Materials Conformity Lead

Your impact

Shape the future of defence technology through materials excellence.  We’re seeking a Materials Conformity Lead who will play a critical role in ensuring the integrity, innovation and sustainability of materials used across our diverse product lines.  As our Materials Conformity Lead, you’ll be at the forefront of materials development, supporting our engineering teams with high-quality traceable material data, and driving key initiatives in material substitution, obsolescence risk, and regulatory compliance.  This role can be hybrid and requires regular travel across our sites in the UK and overseas.

What you will do as our Materials Conformity Lead:

• Lead the qualification of novel materials to meet emerging design, performance and regulatory requirements
• Ensure full traceability and availability of material data to support our design engineering teams
• Oversee internal and external testing and fault analysis, working with trusted partners and in-house specialists, showing the value of both internal and external material testing capabilities
• Grow a dynamic, small materials laboratory based in Edinburgh, ensuring it evolves with the needs of the business and adheres to safety and quality processes
• Own materials substitution programmes, reducing risk from obsolescence or supply chain constraints
• Collaboratively manage risk from evolving legislation, environmental regulations and export control requirements, working closely with procurement and compliance departments and supporting audits where required
• Support engineering teams with expert advice on materials selection, conformity and test data
• Work closely with the sustainability team to understand the carbon footprint of materials and the potential for material circularity.

What you’ll bring

• Higher education relevant STEM qualification at first degree level or equivalent as recognised by professional accreditation schemes
• Proven experience with material testing and test equipment, and associated test standards – ideally in aerospace, defence or electronics
• Working knowledge of materials standards, compliance, regulatory frameworks (e.g. REACh, RoSH, ADCR, NADCAP, IAEG), and data management
• Experience of team leadership or mentoring, particularly in lab or technical team environments, demonstrating an ability to promote best working practices
• Ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, quality, procurement and external partners
• Familiarity with creating budget proposals and resource plans to support the growth of materials development and qualification within the company
• Analytical mindset with a hands-on approach to fault analysis and continuous improvement
• Willingness to represent Leonardo’s interest in regulatory bodies, consortiums, or standards development organisations.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). 

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

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