Software Engineering Intern - (3 Months, Full Time)

Position

Software Engineering Intern, Summer 2026 (3 months, full-time)

Start date: As soon as possible - Ideally we'd have you ramp up part-time while you finish term, with the full-time start no later than 22 June 2026.
Location: Nexus, University of Leeds campus.
Working pattern: Hybrid - around two days a week in the office, flexible on which days.
Compensation: £15/hour.
Applications: Rolling. We review as they come in.

About DRS

DRS Software is a Leeds-based specialist software consultancy. For over a decade, we've been the team other teams call when the engineering challenge is too unusual, too technically deep, or too high-stakes for a generalist shop. The team is lean, and highly specialised.

• Founded in 2015 by Stefano De Rossi - a former Harvard researcher with 15 patents to his name.
• Our lead engineer is Martin Nyaga - Leeds & West Yorkshire's Top 30 Under 30, twice shortlisted for Leeds Digital Festival's Leader of the Year Award.
• You'll be joining a team shortlisted for Tech Team of the Year at the Leeds Digital Festival Awards for two years running.

Our work spans WebAssembly modernisation for some of the world's largest healthcare and industrial companies, real-time machine learning for petrochemical plants in Singapore and South Korea, and real-time control firmware for an active wearable robotics device.

The Internship in 30 Seconds

You'll spend three months at DRS working on two of our most interesting active projects: a global-scale enterprise web app built on WebAssembly, and firmware for a wearable robotics device.

Modern full-stack web development and low-level embedded engineering, on the same internship, with senior engineers around to learn from.

For the right candidate, this can also be the start of something longer. Strong interns are often offered part-time work through term and first preference for a permanent role after graduation if we're hiring.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

A WebAssembly-powered enterprise web application

We took a decades-old C++ desktop application and ported it into a modern web app using WebAssembly. The application is now in production worldwide, serving tens of thousands of users and supporting business-critical workflows that generate annual revenue measured in the billions. You'll contribute to ongoing feature development and maintenance of the application across both the TypeScript/Angular frontend, and the Wasm-compiled C++ core, gaining experience in working on a project that is huge in scale, with a senior multinational client team that operates to full enterprise standards.

Firmware for a new active wearable device

We're building the firmware for an active wearable device launching soon. The work spans embedded C++, real-time control loops, wireless connectivity, and the engineering rigour (testing, modularity, secure firmware updates) to turn prototype code into a shipping product.

The scope is still being defined, which means you'll be involved early on, right from project definition.

Across both projects you'll:

• Make meaningful contributions to our codebase from your first weeks, with code that ends up in front of real users.
• Get your code reviewed by senior engineers, and have the chance to weigh in on architectural decisions.
• Help uncover and triage defects.
• See first-hand how a small specialist consultancy works with industry-leading clients on technically demanding projects.
• Get exposure to every stage of the project lifecycle, from initial acquisition and definition, through to long term maintenance.

What We're Looking For

This position is ideal for a 2nd, 3rd, or Master's year student in computer science or a closely related field, but anyone with relevant experience is welcome to apply.

Three months go by quickly, so we need someone who can already write real code (and is comfortable in a Unix/Linux environment). You don't need to have touched the specific tech this role uses, but candidates who already have experience with C/C++ and full stack web dev are highly preferred.

You'll start with a ramp-up period to come up to speed. After that, a fair amount of your learning will happen on the job: reading unfamiliar code, figuring things out for yourself, and asking good questions when you get stuck. The intern who'll thrive here is someone who's energised by being given a hard problem and the space to crack it.

You don't need every box ticked, but the more of these you have, the faster you'll ramp:

• Real coding experience. Anything more ambitious than coursework: substantial personal projects, hackathons, open-source contributions, prior internships. C/C++ or full-stack web work is a particularly strong signal.
• Strong fundamentals. A solid grasp of algorithms and data structures, and the ability to reason from fundamentals when libraries don't help.
• Curiosity. You go deep on things that interest you, and you've taught yourself something that wasn't on a syllabus.
• Clear communication. You write well, ask good questions, and can articulate technical ideas clearly to both technical and non technical people.
• Fluent English. The team is international and works primarily in English.

If your strongest experience is in adjacent areas like high-performance computing, systems work, ML, or data engineering, apply anyway and tell us about it.

What We're Offering

• Hybrid working from a great location. Our office is at Nexus on the University of Leeds campus: a modern, social workspace embedded in the city's tech and innovation community, and a very easy commute from anywhere on or near campus. We'd expect you in the office around two days a week, and we're flexible on which days suit you best.
• Real exposure to senior engineers. No "intern track" siloed off in a corner. You'll be working on the same code our senior engineers are working on, with their support and mentorship as you go.
• Visibility and ownership. We're a small team, so the work you do is seen, used, and matters. Internships at large firms can feel anonymous; ours doesn't.
• An unusual CV piece. Production WebAssembly work and connected-device firmware on the same CV is rare and memorable.
• A potential ongoing relationship. Strong interns are often offered the chance to extend the engagement on a part-time basis through term-time. For a particularly strong fit, a permanent offer at graduation is on the table when our headcount allows it.

How to Apply

To apply, just hit Apply Now at the bottom of this page and upload your CV on the portal. A short cover letter is optional but appreciated. We particularly enjoy reading about projects you've built that you're proud of. If you've written C or C++ for something interesting, or developed a full stack web app, definitely tell us about it!

We review applications as they come in and will confirm interview invitations by email. We aim to respond to every applicant.

Looking forward to hearing from you.