Trainee Test Technician

BAE Systems; Rochester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense and aerospace company in Rochester is seeking a Trainee Test Technician to join their training scheme. In this role, you will learn various testing aspects across manufacturing areas and gain hands-on experience in diagnosing faults. Candidates should have a BTEC/NVQ qualification in Engineering or Electronics. This opportunity offers a competitive salary and benefits, including a pension scheme and health plans, while contributing to high-tech projects.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health and wellbeing benefits

Green car scheme

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Must have a BTEC/NVQ level 2 or 3 qualification in Engineering/Electronics or equivalent experience.
• Higher electronics qualification is advantageous.
• Excellent communication skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Join a training scheme to learn various test aspects across four manufacturing areas.
• Learn to test products under supervision and diagnose faults.
• Perform acceptance tests and use test equipment effectively.

Skills

BTEC/NVQ level 2 or 3 qualification in Engineering/Electronics

Excellent written and verbal communication

Attention to detail

Education

BTEC/NVQ level 2 or 3 qualification in Engineering/Electronics or equivalent

Higher electronics qualification

Job description

Job Description - Trainee Test Technician (00133334)

Job Title

Trainee Test Technician

Salary

£25,665 (Increasing to £31,314 on successful completion of training)

What you’ll be doing

• You will join the scheme and spend six months learning a cross section of test aspects. You’ll receive experience in test sections across four different manufacturing areas of the business; you’ll also receive tuition in running a test, use of test equipment and some fundamentals of video signals and interfaces. On successful completion you will become a Test Technician
• For most of the six months training, you will be learning on section, with colleagues to tutor/coach you. You will be testing product under supervision, gradually moving to diagnosing faults. You will learn hand skills and if adept may also be changing defective components at some stage. You will be using our electronic aids and gradually interpreting specifications
• If successful, the role of a Test Technician is to: perform acceptance tests on our products, using a variety of test equipment and has an ability to diagnose faults within complex circuits. A Test Technician may also be able to rework product and assemble/inspect

Your skills and experiences

• A BTEC/NVQ level 2 or 3 qualification in Engineering/Electronics or equivalent electronics experience is essential
• A higher electronics qualification would be advantageous
• Excellent written and verbal communication with attention to detail

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Test Technician team

This role will provide you with the opportunity to utilise your current qualifications and experience to develop into a fully‑fledged Technician, and work with high technology BAE products such as Pilots Helmets, Head up Displays, Flight Control Computers, Sticks and Throttles.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date

29th January 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.