Plant Support Engineer Placement – 13 months (Portsmouth)

About the role

This 13‑month placement is based in Portsmouth and is part of Airbus Defence and Space’s Industrial Management Team. You will help improve operational excellence on the Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Test (MAIT) site by applying Lean methodologies and supporting cost‑reduction initiatives.

Key responsibilities

• Support HO Industrial Management and Key Product Owners to define and deliver a 12‑month improvement plan for the Portsmouth site.
• Continuously review and reduce the MAIT cost base and Ready for Bid price by identifying improvement opportunities across mechanical platforms, antennas and mechanisms.
• Develop production dashboards and KPI visualisations to enhance industrial efficiency.
• Assist in multi‑project oversight to coordinate efficient use of facility footprint and resources.
• Implement and mature the Operational Excellence System (OES) within MAIT, delivering Lean projects such as 5S, visual management, value‑stream mapping and flow analysis.

Required profile

• Undergraduate studying Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electrical/Radio Frequency Engineering, Project Management or Health & Safety.
• Available for the full 13‑month placement and able to provide graduation date.
• Strong communication skills and a proactive, entrepreneurial mindset.

Required skills

• Basic coding and scripting knowledge.
• Practical Problem Solving (PPS) and Kaizen workshop facilitation.
• Implementation of visual management and KPI dashboards.

What we offer

• Salary of £24,500 per year.
• 37‑hour work week with flexible and hybrid working options.
• Half‑day Fridays and 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.