Hardware Engineer Intern

Job Description:

Your impact

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 Industrial 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 Industrial Placement Programme

Our Industrial Placement Programme offers you the chance to spend a year with us, working on meaningful projects alongside subject matter experts, within multidisciplinary teams, and across the product lifecycle. You’ll receive a salary of £26,228, with coaching and support from a dedicated team to help you achieve both your placement objectives and personal development goals.

Successful completion of an Industrial Placement with Leonardo may also lead to an offer on our Graduate Development Programme.

During your placement, we encourage you to spend at least three days each week on site to integrate with your team and maximise your learning experience. This Opportunity is based in Luton.

 During the programme, you will

As part of our Hardware Engineering team, you'll support the development of high-performance electronic hardware used within advanced Electronic Warfare solutions.

Your activities will include:

• Supporting the design and development of analogue, digital and mixed-signal hardware systems
• Assisting with schematic capture, circuit analysis and design activities
• Supporting integration, verification and qualification activities
• Conducting laboratory testing, debugging and validation using specialist electronic test equipment
• Analysing technical performance data and presenting findings to engineering teams
• Collaborating with systems, firmware, software and RF engineers on multidisciplinary projects
• Contributing to technical documentation and design reviews

Your Industrial Placement Project

Approximately 50% of your placement will be dedicated to a cohort-led Industrial Placement project.

Working with placement students from across the organisation, you'll take ownership of a business-focused project from concept to delivery. You'll be responsible for planning activities, managing stakeholders and delivering outcomes that create real value for the business.

What We're Looking For

You should be studying towards a degree in:

• Electronic Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Robotics Engineering
• AI & Cybernetics
• Physics or Applied Physics
• Engineering Physics
• Mathematics or Applied Mathematics
• Communications Engineering
• Information Engineering
• Space Engineering
• Computer Communication and Networks
• Cyber Security or related STEM disciplines

We'd also like to see:

• An interest in electronic hardware design and development
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong communication and teamwork skills
• A willingness to learn and take ownership of challenging tasks
• An interest in laboratory-based engineering and testing activities

The Placement Experience

You'll benefit from:

• Hands-on experience on real engineering projects
• Mentoring from experienced engineers
• Technical and professional skills development
• A dedicated Industrial Placement cohort project
• Exposure to multiple engineering disciplines and technologies
• Opportunities to build your professional network across Leonardo

Security Clearance 

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. 

For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting 

Why join us 

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do, our teams are 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. 

• 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. 
• Tailored perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more. 

For a full list of our company benefits please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/company-benefits 

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!

Primary Location:

GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type:

Fixed term

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid