Software Industrial Placement

Leonardo’s Industrial Placement programme offers a paid placement (£25,000) to develop the knowledge and skills required to become an engineering or business professional of the future. On this programme, you will engage with challenging and exciting project work, delivering innovative business or technical solutions as part of a team of subject matter experts. Throughout the programme, you will receive coaching and support from your team to achieve both your objectives and personal development goals. The placement provides a wide array of experience that you can apply to your academic studies and future career.

At Leonardo, we value individuals who are dedicated to their personal development. Successful completion of an Industrial Placement with Leonardo can lead to an offer on our Graduate Development Programme. We are seeking highly motivated individuals who are willing to take on a challenge, with a high degree of customer focus and work performance to meet operational challenges. If you are willing and able to commit to giving your best performance, you will find Leonardo a very rewarding place to work!

Our Central London team is looking for talented and enthusiastic software engineers to develop and maintain internal knowledge management software for our MOD customer. The role is well-suited to those with a Computer Science background who wish to apply their abilities in a broad corporate context.

The Type of Projects You Will Be Working On:

• Customer Integration: Join a weapons project team within the larger Defence Analytics Group based in Central London. The group integrates government employees, members of the armed forces, and other contractors.
• The Challenge: Develop and maintain in-house knowledge management software for weapons systems. This tool, primarily written in C#, links into underlying databases and presents the information via a web interface.
• Collaboration: Work closely with wider teams across the customer base to understand their requirements, with opportunities to contribute, influence, challenge, and improve joint ways of working and knowledge.
• Breadth: Work in an environment with varied challenges, supporting different customer requirements.

What You Will Do:

• Collaborate with the Principal Software Engineer: Assist in prototyping, designing, developing, and maintaining our in-house front-end application and product website.
• Database Management: Support the maintenance, development, and querying of the back-end database.
• Production Runs: Participate in monthly production runs to deliver updated weapons assessments to various partners, addressing technical and strategic integration challenges across different environments.
• Customer Support: Provide ad hoc advice and support to MOD customers, often at short notice.
• Travel: Travel within the UK for customer and delivery support.

What We Need From You:

• Currently studying a relevant degree discipline such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a STEM degree with a strong emphasis on programming and the ability to apply these skills to a variety of problems.
• Front-End Development: Experience with or willingness to learn languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks such as ASP.NET for designing and maintaining web applications.
• Software Development: Experience with software prototyping, design, and development, with knowledge of programming languages such as C#, .NET, XAML, and WPF.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to address technical and strategic challenges, particularly in integrating systems across different environments.
• Customer Support: Strong communication and interpersonal skills to provide effective support and advice to customers, often on short notice.
• Project Management: Organizational skills to assist in managing production runs and delivering updates on schedule.
• The ability to work on-site in central London.

It Would Be Nice If You Had:

• Back-End Database Management: Knowledge of SQL and experience with database management systems like Transact-SQL for maintaining and querying databases.
• An appreciation and interest in aerospace technologies.

What You Will Get:

• Impact: Help ensure that MOD’s weapon assessments are robust and delivered in a timely manner to UK Defence partners and front-line forces.
• Opportunity: Play a key role in the delivery of MOD weapon assessments, a critical input to MOD’s equipment procurement programs.
• Knowledge: Develop an understanding of C# coding within a real-world project and an engaged customer base.
• Skills: Develop a range of software, project planning, and interpersonal skills.
• Insights: Work within a Leonardo team that is fully integrated with its MOD customer, providing an excellent opportunity to see firsthand how the MOD operates.
• Teamwork: Collaborate with a diverse technical team in a highly collaborative environment.

Please note that in order to apply for this opportunity, you must be eligible for UK Security Clearance. This role requires Developed Vetting. For more information and guidance, please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels

At Leonardo, we are strongly committed to supporting all our people. As society and the working environment evolve, our approach to Inclusion and Diversity continues to adapt to reflect this. A culture of inclusion fosters greater collaboration, innovation, and opportunities to develop as an organization. If you are willing to commit to giving your best performance, you will find Leonardo a highly rewarding place to work.

Additional Details:

• Primary Location: GB - London - Whitehall
• Contract Type: Fixed Term
• Hybrid Working: Onsite