Operations Graduate Scheme

Closing date - 26th October 2025 

We're excited to be recruiting for 5 new graduates to work in NERL Operations Division as part of our Early Careers programme to be based at one of our main sites in Prestwick (Ayrshire). These roles provide an opportunity to participate in the running of two of the busiest air traffic control centres in Europe, a critical part of the UK’s national infrastructure. Do you like a challenge? Can you demonstrate excellence in what you do? If so, please read the job description below and if it sounds like you, why not apply?

Who are NATS?

NATS is the UK’s leading Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP). Every year we handle 2.6 million flights and keep 250 million passengers safe whilst in UK airspace. We provide air traffic management (ATM) services in UK airspace and into the North Atlantic through 2 air traffic control centres and 13 airports in the UK, as well as providing these services around the world spanning Europe, Middle East, Asia and North America.

We’re shaping the future of ATM through our focus on ‘advancing aviation and keeping the skies safe’ and believe that the opportunities and diversity of our business make us an exciting choice for undergraduates considering their future careers.

What will the graduate scheme involve?

As a graduate within NERL Operations, you will be one of c1,750 employees across a variety of professions and disciplines. You’ll be working at the heart of our organisation, alongside other graduates, undergraduate students and professionals. You’ll gain valuable insight into our business and make a tangible contribution to our success. Your placement will be supported by a central development programme.

We are an ‘agile working’ organisation which will enable you, in line with business need, to have the opportunity and flexibility to work in our modern office facilities as well as at home.

The NERL Operations’ division consists of several teams that work together to deliver a broad range of business, air traffic management & safety services to our customers. If successful, you’ll be in a unique position to experience these different teams through a programme of placements, offering you the flexibility to learn, grow and develop in line with business need and personal aspirations.

The teams are:

• Operations Safety – analysing our current and future services and systems to ensure our service is underpinned by a relentless drive for improvement in our safety performance.
• Operations Control – this team plans and delivers the complex day-to-day service, working with airlines and others to plan the efficient use of the airspace network to ensure planes can fly as direct and environmentally efficient routes as possible consistent with maintaining the very highest standards of safety.
• Swanwick & Prestwick Service Delivery – providing operational and management support to ensure the smooth running of the operation, including operational policy and procedures, operations planning, customer relationship management and business services.
• Operations Planning & performance – ensuring we’ve got the right short- and long-term workforce plans, and agreements with our staff and Trades Unions, to provide the right number of operational staff with the right skills to deliver a high-quality service tomorrow and for the next 10 years.
• Operations Training – exploring new technologies to continuously improve the specialist training our operational staff need, both now and in the future, to safely guide planes through our airspace.
• Airport Operations – Provide services under competitive contracts to airport operators. Enabling airports to provide increased capacity and become more efficient. Provision of ATC tower and approach services to 15 UK airports, Gibraltar Airport, and to Hong Kong International Airport, as well as working on capacity and expansion projects at many airports in Asia and the Middle East.

Providing you with a programme of placements will allow you to develop your business knowledge, skillset and overall understanding of NERL Operations. You’ll be working alongside highly skilled professionals and will get to experience the technologies that underpin the services we provide to airlines and our customers.

During your 3 eight-month rotations across Operations you will be continually assessed against nats behaviours and performance expectations and will be expected to deliver end of rotation presentations based on set objectives. You can expect to be offered opportunities to undertake Leadership apprenticeships alongside NATS initiatives.

At the end of the graduate scheme, you will undertake an assessment interview that will determine whether you make the grade for a permanent position in NATS, providing the opportunity to further develop your skills and experience to build a challenging and fulfilling career.

Why choose NATS?

You'll have the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the daily operation of a key part of the UK's national infrastructure. You'll be working at the heart of our organisation, alongside other graduates, undergraduate students and professionals. You’ll gain valuable insight into our business, an acknowledged leader in the aviation industry and make a tangible contribution to our success.  Your experience at NATS will be unique to you, so you can build on knowledge you have gained at university. We are committed to your personal and professional development and will help you achieve your goals.

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for driven, proactive and committed individuals who will embrace the challenging targets that we’ve set ourselves over the next few years. One thing is clear to us; we can only achieve these targets through our people. We’ll be leading the way technically, operationally, commercially, and politically, and you can help us shape the future.

You’ll need to have achieved a minimum of 2:2 at degree level and be able to demonstrate interest in your field of expertise outside of your studies. Although not exhaustive, the following list provides a guide to the sorts of skills and experience relevant to the roles that we are seeking to fill:

• Analytical thinking using qualitative and quantitative methods, e.g. operational analysis, workforce planning, planned and dynamic optimisation of the air traffic network.
• Application of critical thinking to provide insight into operational and business performance, and through effective engagement with internal and external stakeholders deliver quantifiable improvement in performance.
• A wide variety of leadership, management and business skills, including customer management, business management and reporting, stakeholder management, managing Trade Union relationships.
• The management of change, including people-based change management, project management, benefit delivery, requirement analysis, process design.
• Use of various techniques as an enabler for efficiency and improvement, including various improvement methodologies and the use of new technologies.

As well as having well developed technical skills you will also need to have great interpersonal skills and the personal resilience to deal with a constantly changing environment with confidence. We need people that are great at engaging and influencing others, with exemplary communication and problem-solving skills and a tenacity to deliver within demanding timescales.

You’ll need to have achieved a minimum of 2:2 in a relevant degree within the last 2 years (or be on track to graduate in 2026).

You’ll also need to pass NATS pre-employment security clearance checks.

Additional vacancy information:

If you’ve applied and have met the minimum requirements for our scheme, you will be invited to complete a variety of online tests. If you are successful in passing this stage, you may have the opportunity to attend one of our virtual assessment centres!

Assessment centres slots will be available to book onto between the 12th - 14th November. They will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams from the 2nd – 12th December.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary - £31,000 per annum + £1,000 welcome bonus
• 28 days of holiday entitlement plus Bank Holidays
• Market-leading defined contribution pension scheme
• Opportunity to study for a fully funded professional qualification
• For more information on the benefits we offer, please visit https://www.nats.aero/careers/early-careers/

Please note that NATS reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. If you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible.

Diversity and Inclusion at NATS

We celebrate the diversity of our colleagues. We thrive because we are all brilliantly different yet united in our passion to advance aviation and keep the skies safe. For more information on our commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit: https://www.nats.aero/careers/why-nats/

If you share our passion to advance aviation and keep the skies safe – we would like to hear from you whatever your age, sex, race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, visible or invisible disability. Individuals that bring different perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds help us be at the forefront of our industry.

We want you to be able to perform at your best, so please email careers@nats.co.uk if you’d like to discuss any reasonable adjustments.