“Northrop Grumman offers a number of opportunities and they are willing to invest in your career journey.”
Early Careers at Northrop Grumman in the UK
Starting your Career with Northrop Grumman in the UK

Begin Defining Possible at Northrop Grumman
Our Early Careers programmes are the lifeblood of our organisation and we are committed to ensuring that your experience here is the best it can be, with exposure to a variety of stimulating work alongside training and development that will help you to shape your career.
When I joined Northrop Grumman in the UK, I found an extremely friendly, inclusive and collaborative organisation with people who were more than willing to answer my questions and committed to delivering for our customers, working hard to drive our business forwards. We work to make the UK safer, be that through Cyber and Intelligence or our Defence business, and we offer our early careers joiners the opportunity to explore the latest technologies and overcome some of the most complex engineering challenges in the world.
As a final note, it’s not all about the work we do, but how we maintain our great culture. I particularly love what we stand for here and our values are paramount in how we work together and deliver for our customers. Be sure to check out our Employee Resource Groups and our STEM outreach activities, and get involved wherever you can. You may be surprised as to where these kinds of things can lead you and the people that you will meet along the way.
Dawn Ohlson, Technical Director, National Security Solutions, Northrop Grumman UK
Open for Applications
Our intake of graduates and placement students for March and September 2023 will be our largest yet. Participants will be based at our offices in Manchester, Cheltenham, London and New Malden. They will specialise in disciplines including software engineering, project management, systems engineering and control software engineering. On joining, participants will complete in a one-week induction, followed by a structured training programme to equip them with the skills and knowledge to work on customer projects. With nearly 80 new early career colleagues joining us in 2023, we are looking forward to further expanding our early career opportunities in the years ahead.
Roles: March 2023 Entry
- Graduate Software Engineers
Roles: September 2023 Entry
- Graduate Software Engineers
- Graduate Project Manager
- Control Systems Software Engineer
- Graduate Systems Engineers
- Graduate Verification and Validation Engineer
- Project Management Industry Placements
- Software Engineering Industry Placements
Graduate Software Engineers
March 2023 Entry
(Cheltenham)
Application close date: CLOSED
Start date: 27th March 2023
Assessment Centre Dates:
Virtual Assessment Centres will be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week between Tuesday 10th January 2023 and Thursday 23rd February 2023.
All Graduate Roles
September 2023 Entry
(New Malden-London)
– Control Systems Software Engineer
– Verification and Validation Engineer
Application close date: CLOSED
Start date: 11th September 2023
Assessment Centre Dates:
Virtual Assessment Centres between: Thursday 16th March and Thursday 20th April 2023.
All Industry Placement Roles
September 2023 Entry
(Cheltenham)
Application close date: CLOSED
Start date: 18th September 2023
Interview Dates:
Interview days will be Monday and Friday of each week between Monday 20th February 2023 nd Friday 10th March 2023.
Programmes
12-Month Industry Placement Schemes in Software Engineering and Project Management
Our 12-month industry placements offer a fantastic opportunity to gain business exposure and apply new skills to customer projects.Our 12-Month Placement Schemes starts in September each year.
During the placement, participants will have a blend of on-the-job learning and specialist training to develop technical, leadership and soft skills. It has been designed to provide a ‘real life’ experience of working in a project-orientated environment and an insight into Engineering.
This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in a chosen specialism and support the delivery of key Defence projects.
Learn More About Industry Placement Schemes
Two-year Graduate Programme
Our two-year graduate programme will allow participants to experience different projects and develop their skills and interests. Time is allocated for developing technical skills, to innovate and build leadership capability. Our Graduate Programme has start dates in March and September each year.
Participants are well supported with a mentor, buddy, project lead, line manager and the early careers development manager. At the start of the programme, participants will have an induction followed by structured training to prepare them for customer projects.
Learn More About the Graduate Programme
Job Descriptions
Control Systems Software Engineer
Graduate Verification and Validation Engineer
Meet Our Grads and Industry Placement Students
Meet Oliver, a Graduate Software Engineer
“If you are considering joining the Northrop Grumman Graduate scheme, don’t think about it, just do it! It is honestly amazing.”
Meet Benjamin, a Graduate Software Engineer
“A great chance to expand your contacts within industry, expand on the interests you have and enjoy the uniqueness that the Graduate Programme provides.”
Meet Martin, a Cyber and Computing Security Graduate
“If you want to solve issues, work with a fabulous team and have the opportunity to learn new skills every day, come and join, you won’t regret it!”
Meet Gareth, a Cyber Research Intern
“After the internship, I am returning to university for my final year after which I will be joining the Northrop Grumman graduate scheme.”
Meet Harry, a Graduate Software Engineer
“Being able to work in a sector that produces new technology in a role I’ve wanted to pursue from a young age was something that greatly excited me.”
Meet James, a Graduate Software Engineer
“I was excited by the opportunities and possibilities of the company, there are very few places where you can experience this kind of work.”
Meet Nintsemon, a Graduate Systems Engineer
I chose to apply to Northrop Grumman because of the amount of diversity in the company.
Meet Satoshi, a Graduate Software Engineer
“This is a company with a rich history that continues to lead in technological innovation and impacts people’s lives globally.”
Meet Jacob, a Graduate Software Engineer
“I chose Northrup Grumman largely due to the values the company upheld while also being a part of interesting and meaningful work.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We believe that creating a team and a workplace that values diversity and fosters inclusion is pivotal to promoting innovation and increasing productivity and profitability. Our goal is to continually support and nurture the large number of Northrop Grumman employees whose backgrounds, characteristics and perspectives are as diverse at the global communities in which we reside.
Ethics and Business Conduct
Doing what is right because it is the right thing to do is the foundation of Northrop Grumman’s business culture. The reputation that our Company has earned for high legal and ethical standards is one of our greatest business assets. Our goal has never been solely to comply with the law, but to abide by the highest principles of integrity and concern for others.