Job Details
Job Description
Manufacturing Engineer Placement 2026 - Bolton
Manufacturing Engineering is part of the Operations directorate based at our Manufacturing Centre of Excellence. Manufacturing consists of Assembly, Integration and Test of all our products for the company. The products we make are delivered directly to the customer/end user and therefore manufacturing are vitally important to the delivery aspects of MBDAs business.
Salary: £23,495
Dynamic (Hybrid) Working: 5 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.
CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ROLE IS MIDNIGHT ON 5TH JANUARY 2026 (SUBJECT TO APPLICATION VOLUMES)
What we can offer you
- 1 year placement: starting September 2026, that allows you to apply your university learning to real-world projects and technologies
- Company bonus: 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
- Annual Leave: 25 days plus option to purchase extra holiday
- Flexi Leave: up to 15 additional days
- Facilities: fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…
The opportunity
Manufacturing engineers work closely with design to influence the producibility of designs. They are also responsible for the ‘how' we build our products including being responsible for:
- Any tooling required to build our products.
- Instructions on how to build our products.
- The cost of manufacture of our products.
- The industrial validations of our production lines and our suppliers.
- Day-to-day support of our operators building our products.
- The architecture of the production lines.
- Developing new manufacturing processes.
Each day for a manufacturing engineer is different, it is a mix of time spent on the shop floor and office based working. There are also opportunities to travel to other MBDA sites and countries, plus visiting suppliers. As part of dynamic working there may be opportunities to do some work remotely, however due to the nature of the job, there will always be a requirement to work on site some of the time.
In Manufacturing, you are also able to not only see but also be part of the realisation of our products.
What we're looking for from you
- Studying towards a degree in Physics or Maths or various Engineering degrees (Aerospace, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Systems, Electrical/Electronic and General).
- An ‘Engineering Mind-set'. This is the ability to take technical information and turn it into something that can be used in building our products, the ability to find improvements and cost saving in the production of our products, the problem solving when something needs fixing.
Application Process
- Submit an application - Our application form contains a few factual questions, some questions relating to the role you have applied for and a section for you to tell us all about you!
- Online assessment - Part OneNext in our process is part one of our online strengths assessment, completely tailored to our business and early careers schemes. After completing our assessment you'll receive a personalised report.
- Online assessment - Part TwoPart two of our online assessments include three video recorded tasks which are authentic work scenario based activities which you could be doing on your programme - we refer to these as job simulations.
- Assessment centre - Our strength based assessment centre is a half day virtual experience! You’ll get to work on a range of tasks, meet current programme members and people from the department you have applied for. All candidates receive feedback on their performance.
- Offer - We’ll call you within a week of your assessment day to talk through your feedback and the finer details of your offer, as well as next steps.
Information
Training and Development
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.
Dynamic Working
The way we work is changing and your schedule will reflect that. For non-executive employees, we have a flexi-time scheme that allows you to choose, within certain parameters, when you start and finish each day and how you can use time you have accrued. If you have worked the time, you are also able to accrue and take up to 15 days of Flexi-leave per annum, in addition to the 25 days of annual leave provided and bank holidays.
Security Clearance
All employees at MBDA are required to hold UK Security or BPSS Clearance.
For further information, please view our Security & Vetting page.
How to apply
To apply for this role and to find out more, please click on the apply button. Please note that applications may close before the application deadline, so apply early to avoid disappointment.
Job Details

About MBDA
A leading company in the defence industry, we collaborate across Europe to develop cutting-edge defence capabilities that keep our nation and its allies safe. What we work together to achieve is important. And it gives everyone the opportunity to become the best at what they do
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About MBDA
A leading company in the defence industry, we collaborate across Europe to develop cutting-edge defence capabilities that keep our nation and its allies safe. What we work together to achieve is important. And it gives everyone the opportunity to become the best at what they do
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Rating based on 214 Reviews
This score is based on honest feedback written by students who’ve worked at MBDA.
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