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 summer 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.
Our 13 weeks Summer Placement Programme gives you the chance to work in the Materials Testing Laboratory; a lab that supports the production of our world leading radar and electro-optic products. Working under the guidance of experienced Material Engineers, you will be introduced to state-of-the-art methods, technology and equipment used to characterise materials and analyse failures. You will explore all aspects of the materials test lifecycle, which may include requirements analysis, design of samples, implementation of new processes, sample testing, and product support.
Throughout your placement, you’ll receive coaching and support from a dedicated team, with the potential to return for future placements or progress onto our Graduate Development Programme.
The programme will run from 01/06/2027 to 27/08/2027.
We expect you on site to integrate with your team and maximise your learning experience with the laboratory equipment.
For the Summer Placement Materials Engineer role, the acceptable degree programmes are typically:
This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.
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.
At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do, 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.
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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It is easily detectable when AI is being used in the process and this isn’t favoured as we want to learn about your authentic self. Our Early Careers Team and Hiring Managers review applications received and there is no AI algorithms involved in candidate selection.
