Cyber Security Industrial Placement

Closing date - 26th October 2025 

What is 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 services to 15 airports in the UK as well as providing these services around the world spanning Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. 

We are shaping the future of air traffic management through our focus on ‘advancing aviation and keeping the skies safe’ and we believe that the size and diversity of our business makes us an exciting choice for undergraduates considering their future careers.  

What will the Cyber Security Industrial Placement scheme involve? 

This one-year placement is designed for undergraduate students in their penultimate year of university who are eager to gain real-world experience in a dynamic and supportive environment. Based at our Head Office in Whiteley or our Air Traffic Control Centre in Swanwick (Hampshire), we embrace agile working — giving you the flexibility to work both from our modern office spaces and from home.

At NATS, we play a vital role in the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure, and cybersecurity is central to keeping our systems safe. As digital transformation accelerates and cyber threats evolve, our Cyber Risk and Information Security team is at the forefront of protecting our business — and we’d love for you to be part of it. During your placement, you’ll be welcomed into a collaborative and inclusive team where you’ll:

• Help shape and communicate security policies and standards that guide decision-making and inspire positive change.
• Support assurance activities to ensure our teams are aligned with best practices — and help identify opportunities for improvement.
• Work alongside regulators to ensure compliance with both internal and external requirements.
• Apply security architecture principles to turn business goals into a clear security vision.
• Contribute to initiatives that engage employees in building a strong security culture and identifying insider threats.
• Take part in exercises that prepare our teams for potential incidents or events.

You may also have the opportunity to shadow other areas of our business, including our Security Operations Centre (SOC), giving you a broader view of how cybersecurity supports our mission.

We’re proud of the diversity within our team — our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, bringing unique perspectives and skills. You don’t need to be studying cybersecurity or a technical subject to apply. If you’re curious, collaborative, and passionate about making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Why choose NATS?  

By joining NATS not only will you be working for the UK’s leading ANSP, but you will also be working at the heart of our organisation, alongside other graduates, undergraduate students and professionals. You will gain valuable insight into our business and make a tangible contribution to our success.   

Your placement experience will be unique to you so you can build on the knowledge you have gained at university. We are committed to your personal and professional development and – with the support of our skilled advisors - will help you achieve your goals.

What are we looking for?  

We’re looking for motivated, collaborative, and thoughtful individuals who are excited to contribute to meaningful goals and help us shape the future of aviation. We know that our success depends on our people — their ideas, their energy, and their diverse perspectives.

We are looking for individuals who share our passion to advance aviation and keep the skies safe.  We provide answers to the critical issues faced by the aviation industry around the world – such as cost-efficiency, environment and data use – and have built our reputation on delivering a first rate, safe and efficient service.   

You will 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 - £21,300 per annum 

28 days of holiday entitlement with Bank Holidays on top   

Market-leading defined contribution pension scheme   

For more detail on our benefits package, 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. 

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 earlycareers@nats.co.uk if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments.