How to Apply to MBDA Deutschland

9 min read Last updated April 20, 2026 20 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • MBDA Deutschland is the German entity of the tri-national MBDA group (Airbus 37.5 percent, BAE Systems 37.5 percent, Leonardo 25 percent), headquartered in Schrobenhausen in rural Bavaria.
  • Hiring is in active expansion mode driven by the Zeitenwende, the 100 billion euro Sondervermögen and surge orders for IRIS-T SLM from Ukraine, the Bundeswehr and several allied nations.
  • Applications go through the MBDA Workday tenant; submit a German-format Lebenslauf and tailored Anschreiben, and complete the structured Workday profile fields in addition to the PDF upload.
  • German citizenship is strongly preferred and effectively required for Ü2/Ü3-cleared roles; EU citizenship may be acceptable for some unclassified positions but limits which programs you can join.
  • Working German at B2 or higher is the practical baseline for Schrobenhausen engineering roles; English suffices only for narrowly defined cross-MBDA program work.
  • Clearance processing (Ü1, Ü2 or Ü3) takes three to twelve months and runs in parallel with an unclassified onboarding period; plan accordingly.
  • Compensation for in-scope roles follows IG Metall Bayern Tarifvertrag bands; AT roles negotiate independently but the Tarif structure anchors expectations across the company.
  • Be ready to articulate a considered personal position on defence ethics and on the political controversy around products like Taurus, since interviewers will notice if it has not been thought through.

About MBDA Deutschland

MBDA Deutschland GmbH is the German national entity of the MBDA missile systems group, headquartered in Schrobenhausen in rural Bavaria roughly an hour northwest of Munich. It traces its lineage back to LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme, the German guided-weapons house that MBDA absorbed between 2002 and 2006 from EADS and Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace, and to the Bayern-Chemie/Protac rocket-motor business at Aschau am Inn. The parent MBDA Group is itself a tri-national consortium owned by Airbus (37.5 percent), BAE Systems plc (37.5 percent) and Leonardo S.p.A. (25 percent), with corporate headquarters in Le Plessis-Robinson outside Paris. The Geschäftsführer of MBDA Deutschland since 2018 has been Thomas Gottschild, who concurrently serves as Chief Operating Officer of the broader MBDA Group. Germany-side employment is in the order of 1,500-plus people across four principal sites: Schrobenhausen (headquarters, engineering, integration and final assembly), Munich (corporate and program functions), Aschau am Inn (Bayern-Chemie solid rocket motor production) and Aichach (electronics and sub-assembly). The German entity is the design authority for several flagship MBDA products that have moved from steady-state production into surge demand since 2022. The IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile and its ground-based derivatives IRIS-T SLS and IRIS-T SLM are the highest-profile lines: Ukraine has received multiple IRIS-T SLM systems through Bundeswehr-coordinated transfers and additional units are pledged, with parallel export contracts signed by Egypt, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Bulgaria. The Taurus KEPD-350 air-launched stand-off cruise missile, developed jointly with Saab Dynamics in Sweden, has been at the center of a public German political debate about potential supply to Ukraine throughout the Scholz government and into the current legislative period. Other German-led products include the PARS 3 LR fire-and-forget anti-tank missile carried on the Tiger helicopter, the legacy HOT anti-tank system and partnerships in loitering munitions including the MEROPS family. MBDA Deutschland is one of the most visible beneficiaries of the Zeitenwende and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's 100 billion euro Sondervermögen for the Bundeswehr. Order intake for ground-based air defence has expanded materially and the company is hiring to keep pace. Customers are primarily the Bundeswehr through the BAAINBw procurement office in Koblenz, with exports gated through BAFA licensing. Domestic competitors include Diehl Defence, Rheinmetall, Hensoldt and Airbus Defence and Space.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Search current openings at the MBDA Deutschland Workday careers portal, which is

    Search current openings at the MBDA Deutschland Workday careers portal, which is reachable from the careers section of mbda-deutschland.de and lists Schrobenhausen, Munich, Aschau am Inn and Aichach roles separately by Standort.

