At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop and maintain software for Test Equipment in a dynamic engineering environment.
- Company: Join MBDA, a leading defence organisation supporting the Armed Forces.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, bonuses, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by solving practical engineering problems with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in software development, particularly in C, C++, or C#.
The predicted salary is between 40000 - 65000 £ per year.
MBDA is looking for Software Engineers to join the Software Resource and Capability Team, working on Test Equipment software in support of manufacturing, production test, integration and wider engineering activities.
Salary: £40,000 - £65,000 depending on experience
Dynamic (hybrid) working: 4 to 5 Days a week in the office
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.
What we can offer you:
- Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
- Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
- Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime
- Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days
- Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
- Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave - enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
- Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more...
The opportunity:
This is an opportunity to join a growing Test Equipment Software capability supporting MBDA's UK test and manufacturing environment. Test Equipment Software plays a critical role in enabling the configuration, verification, validation and production testing of MBDA products. The software developed and supported by the team is used alongside specialist Test Equipment hardware to prove product conformance, support manufacturing output, investigate test issues and maintain reliable test capability across development and manufacturing environments.
The role is practical, varied and production (manufacturing) facing. You will develop, maintain, support and improve software used within complex test systems, including test applications, automated test sequences, diagnostic tools, equipment interfaces, data capture, configuration tools and software that interacts with hardware, firmware, operating systems and production test environments. This is not a role limited to writing code in isolation. It suits engineers who enjoy solving practical engineering problems, working close to real equipment, understanding how software behaves in physical test environments, and helping build reliable, supportable and well documented test solutions.
The team will support both stability and improvement: ensuring existing Test Equipment software remains reliable and available, while identifying opportunities to standardise, automate, improve diagnostics, reduce recurring issues and strengthen long-term supportability.
What you will be doing:
- Developing and maintaining software used to control, configure, verify and validate MBDA products through Test Equipment
- Supporting production & manufacturing facing Test Equipment software and associated test environments
- Investigating software, hardware, firmware, configuration, interface and integration issues affecting test capability
- Working with engineers and operators to understand symptoms, reproduce issues, gather evidence and support root-cause analysis
- Supporting software updates, maintenance activities and controlled changes to Test Equipment software
- Improving documentation, support notes, runbooks and knowledge capture for critical Test Equipment systems
- Helping identify recurring issues, support risks, software dependencies and improvement opportunities
What we're looking for from you:
We are looking for software or electronics engineer with transferable skills into software development and support for Test Equipment solutions. You should have:
- Strong ability to write software in languages such as C, C++ or C#
- Some Python experience would be useful but is not essential
- A practical engineering mindset and an interest in software that interacts with hardware, equipment, firmware, operating systems or real-world test environments
- Strong analytical and problem-solving ability, including the ability to investigate issues where the root cause may not initially be clear
- A willingness to support existing systems as well as develop new or improved software solutions
- A methodical approach to debugging, evidence gathering, documentation and controlled change
- Good communication skills and the ability to work with Software, Electronics, Electrical, Manufacturing, Test, Validation and Product Design Support teams
- An interest in mission-critical engineering where software quality, test reliability and production continuity matter
You will enjoy this role if you like solving practical technical problems, working close to real products and equipment, and being part of a team that helps keep critical test capability stable, understood and improving over time.
Useful experience:
Experience in any of the following would be beneficial, but is not essential:
- Test Equipment software or automated test systems
- Software that interfaces with test instruments such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analysers, signal generators, power supplies, multimeters or similar equipment
- Hardware/software integration
- Manufacturing or production support environments
- Diagnostic or data capture tools
- Equipment interfaces such as serial, Ethernet, USB, GPIB or similar
- Windows or Linux-based test environments
- Firmware or embedded systems awareness
- LabVIEW, TestStand or similar test tools
- Configuration management, version control or working in safety-critical, regulated or high-integrity engineering environments
Our company:
Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given. MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.
We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity 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.
Software Engineer — Test Equipment Software in Manchester employer: Mbda Uk
MBDA is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, offering flexible working arrangements and a comprehensive benefits package including a generous pension scheme and enhanced parental leave. Employees are encouraged to grow through hands-on experience in a collaborative environment, where they can tackle real-world engineering challenges while contributing to critical defence projects that support the Armed Forces.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Software Engineer — Test Equipment Software in Manchester
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We think you need these skills to ace Software Engineer — Test Equipment Software in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Mbda Uk.
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How to prepare for a job interview at Mbda Uk
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Mbda Uk uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
