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MBDA

Guidance, Control and Navigation Engineer - Graduate Programme 2027

Location:  Bristol | United Kingdom
Location flexibility:  1 office day / week, 2 office days / week, 3 office days / week – 2-3 days at home (some exceptions), 4 office days / week
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Job Description

Guidance, Control and Navigation Engineer - Graduate Programme 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.

Salary: £31,900 plus a £3000 joining bonus

Dynamic 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.

This role is scheduled to close for applications at midnight on Monday 2nd November 2026 but may close earlier depending on application volumes.

What we can offer you:

  • 2 year Programme: Starting September 2027

  • Annual Salary Review

  • Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (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

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Working at MBDA

1 office day / week 2 office days / week 3 office days / week – 2-3 days at home (some exceptions) 4 office days / week

A little flex time – high flexibility for most roles

Company benefits

25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Adoption leave – up to 26 weeks
Annual bonus – all employee bonuses paid in Feb/March
Annual pay rises – performance (+ inflation) increases each year
Bike parking – secure parking at all sites
Buddy scheme – buddies when onboarding
Buy or sell annual leave – buy up to 5 extra days
Carer’s leave
Cinema discounts
Coffee discounts – discounted on site cafes and canteens
Collaboration spaces
Company shutdown periods – Christmas closures and bank holidays
Compassionate leave
Cycle to work scheme
Dental coverage – salary sacrifice options
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice – MyCarScheme - including electric vehicles
Electric vehicle charging unit loan – electric charging points at all UK sites
Employee assistance programme
Employee discounts
Enhanced maternity leave – up to 26 weeks
Enhanced paternity leave – available after 26 weeks service
Enhanced pension match/contribution
Enhanced sick pay – increases with length of service
Faith rooms
Family health insurance – salary sacrifice options
Fertility treatment leave
Gym membership – Discounted gym on site in Stevenage, or discounts for local gyms across UK
Health insurance – salary sacrifice options
In house training – In house L&D team
L&D budget
Language lessons
Learning platform – access to multiple learning resources
Meditation space
Menopause support
Mental health first aiders
Mentoring – available to all employees. Includes women in leadership options
Modern office
Neonatal leave – up to 12 weeks
On-site barista
On-site catering
On-site gym
On-site shower
On-site wellness room – reflection rooms available to employees
Open to compressed hours
Open to job sharing
Open to part time work for some roles
Open to part-time employees
Optional unpaid leave
Personal development budgets – up to £150 towards non-work training courses
Pregnancy loss leave
Pregnancy support
Private booths
Professional subscriptions – full membership funding available
Referral bonus – up to £3,000 for a successful referral
Reservist leave – up to 3 weeks off for training (2 weeks on full pay)
Restaurant discounts – discount/cashback employee platform
Salary sacrifice
Secure on-site parking
Share options
Shared parental leave – up to 26 weeks
Teambuilding days
Technology Loan – salary sacrifice options available
Time off in-lieu
Travel loan – season ticket loans for public transport
Volunteer days – up to 2 days a year for team-based volunteering
Wellbeing allowance
Will writing

Awards & Accreditations

Best Work-Life Balance

Top 5 - Best Work-Life Balance

Flexa awards 2026
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  • Excellent career progression and development opportunities

  • Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…

  • Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more.

    • The opportunity:

    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, which could include:

    • Integrated navigation, such as 'Terrain Reference Navigation', 'GPS integration', and ‘Image Based Navigation’

    • Autopilot and control system design and analysis, including dual-mode control, thrust vector control, etc.

    • Algorithms for mid-course guidance, terminal guidance, target tracking and selectivity

    • Data fusion to combine data from multiple sensors. For example, radars, seekers, IMUs, etc.

    • Implementing AI techniques including neural networks and deep learning to improve traditional GCN algorithms and solve new challenges

    • Designing autonomous decision-making systems for use in complex collective missions.

    Work collaboratively across engineering teams to develop your understanding of propulsion, aerodynamics, seekers, sensors and actuators, and how these technologies integrate within a complex missile system. Experience working within one of the many international teams in MBDA, with the GCN function in Paris and Rome - This doesn’t necessarily equate to travel but you may be offered the option where the opportunity arises.

    What we're looking for from you:

    Degree qualified in Physics, Mathematical Sciences, Engineering or Computing discipline to a minimum of 2:2

    Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

    MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

    We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more…

    We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

    Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.

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    Company employees:

    7000

    Gender diversity (m:f):

    74:26

    Hiring in countries

    Spain

    United Kingdom

    Office Locations