Graduate Hardware Engineer

Job Description:

Your impact Are you ready to launch your career and make an impact on real-world projects from day one? At Leonardo, we’re looking for graduates who want to be part of something extraordinary - shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. We are committed to developing our graduates into leading technical or business professionals, and as such we will also support you through your preferred route for professional development.

Our structured 18-month Graduate Programme is designed to accelerate your development from graduate to professional engineer. From day one, you’ll contribute to real projects, work alongside industry experts, and gain hands‑on experience across the full hardware development lifecycle. This opportunity is based in Luton, with flexible and hybrid working arrangements available. Occasional travel within the UK and overseas may be required to support technical reviews, trials and customer engagements.

On joining, you will receive a starting salary of £34,000 per annum, plus a £1,000 welcome bonus. You’ll also be eligible for a £1,000 exit bonus upon successful completion of the programme. In addition, you may be eligible for a Temporary Accommodation Allowance (TAA), subject to specific criteria.

• Designing and developing analogue, digital and mixed-signal hardware solutions for a range of defence platforms
• Supporting hardware development activities throughout the engineering lifecycle, from concept and detailed design through to integration, verification and qualification
• Creating circuit designs, schematics and supporting analyses using industry-standard design and simulation tools
• Conducting laboratory testing, debugging and validation using specialist electronic test equipment
• Analysing technical data and presenting findings to engineering teams and stakeholders
• Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across systems, firmware, software, RF and mechanical engineering to integrate hardware solutions into larger products
• Contributing to technical documentation, design reviews and customer deliverables
• Developing an understanding of the complete engineering lifecycle, from concept through to manufacture and in-service support

A minimum 2:2 Bachelor’s degree, Integrated Master’s degree, MSc or PhD in a relevant STEM discipline, such as:
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 Related disciplines

• An interest in electronic hardware design, circuit development or embedded systems
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• The ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and effectively
• A collaborative approach and willingness to learn from experienced engineers
• Experience of design, simulation, programming or laboratory-based testing gained through university projects, placements or personal interests (desirable, not essential)
• Familiarity with circuit design, schematic capture or simulation tools is beneficial but not essential, as training will be provided

• Structured professional development and technical training
• Support from experienced engineers, mentors and the wider graduate community
• Opportunities to work on meaningful projects with real customer impact
• Development towards professional registration, where applicable
• Exposure to a wide range of technologies, products and engineering discipline
• Networking opportunities across Leonardo’s UK business
• Security Clearance

Many of our roles are subject to security…