Software Engineer

NATS is the UK’s leading air navigation service provider, handling over 2.4 million flights each year. We provide air traffic control services from two control centres and at airports around the UK. We also provide a wide range of commercial products and solutions internationally. Our people are at the heart of our purpose to advance aviation and keep the skies safe.  

Salary: £64,770.15 - £86,360.19

Closing Date: 24/9/2026

Please include a Cover Letter with your application. 

Job Purpose/Overview 

Manage or work on work packages concerned with the development and maintenance of software components and systems / sub-systems in order to contribute to the development and support of NATS systems. 

Other Duties Include

1. Analysis design and implementation of changes to software components, in accordance with customer requirements, budget and schedule. 

2. Management of and responsibility for work packages involving the development and delivery of software in accordance with performance, quality, budget and schedule requirements.  

3. 3rd and 4th line support for NATS software systems, requiring a responsive and flexible approach to ensure a high utilisation of these systems. 

4. Contribute to proposals by assisting with activities such as requirements capture, risk analysis, prototyping, and the production of written proposals and Feasibility & Options reports. 

5. Supervision and guidance of engineers assigned to the Job Holder’s work package. 

6. Production and maintenance of documentation covering the full development lifecycle including software assurance documentation when developing assurance level 4 software. 

7. Provision of expertise and knowledge in the rapidly changing field of commercial software and systems used by NATS systems. 

8. Ensure that the processes and tools used in the development of software systems are efficient and effective. 

Autonomy

1. Works unsupervised referring to Work Package Lead to review progress weekly. 

2. Within the resource limits agreed with the Software Engineering Practice Manager for the job holder’s work package, the job holder is responsible for utilising the available resources to deliver the work package outputs into the project. 

3. Responsible for guiding and supervising junior staff assigned to the Job Holder’s work package. 

4. Junior software engineering staff refer to the Job Holder for : 

1. Technical guidance on solutions. 

2. Direction in terms of their contribution to the Job Holder’s work package. 

5. When the Work Package Lead has agreed the job holders proposals to technical solutions, the job holder has freedom and responsibility to implement them. 

Job Scope

The Job Holder reports to a Software Engineering Manager / Senior Software Engineer. 

The Software Engineering Practice Manager can appoint the job holder to manage a discrete work package. The job holder can also have expertise in a particular technical field, (e.g. programming languages, software packages) and can be called upon to provide technical advice in their field to customers and other Service staff as appropriate.  The job holder works in a team led by a Software Engineering Manager or a Senior Software Engineer and is responsible for the close supervision of staff assigned to work on their work package. 

The job holder:- 

1. Is responsible for designing and implementing changes to systems / sub-systems and the development and maintenance of software components allocated to the job holder in the form of work packages. 

2. Is responsible for: 

1. Estimation of the resources and schedule associated with the execution of a work package. 

2. Highlighting any risks or dependencies associated with a work package. 

3. Providing technical guidance and direction to junior software engineering staff. 

4. Delivering the outputs of a work package in accordance with the project’s requirements for the performance, budget and schedule of the work package outputs. 

3. Needs to respond, at short notice, to requests for specialist support, requiring rapid analysis of the situation and guidance to ensure high utilisation of NATS systems and facilities. 

Essential Skills and Experience 

1. As a minimum, a HNC (or equivalent level 4 or SCQF level 7 qualification) in a computing, engineering, technology or numerate related discipline or an equivalent defined by a professional body. 

2. In lieu of the required qualification, the job holder shall have completed structured engineering, technology and/or on the job software development training, and have demonstrable skills in the field of software development. It is expected that a body of evidence will be provided to support this assessment. 

3. Knowledge of system and software development is a pre-requisite for the job. It is highly desirable that the job holder has previous experience of ATC systems and software and has worked in a commercial environment. Computer languages should include languages such as C++. Operating Systems should include UNIX/Linux. The job holder should have experience of using at least one analysis and design methodology. 

4. As an alternative to C++ experience, candidates should ideally demonstrate proficiency in JavaScript or TypeScript for the development of backend services and APIs, along with practical experience of modern front-end development using React or equivalent frameworks. 

5. An understanding of work package management within a system and software development environment, including the principles of staff management, is required. The job holder should also have experience of negotiating with customers, other disciplines and suppliers. It is essential that they communicate clearly and effectively at all times. 

6. This role aligns to SFIA 9 Programming/software development level 4. 

Additional Vacancy Information

We are proud to offer a fantastic total reward package to help you thrive both personally and professionally - for more information on what NATS can offer you please visit - 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 have adopted agile working to provide greater flexibility and increased choice over working arrangements, with the opportunity for this role to work in our modern office facilities as well as remotely. We also welcome discussions on flexible and part-time working arrangements. Find out more here. 

Please note: All staff at NATS are subject to UK Security Vetting and Clearance (SC) and must maintain valid clearance throughout employment. We are unable to progress applications where an applicant does not meet eligibility requirements for clearance. For further guidance, please click here -  Security Clearance - NATS.