  2. 2
    Create a Workday account using a personal email address, since work email access

    Create a Workday account using a personal email address, since work email access can be revoked between rounds and the platform sends interview logistics to whatever address is on file.

  3. 3
    Upload a German-format Lebenslauf as the primary CV file plus a one-page Anschre

    Upload a German-format Lebenslauf as the primary CV file plus a one-page Anschreiben tailored to the specific Stellenausschreibung; English CVs are accepted for cross-MBDA program roles but a German version is expected for Bundeswehr-facing positions.

  4. 4
    Attach Arbeitszeugnisse, Hochschulzeugnis with Notenspiegel and any relevant Wei

    Attach Arbeitszeugnisse, Hochschulzeugnis with Notenspiegel and any relevant Weiterbildung or security-clearance documentation; German recruiters read Zeugnis-Sprache closely and missing documents slow the process.

  5. 5
    Expect an initial recruiter screen by phone or Microsoft Teams within two to fou

    Expect an initial recruiter screen by phone or Microsoft Teams within two to four weeks for active programs, and longer for speculative applications outside the current Personalplanung cycle.

  6. 6
    Plan for a technical interview with the hiring Fachabteilung covering domain kno

    Plan for a technical interview with the hiring Fachabteilung covering domain knowledge (guidance, navigation and control, propulsion, RF and IR seekers, systems engineering, software safety, production engineering or program management depending on role) followed by a structured behavioral round.

  7. 7
    Be prepared for a final round on-site at Schrobenhausen that may include a Werks

    Be prepared for a final round on-site at Schrobenhausen that may include a Werksführung; the rural Bavarian location is a real factor and recruiters will probe relocation seriousness.

  8. 8
    Salary negotiation is anchored to the IG Metall Bayern Tarifvertrag for in-scope

    Salary negotiation is anchored to the IG Metall Bayern Tarifvertrag for in-scope roles (Entgeltgruppen with defined steps); senior and AT (Außertariflich) roles negotiate base, variable component and company-car eligibility separately.

  9. 9
    Once an offer is signed, the Sicherheitsüberprüfung process begins through the G

    Once an offer is signed, the Sicherheitsüberprüfung process begins through the German Federal Office for Information Security and BMWi channels; Ü1, Ü2 or Ü3 clearance can take three to twelve months and you typically start in an unclassified onboarding role while it completes.

  10. 10
    Onboarding includes mandatory export-control training (AWG/AWV, EU Dual-Use, ITA

    Onboarding includes mandatory export-control training (AWG/AWV, EU Dual-Use, ITAR awareness for US-content programs) and Geheimschutz briefings before any classified material is handed over.

Resume Tips for MBDA Deutschland

recommended

Use a German Lebenslauf structure with Persönliche Daten, Berufserfahrung in rev

Use a German Lebenslauf structure with Persönliche Daten, Berufserfahrung in reverse-chronological order, Ausbildung, Sprachkenntnisse rated by CEFR and Kenntnisse for technical skills; recruiters skim this format faster than US-style narrative resumes.

recommended

Quote your German level honestly using A1 through C2; classified roles at Schrob

Quote your German level honestly using A1 through C2; classified roles at Schrobenhausen are conducted in German and overstating fluency wastes everyone's time at the Fachabteilung interview.

recommended

Name specific defence-relevant standards you have worked to such as MIL-STD-810,

Name specific defence-relevant standards you have worked to such as MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, DO-178C, DO-254, ECSS, AQAP 2110/2210, ISO 26262 or relevant BAAINBw and NATO STANAGs.

recommended

Call out missile-system or guided-weapons subsystem experience explicitly: seeke

Call out missile-system or guided-weapons subsystem experience explicitly: seekers (IR, RF, dual-mode), inertial and GNSS-aided navigation, autopilots, warhead and fuze, solid rocket motor design, datalinks, launcher integration or fire-control software.

