Industrial Placement Software Engineer in Edinburgh

At Leonardo, we’re looking for Industrial Placement students who want to be part of something bigger—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.

The Opportunity (12 month placement opportunities)

You’ll receive a salary of £25,000, with coaching and support from a dedicated team to help you achieve both your placement objectives and personal development goals.

What you will do as a Software Engineering Industrial Placement

• Report to an experienced 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.
• Be responsible for creating high quality and robust code, for fully documenting and recording your work products, keeping them under configuration management and providing plans and reports on progress to your supervisor.
• Deliver technical reports and presentations on your work assignments to your supervisor and fellow placement students.
• Learn the skills required for software development, including design techniques for aerospace applications, key processes, modelling tools, compilers, and test environments.
• Work closely with Software, Systems, Firmware and Electronics Engineers to solve real integration problems on a complex system.
• Showcase what you have learned and achieved during your placement to the Head of Software and the wider team.

Skills, Qualifications and Knowledge Required

• Working towards a relevant degree discipline e.g. Software Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics or Electronic Engineering (BSc (Hon) / BEng (Hon) / MEng).
• Experience of computer programming and a passion for designing software and writing code.
• Experience with an object‑oriented programming language such as C++ and knowledge of UML is an advantage but not essential.

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 may apply.

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. Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year. Benefit from an award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution. Free access to mental health support, financial advice and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity. Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech.