
Are you prepared to join an outstanding team that is at the forefront of advanced technology? If you are a driven and experienced engineer looking for a chance to contribute to top-tier Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) systems, then we have the ideal position for you!
DragonFire has been and continues to be a boundary pushing weapon system development programme that has significant industry and customer engagement. Thus far the programme has been aimed at developing the UK's first Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) concept demonstrator, achieving significant success recently with several highly publicised trials activities.
Following on from these successes MBDA is looking for flexible and motivated candidates to continue to develop DragonFire into a world class, deployable, LDEW air defence system. Our ambitious plans involve parallel and interleaved streams of pioneering technology experimentation and rapid weapon system development, providing opportunities across the key weapon system domains of Systems Engineering: requirements, design, performance analysis and certification.
Salary: Up to £53,000 depending on experience
Dynamic (hybrid) working: 2-3 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.
The Effector System Project Engineer will work with the two Effector Systems RMOs (Laser Source and Beam Director) who manage external partners to deliver two key external Effector Sub-System for DragonFire. The Effector System includes a very high power laser and a an electro-optical-mechanical assembly that directs the high energy beam, which is in turn controlled by the weapon system. The Effector is integrated and assembled on a transportable container assembly.
Reporting to the Effector Chief Systems Engineer; this role will be focused on the acceptance and delivery of the Effector sub-systems, their final assembly, integration, and test. Experience of complex sub-system delivery and integration is desirable, as is a working knowledge of electro-optical-mechanical systems.The Laser Source RMO will be responsible for:
What we're looking for from you: Individuals who have experience in or can demonstrate their ability to:
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.

A world leader in missiles and missile systems.
Our multi-national organisation is made up of around 13,000 employees working across the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the US, and is the first truly integrated European defence company.
As the European champion in our sector, our vision is to continue to grow our presence as a global player. Our mission is to achieve this by establishing ourselves as an industry leader; promoting co-operation and delivering technical and operational excellence to our customer.
Our values are:
• Innovation:
Ensuring operational and strategic advantage;
• Commitment:
Always delivering on our promises;
• Integrity:
A reliable and trusted partner with the highest professional and ethical standards;
• Passion:
Applying all our energy and focus to every task, recognising our role in providing mission critical capabilities;
• Team Spirit:
Harnessing our diversity and collective purpose to deliver competitive advantage to all of our stakeholders.
We have a rich heritage of designing and producing missiles and missile systems to meet the whole range of current and future operational requirements for the three armed forces (army, navy, air force). We are proud to be a trusted partner to our armed forces and work with them to deliver a cutting-edge portfolio of products.