Leonardo 2026 graduate opportunities

Company Company profile

Leonardo is a leading global company in the Aerospace and Security sectors, developing cuttingedge technologies across multiple domains. In the UK, we play a vital role in major international programmes and are a trusted partner to governments, agencies and industry.

Graduate Opportunities at Leonardo UK

We’re recruiting the next generation of engineers, innovators and problem solvers.

As a graduate, apprentice or placement student, you’ll:

Work on realworld aerospace projects that make a difference
Gain handson engineering experience supported by expert mentors
Collaborate with highly skilled teams passionate about technology and innovation

Why Choose Leonardo Graduate Programmes?

Career Development: Our graduate programmes develop promising young graduates into engineers and business professionals of the future.

Real Impact: From radar technology at our Edinburgh site to our Home of British Helicopters in Yeovil, you’ll gain practical experience at the forefront of technological innovation.

Gold Accreditation: Recognised by Investors in Young People for our commitment to educational development.

The 5% Club: Proud supporter of initiatives to expand the UK’s pool of engineering talent through apprenticeships and graduate recruitment.

Graduate Training & Induction: You’ll receive tailored training, mentorship from industry experts, and support towards achieving professional accreditation such as chartered status.

Leonardo Funded Benefits for UK employees

At Leonardo, we believe that our employees work best when they are able to achieve balance between work and other aspects of life. That’s why we are committed to designing policies and developing a working environment that promote the benefits and wellbeing of all our employees.

Salary: As a graduate, you can expect a starting salary of £34,000.

Flexible working and additional flex-leave schemes: Options to balance work and life, with team collaboration across locations.

Flexible benefits: Our company-funded approach to flexible benefits allows employees to make choices appropriate for them. Each employee has access to a wide choice of lifestyle, health and wellbeing options best suited to their individual lifestyle goals. Options include:

Discounted private medical and dental care
Offers on the latest technology
Gym memberships
Health screening
The Bike to Work scheme
The ability to buy and sell annual leave

Learning & Development: We help assess your development needs in line with the role you wish to perform and allow you to further develop your knowledge. This includes

Health and Wellbeing: Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) helps our staff keep physically and mentally healthy, and safe whilst at work.

For a full list of our company benefits please see our website here.

Recognition

2025 Glassdoor Best Places to Work
Named one of the Best Employers by LinkedIn 2025
TIME’s World’s Best Companies for Sustainable Growth 2026

Case studies

Name: Jenny McCullagh
Role: Graduate Cyber Security Engineer

Description:

What is your current role at Leonardo?

I am currently working as a Graduate Cyber Security Engineer at Leonardo’s Bristol site, and I also act as the first-year graduate representative.

Why did you decide to join Leonardo?

I decided to join the graduate scheme at Leonardo because I was excited by the opportunity to explore a diverse field and enhance my technical expertise within cyber security. This scheme provides me with a foundation to begin my professional career, and offers additional support to ensure further development. Furthermore, I was inspired by the opportunity to work on their innovative and advanced projects, and to take advantage of Leonardo's wide range of professional opportunities, alongside a balanced work-life environment and a supportive company culture.

What does a typical day look like?

As a graduate cyber engineer, I have been able to join various projects, and have had the chance to work with different types of engineers across the company to deliver a solution. Leonardo prides itself in using an agile working methodology, which I have found to be beneficial as each day brings new challenges, and I get to adapt my skills in a constantly changing environment. Within an agile environment, objectives are short term, facilitating transparent tracking of goals and progress. Additionally, as a graduate representative for Bristol, I take on the responsibility of ensuring that each graduate feels supported and heard, addressing and raising any issues that they may encounter.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I have enjoyed the positive working environment and the support that I have received throughout my time working at Leonardo. As this is a constantly changing environment, I have enjoyed tackling new challenges and learning new skills. Leonardo strives to maintain a diverse and inclusive workforce; as a result, it has brought a positive and supportive work culture.

What have been your biggest achievements at Leonardo so far?

One of my biggest achievements so far was being nominated for a Most Inspiring Women in Cyber 2024 award. This award celebrates women that are making a positive impact in cyber and are paving the way for young women in the industry. I spend a lot of my free time volunteering for various projects that aim to inspire and create diverse and inclusive communities within cyber security. Leonardo has supported me throughout my endeavours, encouraging diversity and inclusivity with cyber.

Additionally, I have worked with the STEM team at the Bristol site to plan outreach projects that will make a positive impact on the wider community and ensure that Leonardo are working to support the next generation of cyber engineers.

What are your career aspirations?

I would like to continue to develop my technical skills within different areas of cyber security. In the immediate term, I aim to develop my skills to meet the requirements of a senior engineer. In the future, I would like to develop my leadership skills and move into a managerial role. My main aspiration is that I would like to use my role within Leonardo to positively contribute to the wider community and encourage others to do the same.

