Space Systems Engineering Degree Apprenticeship

Start date:

31st August 2027

Location:

Airbus Defence & Space Portsmouth Duration: 4 years University:
University of Portsmouth Degree: BEng (Hons) Space Systems Engineering Final date to receive applications:
Applications will be open until 26 October 2026. After this date, the advert will close once sufficient applications are received. Early submission is recommended. We love your interest in joining Airbus! There is no limit on the number of positions you can apply for. However, please be aware that you can only progress in the selection process for one position at a time.

We recommend reviewing all available opportunities and applying to those that best match your experience and aspirations.

• Salary: £23,000
• 37 hours per week // Half day Fridays!*
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Pension
• Success share
• Plus many more flexible benefits!

* subject to completing full hours prior to this

Ever thought about working on the largest space craft in the UK? Because That’s what we do in Portsmouth; we design, build and test satellites! Interested in the thought that a year after this application, you could be in one of the largest clean-rooms in the space sector, integrating hardware onto a payload or helping develop some of the most technical advanced electronic equipment for space..

to then watch it launch into space later on? There are few other experiences like that! More detail is important;
We’re part of Airbus Defence & Space - the biggest space company in Europe, and a major player in the UK’s growing space sector. What do we make? Advanced satellites that help monitor climate change, keep the world connected, and even power your favourite TV shows. (Yep, all national satellite TV in the UK? That’s us.) Our team in Portsmouth builds the “brains” of the satellite – the payload.

It’s where the real magic happens, and we lead the world in some of the tech we make and use! The satellites we help build weigh up to 6 tonnes and are launched into space to beam TV, internet, and secure communications around the globe – including to military teams on the move. Oh, and it’s not just about space.

We also support maritime satellite terminals – that means keeping ships and crews connected across oceans, no matter where they are in the world. So yes, you could help connect people literally everywhere – from sea to sky. Whether you’re into tech, space, creativity, or just want to work on something that actually matters – this could be your launchpad.

Apprentices join us from all different backgrounds, from all over the UK! So no matter where you're from, what school or college you went to, we encourage you to apply!

Our Level 6 Space Systems Apprenticeship Pathway:
Being a degree apprentice at Airbus Defence & Space means you will get to develop skills in systems engineering, hardware design, coding skills amongst many other skills and competencies across a range of internal placements across the businesses many functions. This pathway will enable you to become a well rounded space systems engineer, working on flight hardware in clean-rooms to laboratories, design offices and engineering plateaus, whilst surrounded by technical experts, industry leaders and fellow early careers.

What will you study? You will study towards an BEng (Hons) in Space Systems Engineering at Portsmouth University in a day release format. We have been collaborating with Portsmouth University on the delivery of this course for some years, and therefore you will join early careers cohorts who are already in the later years of their programmes, bringing a strong peer support network when you start.

• Learn and understand the architecture of an Airbus Defence & Space…