recommended

Reference any Bundeswehr, NATO or allied-nation program touchpoints by name wher

Reference any Bundeswehr, NATO or allied-nation program touchpoints by name where unclassified, and indicate clearance status using the German terminology (kein Sicherheitsbescheid, Ü1, Ü2, Ü3, beantragt) rather than US categories.

recommended

List academic credentials precisely with institution, degree (Diplom, M

List academic credentials precisely with institution, degree (Diplom, M.Sc., B.Eng., Promotion), Notendurchschnitt and Schwerpunkt; TU Munich, KIT, RWTH Aachen, TU Darmstadt, Universität der Bundeswehr München and HSU Hamburg carry weight for technical roles.

recommended

Include any Wehrdienst, freiwilliger Wehrdienst or Reservist status; prior Bunde

Include any Wehrdienst, freiwilliger Wehrdienst or Reservist status; prior Bundeswehr service is a meaningful positive signal for many MBDA Deutschland positions, particularly customer-facing ones.

recommended

Show willingness to handle export-controlled material by mentioning prior AWG/AW

Show willingness to handle export-controlled material by mentioning prior AWG/AWV, EAR or ITAR exposure; for US-content programs this is a real screening factor.

recommended

Keep the document to two pages for early-career roles and three pages maximum fo

Keep the document to two pages for early-career roles and three pages maximum for senior or principal roles; longer CVs read as undisciplined in the German engineering culture.

recommended

Save and upload as a PDF named Lebenslauf_Nachname_Vorname

Save and upload as a PDF named Lebenslauf_Nachname_Vorname.pdf so it indexes cleanly in Workday's document store and is easy for the recruiter to forward.

ATS System: Workday

MBDA Deutschland publishes vacancies through the MBDA Workday tenant, the same enterprise HR platform used across Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo group companies. Workday is a structured-form ATS rather than a free-text parser, so applicants are expected to populate the profile fields directly in addition to uploading a CV.

  • Fill out the structured Workday profile fields (Berufserfahrung, Ausbildung, Sprachen, Kenntnisse) in addition to uploading the PDF CV, because recruiter searches inside Workday hit the structured data first.
  • Match keywords from the Stellenausschreibung verbatim where they apply to your background; Workday's screening views surface keyword matches against the requisition.
  • Use the same email address across applications so multiple submissions consolidate under one candidate profile and prior recruiter notes carry forward.
  • Complete the Diversity and EEO questions even though they are optional in the German legal context; skipping them does not penalize, but the data improves anonymized reporting.
  • Decline overly broad data-sharing consents only after reading them, because some are required for clearance pre-screening and declining will block progression.
  • Set Job Alerts on the Workday portal for Schrobenhausen, München, Aschau and Aichach separately, since not all postings are cross-listed across sites.
  • Withdraw stale applications before reapplying for the same requisition; duplicate active applications confuse the recruiter view and can stall both.

Interview Culture

Interview culture at MBDA Deutschland mirrors the broader German engineering tradition: sachlich, direkt and structured around demonstrable competence rather than personality fit.

Expect a recruiter screen, one or two technical rounds led by the Fachabteilung and a final round that typically includes the hiring manager and a senior technical lead, sometimes with HR present for the offer conversation. Technical questions are concrete and program-specific. A guidance, navigation and control candidate should expect to discuss Kalman filtering, IMU error modeling, autopilot design and trade-offs between accuracy, robustness and cost. A propulsion candidate should expect detailed questions on solid-fuel grain geometry, nozzle design and thrust profiling. A software candidate should expect to discuss safety-critical development under DO-178C or equivalent ECSS practice, MISRA C, model-based design with MATLAB/Simulink and verification strategies for guidance code. Behavioral questions are present but secondary; STAR-format answers work but Germans tend to prefer concise factual narratives over extended storytelling. Punctuality is non-negotiable, dress is business or smart business, and addressing interviewers with Sie and academic titles (Dr., Prof.) until invited otherwise is the safe default. Salary discussion usually happens late in the process and is anchored to IG Metall Bayern Tarifvertrag bands for in-scope roles. The on-site at Schrobenhausen often includes a brief Werksführung; treat it as a two-way evaluation of whether the rural Bavarian location works for your life.