Name: Joanna Kelly
Role: Senior Software Engineer
University: University of Edinburgh
Degree: Computer Science and Electronics

Description:

What is your current role at Leonardo?

I am a Senior Software Engineer, working on the Raven Radar Control Team.

Why did you decide to join Leonardo?

I’m not originally from Edinburgh, so I wasn’t as aware of Leonardo as other people from the area may have been, but I attended the Rampaging Chariots Robotic Games back in 2016, as an air cadet from 142 (2nd Edinburgh) RAF Air Cadets Squadron. I was studying Computer Science and Electronics at the University of Edinburgh at the time.

After returning to the games the next year, I decided to apply for a summer placement, which I completed in 2017 and again in 2018, before submitting an application for a position on the graduate programme – which was accepted.

Why did you choose a STEM career?

My passion for engineering began at school. I grew up in Yorkshire, and attended Skipton Girls High School, which specialised in the provision of engineering courses; however, I was one of just ten engineering students in the class!

What does a typical day look lie?

I currently work as part of the Raven Radar Software IPT as a software developer and scrum master for the Air-to-Surface Team, which is a cross-functional nine person strong team. As a scrum master each day, I am ensuring that all members of my team are able to continue with their work and are not blocked in any way. Every morning I hold a stand-up meeting to catch up with all the team members and get updates on their progress. This role also involves going along to our Agile Release Train meetings to update the management team on task progress, ensuring that we are completing everything for software releases.

Alongside this, I am also a software developer on the team. The development work we do ranges daily from new implementation to small bug fixes. Depending on which point we are at in the software release cycle, my day could be spent sat at my desk working out a new software design for a new feature, using the development lab to run my software on a real RPU unit as testing. Alternatively, I could be fixing snags before a release, analysing data and running it through unit tests to debug a problem.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

As a graduate, one of the massive benefits of joining the programme was feeling connected to a wider community. During the pandemic, I was classified as a key worker and so was still able to come on site every day – it was essential for my role as part of the Raven Radar team. This was also good for me as I lived alone, so it was really important for me just to see my team in the office.

In my current role, I enjoy the wide range of tasks we get to do. As the radar control team, our software covers decoding the commands coming in from the pilot and converting that into scheduling the correct hardware commands for the exciter and the antenna. We are then also involved in receiving the radar data and sending it to the various aspects of the software for processing. Our software model is extremely large and this means that each day is different.

Besides my day-to-day responsibilities, I also enjoy promoting STEM in the community. During my time at Leonardo, I have worked on a several STEM outreach initiatives, such as the EDT Gold and Bronze Industrial Cadets programme, careers talks at local schools, and a glider building activity for International Women in Engineering Day at Forthview Primary School.

I’m always keen to raise awareness of the stimulation and enrichment that can be found in engineering, and the value of STEM activities, since taking part in them played a central role in my own career path.

What have been your biggest achievements at Leonardo so far?

One of my proudest career highlights came in February 2023, when it was announced that I had been nominated for the ‘Rising Star’ prize at the FDM Everywoman in Technology awards. The nomination was for both my work at Leonardo and my efforts in promoting STEM in the community.

What are your career aspirations?

My main career aspiration is that I am hoping to become a chartered engineer with the Institute of Engineering and Technology. As a company, Leonardo has provided me with a chartership mentor to guide me through this process.

Application procedure

Stage 1 – Application Form

The first stage of the application process is to complete the application form and upload your CV for the desired role you want to apply for.

You will be emailed a questionnaire to ask a few supplementary questions to confirm important information in relation to your application.

Please note: in order to apply for our opportunities, you must be eligible for UK Security Clearance. Normally this is to the level of Security Check (typically known as “SC”) for our business which includes having a minimum of 5 years’ permanent residency in the UK.

Stage 2 – Screening

If selected, you will be requested to complete a one way video interview on some competency-based questions for the role. You will have the opportunity to record a video of yourself answering each question and will be provided with an opportunity to practice before submitting your response.

Stage 3 – Interview

This is the final stage of the selection process where you will be interviewed by members of the Leonardo team who are recruiting this role. This will be an opportunity for you to find out more about Leonardo and demonstrate your suitability for the role you have applied for.

Stage 4 – Offer

After the interview, we will provide all candidates with feedback. If you are successful in your application, the Leonardo recruitment team will subsequently contact you to formally offer you the role.

Using AI in my Leonardo Application: 

In the recruitment process we want to hear about you, your experiences, skills how these relate to the role you are applying for and why Leonardo. We encourage a considered use of AI in helping to structure your CV or strengthen your application but not AI writing your answers for you. 

Our Early Careers Team and Hiring Managers review applications received and there is no AI algorithms involved in candidate selection. It is easily detectable when AI is being used in the process and this isn’t favoured as we want to learn about your authentic self.

Reasonable Adjustments

At Leonardo 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 and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.