Guidance, Control and Navigation Engineer - Undergraduate Placement 2027
// Role Summary
Gain hands-on experience in Guidance, Control, and Navigation (GCN) at MBDA, working on complex missile and weapon systems from concept to service. This 1-year undergraduate placement starting September 2027 offers a chance to apply your studies to real-world challenges.
// Key Responsibilities
- Work on cutting-edge Guidance, Control, and Navigation (GCN) algorithms for MBDA's missile systems.
- Gain experience across four specialist areas: Guidance, Control, Navigation, and Command & Control.
- Opportunity to secure a graduate role based on placement performance.
- Benefits include company bonus, pension, paid overtime, healthcare, and generous annual leave.
- Develop skills in coding, modelling, mathematics, and flight dynamics using tools like MATLAB/SIMULINK.
- Supportive team environment with excellent site facilities.
// Role Specification
Guidance, Control and Navigation Engineer - Undergraduate Placement 2027
The algorithms we design in Guidance, Control and Navigation (GCN) lie at the heart of all of the highly complex MBDA missile and weapon systems. We're involved in every phase of the product's life cycle, from concept through to service.
This 1-year placement, starting September 2027, offers a fantastic opportunity to apply your university learning to real-world projects and technologies. Perform well on your placement, and you could secure a graduate role before your final year.
In this role, you'll build your skills across our four specialist areas:
- Guidance - figuring out a suitable trajectory, providing an effective route to target interception and improving the probability of defeating a target.
- Control - designing and tuning autopilot algorithms, for various control surfaces, to maintain stable flight dynamics and achieve the guidance demands.
- Navigation - estimating the current missile state (position, velocity and altitude/orientation) using measurements from a range of on-board sensors.
- Command and Control - designing weapon-system level algorithms to track and evaluate incoming threats, plan engagements, and provide additional mission context to the operator.
This is a great environment and opportunity to learn, broadening your technical knowledge of the design and function of a complex weapon system through visibility of a wide range of work; from researching and developing futuristic technologies through to being on the design team for current high-profile projects.
Join a supportive and experienced team who will encourage you to develop your skills in coding and modelling, mathematics, flight dynamics and control theory, as well as utilising tools such as MATLAB/SIMULINK daily.
You'll experience a variety of activities in this role.
What we can offer you:
- 1 year placement: starting September 2027.
- Company bonus: based on company performance.
- Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%.
- Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime.
- Healthcare Cash Plan: provides support with everyday health related costs.
- Annual Leave: 25 days plus option to purchase extra holiday.
- Flexi Leave: up to 15 additional days.
- Facilities: fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals and free car parking.