Job Description:

Your 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 industrial placement students who want to be part of something extraordinary—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.

What you will do as an Industrial Placement Software Engineer

You can look forward to working with highly skilled professionals who are passionate about their work of designing and developing cutting edge technology for a worldwide market.

It is likely that you will need to be in the office for a least 4 days per week, although you may be able to work some days from home, depending on your projects. You will report to an experienced Software Engineer who will provide day to day guidance and on-the-job training. You will be introduced to the software development processes and utilise state-of-the-art methods, technology and tools. You will also gain experience on one or more aspects of the software development lifecycle, which could include: applied research, requirements analysis, design, implementation, integration and test.

During your 1-year placement, you will spend half of your time working on an existing customer-facing project and the other half working on a project with other industrial placement software, systems, electronics, firmware, hardware and antenna engineers. There will also be opportunities to work as STEM ambassadors in schools, colleges and universities.

Particular emphasis will be placed on learning practical skills that may not be easily gained or experienced in the academic environment of a university.

Key Responsibility Areas

As part of our early careers community, you will work alongside developers and experts in an environment that is both challenging and rewarding.  Your responsibilities will include:

• Gaining experience, applying your knowledge of software engineering as part of an Integrated Project Team.

• Developing practical skills in design techniques for land, sea or aerospace applications. 

• Growing your understanding of the business as well as the software engineering lifecycle.

What you will bring

Entry Requirements

All of our Industrial Placement roles require you to be currently studying a relevant degree discipline.

We would like to hear from you if you are currently studying the following degrees

• Software Engineering

• Computer Science

• Need to have an understanding of software engineering principles with knowledge of programming in one or more software language(s).

• Possess excellent communication and inter-personal skills and have the confidence and ability to challenge and contribute.

• Have an enthusiasm and passion for software development.

• Be able to demonstrate and apply system-level thinking.

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 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, our teams are key contributors in shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.  

We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive. 

• 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. 

Start your extraordinary career – apply now! 

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