Composites Engineering Industrial Placement 2027

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.

What to Expect

We are recruiting for interns to join our fantastic Engineering and Quality teams at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre based in Sheffield. The successful candidates will support the Engineering and/or Quality teams to plan, implement and control changes to design, manufacturing, project and facility workstreams.

This is a 12-month, full-time Industrial Placement designed to give you hands-on experience and practical insight. You’ll work alongside experienced professionals, gaining exposure to the tools, processes, and mindset that bring our iconic cars to life.

Please note this is an on-site position.

What You'll Do

As an Engineering Intern, you will be gaining valuable experience within our Engineering and/or Quality teams on a one-year placement. This will include, but may not be limited to, working in these key areas:

• Identifying, planning, undertaking and supporting development activities to improve composite manufacturing processes
• Optimise process and material flow, identify and mitigate bottlenecks through technical innovation
• Support production activities, including process or technical fault finding, and respond to product quality concerns with containment and countermeasure actions
• Record, process, analyse and interpret complex process data to improve process knowledge, drive technical development, and resolve problems in a robust manner

What You'll Bring

• You must be currently studying for a relevant degree in composite research, engineering or a related degree at a UK university and on track to achieve a 2:1 or above. 
• You must also bring a passion for cars, and a desire to work at the cutting edge of the automotive industry within our Composites business area. 
• Enthusiasm for the automotive industry. 
• Strong communication and collaboration skills. 

You must also bring a passion for cars, and a desire to work at the cutting edge of the automotive industry within our Engineering business area.

Personal Attributes:

We’re looking for individuals who combine expertise with curiosity, energy, and commitment to innovation. Desirable traits include:

• Engineering mindset – a passion for process excellence, quality, and hands-on problem-solving. 
• Operational curiosity – interest in how a high-performance product iscreated at scale. 
• Attention to detail – care and precision in analysis, planning, and execution. 
• Continuous improvement thinking – always looking for ways to do things better. 
• Adaptability – able to pivot between technical detail and big-picture thinking. 
• Team collaboration – thrive in cross-functional environments, building trust with operators, engineers, and leadership. 
• Resilience – ability to work through challenges and maintain momentum in a high-precision, time-critical environment. 
• Ownership – proactive in taking responsibility and seeing tasks through to completion. 
• Effective communicator – clear and confident when presenting solutions and progress. 
• AI proficiency -  comfortable using AI tools ethically and effectively to support learning, productivity, innovation, and problem-solving
• Passion for performance engineering – enthusiastic about McLaren’s vision and products. 

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:

• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days.
• Enhanced company pension scheme.
• Discretionary annual bonus award.
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan.
• Life assurance benefit.
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping.
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice.
• Opportunities to experience our fantastic cars.

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