Mechanical Engineer in Stevenage

• 10 week placement: Starting June 2027, that allows you to apply your university learning to real-world projects and technologies
• Perform well on your placement and you could secure a graduate role before your final year
• Pension: Maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Overtime: Opportunity for paid overtime
• Annual Leave: 5 days
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more

The opportunity:

The Mechanical Engineering department develops physical solutions from concept through development and certification to production on missiles and weapon systems. The nature of complex weapons and the environments they operate in present an extensive scope of unique and interesting mechanical engineering challenges. You'll get hands‑on work experience from all placements - interaction with hardware is highly encouraged to help further understanding of our products. This could mean use of rapid prototyping facilities, getting involved in external manufacture or participating in assembly builds and laboratory tests. You'll learn from our engineers' knowledge in complex weapons and Defence technology across all departments. Summer placement students often work collaboratively with other closely related departments on a common project supported by a network of technical specialists. These dynamic projects are at the forefront of innovation and capture the latest trends and concepts to deliver future novel solutions within the battlespace. You could gain experience in some of the following areas:

• Mechanical Design - Be involved in all stages of design from concept development through to manufacture. This role relies on CAD tools and gives opportunity to be involved in laboratory test programs.
• Mechanical Future Concepts - Positioned at the cutting‑edge of missile technology, gain experience in the early stages of the product lifecycle from concept generation to research & development (R&D) studies.
• Mechanical Analysis - Develop specialist technical solutions to aid the design process. With Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools and laboratory testing, conduct detailed stress and thermal analysis on structures and mechanical systems.
• Actuation Systems - Working within a multi-disciplinary team on the electro‑mechanical design of fin, wing and seeker actuation systems. The role is broadly similar to the Mechanical Design placement with the added possibility of working in a cross‑discipline, international team.
• Materials and Processes - Advise design teams in the principles of materials science, and evaluate their ideas against material compatibility; this offers the chance to get involved in top‑tier research of novel materials as well as practical lab based assessments, You'll be able to choose between a variety of online learning platforms such as Percipio, YouLearn, Career Builder and Video Gateway. Each one is tailored to a specific type of learning. Speak to your line manager to find out more.

We encourage new learning and will provide up to £150 in financial support per year if you wish to participate in further study in your own time. You'll have access to our Learning Gateway, which hosts the formal course catalogue and is where you can select the right training for your role and future development. The catalogue displays which courses are being delivered virtually or are classroom based. If you want to lead a team, you might be interested in our management training, designed for people of all experience levels.

Current undergraduate working towards a Degree in an Engineering discipline (incl. General, Mechanical, Production/Manufacturing, Aeronautical/Aerospace), Materials Science or Technology Degree discipline.

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of our employee‑led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more... We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

The Mechanical Engineering department develops physical solutions from concept through development and certification to production on missiles and weapon systems. The nature of complex weapons and the environments they operate in present an extensive scope of unique and interesting mechanical engineering challenges. You could be part of our team!

Salary: £24,460 (pro rata) Dynamic working: 3-4 days per week on-site due to workload classification Security clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship. Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.