What MBDA Deutschland Looks For

  • Demonstrated technical depth in a missile-systems-relevant discipline rather than broad generalist experience; specialists are valued more highly than swiss-army-knife profiles.
  • German citizenship or unambiguous EU citizenship with German residency for any role that will require Sicherheitsüberprüfung clearance.
  • Working German fluency at B2 or above for Schrobenhausen-based engineering roles, with C1 or higher expected for customer-facing and Bundeswehr-coordination positions.
  • Comfort with the defence-ethics dimension of the work and a clear, considered position on why you want to work in guided weapons.
  • Relevant academic credentials from a recognized German or European technical university, ideally with a Schwerpunkt in aerospace, control engineering, electrical engineering, propulsion, materials or systems engineering.
  • Experience with safety-critical or mission-critical development standards and a willingness to work inside the heavy documentation culture they require.
  • Prior exposure to export control regimes (AWG/AWV, EU Dual-Use, ITAR awareness) and the discipline to handle controlled information correctly.
  • Evidence of long-tenure thinking; MBDA programs have decade-plus lifecycles and the company prefers candidates who can demonstrate sustained engagement with prior employers.
  • Genuine interest in Schrobenhausen and rural Bavaria as a place to live, not just a job to commute to from Munich.
  • Constructive working relationship with structured environments, including IG Metall Tarif structures and Betriebsrat co-determination.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is MBDA Deutschland actually headquartered?
Schrobenhausen, a town of about 17,000 in Upper Bavaria roughly 70 kilometers northwest of Munich. Production, integration and the bulk of engineering happen there. Munich, Aschau am Inn (Bayern-Chemie rocket motors) and Aichach are the other primary sites. Plan for either relocation or a non-trivial commute; Munich-based remote work is not the default culture.
Do I need German citizenship to work at MBDA Deutschland?
For roles requiring Sicherheitsüberprüfung at Ü2 or Ü3 levels, German citizenship is strongly preferred and in practice required for most program-critical positions. EU citizenship can be acceptable for some unclassified or commercial roles, and dual citizenship is evaluated case by case. Non-EU candidates face material limitations on which programs they can support, regardless of technical strength.
How good does my German need to be?
B2 is a reasonable practical floor for Schrobenhausen-based engineering roles, with C1 expected for customer-facing positions, Bundeswehr coordination and senior leadership. English is workable for cross-MBDA program work spanning France, the UK and Italy, but day-to-day cafeteria conversation, internal documentation and meetings at Schrobenhausen happen in German.
What is the security clearance process and how long does it take?
After signed offer the Sicherheitsüberprüfung is initiated by MBDA's Geheimschutzbeauftragter through the BMWi and BfV channels. Ü1 typically takes a few months, Ü2 and Ü3 routinely take six to twelve months. During the wait you start in an unclassified onboarding capacity. Honesty on the questionnaire about prior residences, foreign contacts and finances is essential; discrepancies stop the process.
Is MBDA Deutschland actually hiring right now?
Yes. Order intake for IRIS-T SLM and IRIS-T SLS has expanded materially since 2022 driven by Ukraine support and Bundeswehr procurement, and the Sondervermögen funded program acceleration across multiple lines. Recruiting volume is correspondingly elevated for engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, program management and quality functions, particularly at Schrobenhausen and Aschau.
What products is the German entity actually responsible for?
Principal German-led products include IRIS-T (air-to-air), IRIS-T SLS and IRIS-T SLM (ground-based air defence), the Taurus KEPD-350 air-launched cruise missile (joint with Saab), the PARS 3 LR helicopter-launched anti-tank missile, the legacy HOT anti-tank system, and partnerships in loitering munitions including MEROPS-family programs. Bayern-Chemie at Aschau am Inn supplies solid rocket motors across multiple MBDA lines.
