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!