Great Company but set in their ways
Pros
->Absolutely fantastic work/life balance ->Interesting work at times ->You will never be short of work!
Cons
Naturally there is a reason for leaving any company. However I am trying to write this in the most objective way I can. MBDA has a career development package but it is only good when you fall into one of their categories e.g. image processing, seeker systems. This did not apply to me and therefore I did not get the support required into order to fulfill my career objectives. I spent 3 years saying the same thing at each annual review and I turned down a number of opportunities because they told me that I would be able to learn certain skills. I applied for an internal post (which was within the field of expertise I was privately training for) and did not get job because they were unable to release me from my current job. (Rubbish reason). I was told that if I fulfilled my objectives for the year, there is a high probability that I will gain a promotion, but at the annual review I somehow didn't make the cut. My only suggestion at this company is to make sure this is something you want to do. Make sure that you are put in the right department. I was a Software Engineer put in a Systems Environment and I cannot tell you how dull it was. So, when you become accustomed to a dull environment, you become more sensitive to the "less dull" moments. Hence Comment 2 in the Pros Section. If you are a young engineer (21-30) or interested in NEW TECHNOLOGY, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT GO FOR THIS COMPANY. It will lead you into a cynical way of thinking, and the technology used is 25 years old at least. This is not a company that innovates, it just continuously produces the same products with different "jazz", be it different Seeker Algorithms, Software, Motors. Same Product. Same BS. Now, you may think this is one man's opinion. But I can assure you there were plenty of people who left before me and plenty that left after me that have the same or similar opinions. A survey conducted in 2013 showed that the average age of an MBDA employee was 47. My personal experience was that 95% of the employees I encountered were 50+.