How does compensation work and is it negotiable?
Most engineering and production roles fall inside the IG Metall Bayern Tarifvertrag, which defines Entgeltgruppen, steps, Urlaubsgeld and Weihnachtsgeld. Negotiation within the Tarif is structurally limited but classification level is. Senior and Außertariflich roles negotiate base, variable component and company-car eligibility independently. Total package including 30 days vacation, betriebliche Altersvorsorge and 35-hour week is competitive within German defence.
How political is the Taurus debate inside the company?
The public debate about whether to deliver Taurus to Ukraine is real and ongoing across the German political landscape, with positions inside the SPD, CDU/CSU, Greens and FDP that have shifted multiple times. Inside MBDA Deutschland the production and engineering work continues regardless. Interviewers may probe whether you have a considered view on the ethical and political dimensions of guided-weapons work, and a thoughtful answer is expected; rehearsed talking points are not.
What is the relationship between MBDA Deutschland and Diehl Defence on IRIS-T?
IRIS-T originated as a multinational program with German industrial leadership shared between Diehl BGT Defence and MBDA Deutschland (via LFK), and the two firms have both partnered and competed across the air-defence segment. Today Diehl Defence is the lead industrial partner for the IRIS-T missile family while MBDA Deutschland contributes specific subsystems and operates independently on its own product lines. Treat the two companies as both partners and competitors depending on the program.
What is the work culture like, including unions and Betriebsrat?
Engineering culture is methodical, documentation-heavy and consensus-oriented within the Fachabteilung, with strong technical hierarchies. IG Metall membership is common and the Betriebsrat exercises meaningful co-determination on working time, shift patterns, hiring above certain levels and major organizational changes. Decisions move at a pace that reflects this; that can feel slow to candidates from Anglo-American defence contractors but produces stable, long-tenure teams.
Are there opportunities for Werkstudent, Praktikum or Abschlussarbeit students?
Yes. MBDA Deutschland posts Werkstudent positions, mandatory and voluntary Praktika, and supervised Bachelor- and Masterarbeit topics through the Workday portal, primarily in Schrobenhausen and Munich. These are competitive and frequently funnel into Direkteinstieg offers. German fluency and enrolled-student status at a recognized German or European university are baseline requirements.
What career paths exist beyond the entry engineering role?
Internal mobility includes deepening as a technical Fachexperte, moving into Projektleitung or Programmleitung, transitioning to Produktion or Qualität leadership, and rotations into other MBDA national companies in France, the UK or Italy. Cross-national rotations are competitive and require relevant language skills. Progression into AT (Außertariflich) levels and from there into senior leadership is structured but slower than at faster-moving software companies.

Open Positions

MBDA Deutschland currently has 20 open positions.

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Sources

  1. MBDA Deutschland - Über uns —
  2. MBDA Deutschland - Karriere portal —
  3. MBDA Group - Corporate ownership and governance —
  4. Bundesregierung - Zeitenwende and Sondervermögen Bundeswehr —
  5. BAAINBw - Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr —
  6. BAFA - Ausfuhrkontrolle für Rüstungsgüter —
  7. IRIS-T SLM deliveries to Ukraine - Auswärtiges Amt —
  8. Taurus KEPD-350 program overview - Saab —
  9. Bayern-Chemie - MBDA solid rocket motor production —
  10. IG Metall Bayern - Tarifvertrag Metall- und Elektroindustrie —
  11. Sicherheitsüberprüfungsgesetz (SÜG) - Bundesministerium des Innern —
  12. Bundeswehr Luftwaffe - bodengebundene Luftverteidigung —
  13. Workday Recruiting - candidate documentation —
  14. MBDA Deutschland - Standort Schrobenhausen —
  15. Diehl Defence - IRIS-T Familie —