Joining the Environmental Test Stevenage team as a placement engineer offers a premier opportunity to launch your career within a world-class facility carrying a rich heritage in space qualification. The role is defined by its exceptionally dynamic nature, keeping you at the forefront of aerospace engineering as you actively engage across diverse test disciplines such as Thermal Vacuum (TVAC), Vibration, Shock, and Climatic environmental testing. No two days are the same, with hands-on tasks ranging from simulating extreme space environments (-180°C to +150°C) to evaluating hardware durability under sudden, intense forces. In addition to supporting major internal projects, our facility operates as a thriving commercial enterprise, generating a substantial £350K to £800K annually in external business revenue from SMEs within the UK space community and other high-tech sectors. This strong commercial footprint, coupled with projected annual growth of up to 10%, ensures you will gain invaluable exposure to both advanced technical validation and real-world business operations.
The Environmental Test Stevenage team actively champions its social and environmental responsibilities by driving investments that mitigate operational risks and implementing robust local area safety inspections to ensure an incident-free workplace. What makes our team truly exciting is the opportunity to work within a world-class facility with a long, rich heritage in space qualification, operating dynamic, 24-hour shift cycles to simulate extreme environments. The real difference lies in our dual impact: we deliver high-consequence internal qualification programs for critical space flight hardware while simultaneously running a thriving commercial enterprise that powers growth across the broader UK space community. Together, we tackle great challenges, validating next-generation technologies against extreme space environments, ensuring product reliability under violent launch forces.
Role Overview
This 12-month placement is designed to provide a broad and immersive exposure to the core disciplines of Environmental Testing (EVT) within the space industry. You will work at the heart of our operations, gaining comprehensive, hands-on test engineering knowledge across two primary domains: Vibration Testing (small and large shakers) and Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing.
The internship serves as a critical talent pipeline, where you will undertake work of genuine value for Airbus Defence and Space while developing the professional skills necessary to embark on a career as a graduate or entry-level engineer.
Key Responsibilities
As an EVT Intern, you will be expected to transition from an observer to an active contributor within our technical team. Your responsibilities will include:
Professional Development & Ownership
Airbus provides the environment, but you provide the drive. This role requires a high degree of self-motivation.
Our placements are open to Undergraduates only. Therefore it is mandatory for candidates to be an undergraduate for the whole duration of the placement. Please inform your graduation date on your application.
Please ensure you include your CV and a cover letter for your application to be considered.
This role will involve working in areas which require stakeholder, brand and reputation management and involvement with internal and external audiences.
Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following:
SECURITY CLEARANCE: You will be subject to a BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) check. You may also need to gain UK SC-level Security Clearance or Export Control, depending on the role.
Please let us know if you need us to make any adjustments to allow you to access and participate fully in the recruitment process. If you wish to discuss this further please contact us. Any information disclosed will be treated in the strictest confidence.
This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.
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Our team reviews applications personally – no AI algorithms are involved in sifting through applications. We want to see your own communication skills and how you explain your experiences. We want to hear about your insights and how you link your background to what the job actually needs at Airbus. We're recruiting you for the human qualities and talents.
