Industrial Placement - Whole Vehicle

Salary: £25,500

Start Date: Monday 16th August 2027 – Friday 4th August 2028
Location: Based in Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 3PL.

Work Arrangement: Hybrid working (Wednesday mandatory on-site)

Entry Requirements: See ‘What we’re looking for’ section

Our Industrial Placement Programme:

As part of Bentley’s annual Early Careers intake, you’ll join a community of around 93 trainees including Industrial Placements, Graduates, and Apprentices.

During your placement, you’ll be based at our Bentley Campus "Dream Factory". Click here to visit our virtual tour. Alongside hands-on work experience, you’ll also benefit from:

- CSR and outreach activities

- Opportunities to participate in charity events, community projects, and social committees

- Masterclasses, development workshops, and social events

- Inclusivity networks and peer support groups

- Placements and rotations across different areas of the business that interest you

About the role:

As an Industrial Placement Student at Bentley, you will play a key part in Bentley’s journey to create extraordinary vehicles for our customers. Based out of our state-of-the-art headquarters in Crewe, you will:

- Have the opportunity to work alongside industry experts in virtual vehicle development on a diverse range of strategic projects including multi-physics simulation and the application of AI;

- Gain understanding of the broad strategic importance of simulation and exposure to cutting edge virtual development technologies;

- Organise and participate in immersion events including the Bentley senior leadership team to communicate progress towards the strategic vision for virtual development.

- Gain experience working with Vehicle Concepts and Chief Technical Engineers supporting new product delivery

Your main responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

- Co-leading Virtual Vehicle Strategy contributing with ideas and innovation trends, aligned with business strategy;

- Exploring opportunities to maximise the impact of virtual development working with cross functional vehicle verification leads.

- Develop and deploy new technologies and methods aligned to Virtual Vehicle Strategic vision - finding issues earlier, accelerating development, and reducing physical testing;

- Working with vendors and Group partners to evaluate new developments in tools and methods, and fast track high impact virtual capability;

- Co-ordinate and facilitate weekly Vehicle Physics technical review

About the Department:

The Virtual Vehicle team is currently leading an exciting and fundamental transition to the use of advanced digital technology, providing Bentley R&D with the tools and methods required to develop future vehicles.

Alongside working cross-functionally across various physics domains, pursuing new and exciting technologies including AI&ML and X-in-the-loop platforms, you will gain a real insight into the way Bentley Motors is using virtual development to meet the future demands of the automotive industry.

What we are looking for:

The successful candidates will be on track to achieve a 2:1 in the following degrees: All Engineering disciplines; Software development; AI and ML

Skills required for the role:

- Be open minded and inquisitive, whilst planning and prioritising the workload to work effectively with others;

- Be tenacious and resilient, but also adaptable to the need of others;

- Take ownership of decisions and strive for the best outcomes;

- Good communication and presentation skills;

- Problem solving, time management and organisational skills

- Hands on experience of simulation and usage of AI / ML is advantageous

What we offer:

As an Industrial Placement you will have access to the following benefits:

- A starting salary of £25,500

- Support from our Early Careers team and 121 manager mentorship

- 35 days’ holiday inclusive of bank holidays

- 10% pension contribution with life assurance benefits

- Learning and development opportunities

Right To Work:

To be eligible for an Early Careers programme you must have a legal right to work in the UK for the duration of the placement or graduate scheme. We welcome students who have Settled Status, a Tier 4 Visa, or a Graduate Visa. We are unable to offer sponsorship for our Early Careers positions.

#BelongingAtBentley
Motivated to be the most diverse, inclusive luxury car company, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals are respected, valued, and empowered.

We firmly believe in equal opportunities for all, helping all colleagues thrive as their authentic selves and reach their highest potential. We believe that everyone, regardless of their background or beliefs, belongs at Bentley. Everyone is entitled to respect and dignity and we positively celebrate the differences between people.

Working at Bentley

To learn more about what life is like working at Bentley, and our assessment process view our Candidate Pack here.

The application process:

- Submit your application, including your CV and Cover letter,

- Applications will be screened by our HR team and the Hiring Manager,

- Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by our recruitment team and invited to attend an online Assessment between 9th – 27th November,

- Candidates successful at assessment stage will receive an offer shortly afterwards.

- All applicants will be kept informed throughout the recruitment process

Closing date: 23rd October 2026

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