Senior Equipment Engineer in Southampton

Salary: £43K - 54K. Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your Impact

We have an exciting opportunity to join our onsite Equipment Engineering team based in Southampton. The team's charter is to maintain, calibrate and repair a range of electronic, semiconductor and high vacuum equipment across the Southampton production facility, ensuring 95% uptime. The successful candidate will deal with all aspects of machine lifecycle, in a predominantly hands-on role, with no two days doing the same thing.

Tasks you may be asked to assist with include:

• Calibration of electrical/mechanical equipment
• Maintenance of manual or automatic high vacuum equipment
• Fault finding in electrical or electronic systems
• Fault finding or leak testing vacuum systems
• Contacting OEMs and fixing problems in state-of-the-art computer-controlled semiconductor equipment
• Fault finding in logic-based systems from the 1980s, and in cases where the OEM no longer exists, reverse engineering the system to find solutions

As a Senior Manufacturing Engineer, you will also be required to assist in the design, development and build of one-off bespoke test solutions. Every project is different and can be a mixture of electrical, electronic, mechanical, vacuum systems, pneumatic or software, so a willingness to investigate, learn and ask questions is vital. Projects will also require costing, budget approval and putting together documentation (operator manuals, maintenance manuals, circuit diagrams, and technical construction files).

At times you will be working independently but also as part of a team, managing your own workload. As a senior member of the team, you will be expected to mentor and coach less experienced members of the team in various technical areas. An important facet of project work is to be aware of current innovations, new products, and services which may help us now or in the future.

What you'll bring

• Educated to degree level in a relevant engineering discipline (Electronics Engineering, Engineering Science, Physics or another relevant discipline) or possessing equivalent industry experience, with expertise in a related professional engineering specialism demonstrated through an appropriate qualification
• Strong technical knowledge and practical experience in the design, build, maintenance, and operation of high vacuum systems
• Strong knowledge of health and safety, COSHH and risk assessments
• A working knowledge of MS (Project, Word & Excel)
• A knowledge of PLC or computer programming
• Desirable: a knowledge of cryogenics
• Desirable: a knowledge of high-pressure gases
• Desirable: a knowledge of PUWER and UKCA regulations
• Desirable: a knowledge of AutoCAD
• Desirable: a knowledge of SAP systems

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.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. 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.
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part-time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website. Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo 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 and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!