Defence Jobs in the UK
Find Defence Engineering Jobs Across the UK
The UK defence sector offers a wide range of exciting career opportunities for engineers, project managers, commercial professionals and technical specialists.
At Gold Group, we recruit professionals for defence projects across aerospace, naval systems, cyber security, and advanced technology programmes.
Whether you are searching for systems engineering roles, project management positions, or commercial and quantity surveying jobs within defence projects, our specialist recruitment team can help you find the right opportunity.
Browse our latest defence jobs across the UK below.
Careers in the UK Defence Industry
The UK defence sector is one of the most advanced engineering industries in the world, supporting national security and global defence capabilities.
· Defence professionals work on complex systems including:
· military aircraft and aerospace platforms
· naval systems and submarines
· cyber defence and intelligence technology
· radar, sensors and electronic warfare
· secure communications systems
Many roles involve working on highly technical and security-sensitive programmes.
· Defence Engineering Jobs
· Engineering professionals are in particularly high demand across the defence sector.
· Common defence engineering roles include:
· Systems Engineer
· Safety Engineer
· Hardware Engineer
· Software Engineer
· Human Factors Engineer
These roles often involve developing and integrating advanced technologies used across defence platforms.
Major employers in the UK defence sector include companies such as BAE Systems, Thales Group, and Leonardo, alongside numerous specialist defence contractors and suppliers.
Security Clearance Requirements
Many defence jobs require some form of UK security clearance.
Common clearance levels include:
Clearance Level Description
SC (Security Check)Standard clearance for many defence roles
DV (Developed Vetting)Higher level clearance for sensitive programmes
Candidates with existing security clearance are often highly sought after by defence employers.
Defence Job Salaries in the UK
Salaries in the defence sector vary depending on the role, level of responsibility and clearance requirements.
Typical salary ranges include:
RoleTypical Salary
Engineer£40,000 – £60,000
Senior Engineer£60,000 – £80,000
Principal Engineer£80,000 – £100,000+
Programme / Project Manager£70,000 – £100,000+
Contract roles within defence programmes can often pay £500 – £800 per day, particularly for highly specialised engineering positions.
Defence Jobs by Location
Defence and aerospace roles are concentrated in several major UK technology hubs.
Key locations include:
· Bristol
· Farnborough
· Portsmouth
· Barrow-in-Furness
· Glasgow
These locations host many large defence contractors and engineering programmes.
Apply for Defence Jobs
If you are looking for your next defence job in the UK, our recruitment team can help you find the right opportunity.
You can:
· browse our latest defence vacancies above
· submit your CV to our specialist recruiters
· speak to a consultant specialising in defence careers
We recruit for permanent and contract roles across defence engineering, technology and infrastructure projects.