NATS
Technical Designer
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Technical Designer
Manager, Technical Solution Design
Closing Date: 19/07/2026 Salary: £64,770.15 – £86,360.19 Note: Please include a cover letter with your application.
Overview
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 offer 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.
Purpose
Responsible for the Technology (Technical) Solution Design for a specific Service or Asset that make up the Service, managing and supporting the technical solution design elements as part of the Overall Service Design Pack for the Service.
Key Responsibilities
- Within the NATS SI Framework, ensure end-to-end Technical Design of a large-scale/high-criticality or enterprise-wide solution, representing the Service Design organisation to its Programme and Service Operations customers and stakeholders.
- Establish, review, and maintain design processes for operational methods, procedures, facilities, and tools (at Enterprise & Business Arch (STPL) Level 5).
- Provide technical design oversight for Service and/or Asset groups, supporting the Service Designer in meeting their accountabilities for Service Design components.
- Approve high-level and low-level technical designs, and exceptions for underpinning capabilities, with submissions to relevant design governance mechanisms (at Enterprise IT Governance (GOVN) Level 5).
- Impact-assess operational change requests to ensure alignment with the Design Envelope, escalating changes via design processes where necessary (at Business Risk Management (BURM) Level 6).
- Serve as technical representation across service and wider domains, with in-depth knowledge of systems and assets.
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Autonomy & Leadership
- Proactively identify and mitigate technical design issues/risks before they impact delivery.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams under tight deadlines with minimal additional support.
- Apply judgement to resolve technical design decisions independently with design governance processes.
- Escalate unresolved issues to higher authority as needed.
Job Scope
Service Design Management (ITIL Alignments)
- Technical design, architecture, and design authority for service-implemented technologies, reporting to the Service Designer (Manager).
- Tactical Planning:
- Identify short-term design decisions to resolve programmatic challenges without undermining safety assurance or the Service Roadmap.
- Review change requests (from Service Operations) to confirm adherence to the Design Envelope.
- Strategic Planning:
- Collaborate with Project Managers, Service Transition Managers, customers, and stakeholders to:
- Align technical requirements, timescales, and workplans.
- Mitigate operational and technical risks.
- Develop predictive engineering papers to highlight:
- Service improvements.
- Technology End of Life (EOL).
- Future problems.
- Formulate technology strategies with Service Owners, Delivery Managers, and Enterprise Architects to align with NATS business objectives, balancing risks and benefits.
- Collaborate with Project Managers, Service Transition Managers, customers, and stakeholders to:
Essential Skills & Experience
Core Competencies
Must demonstrate:
- High motivation, clarity of communication (oral/written), and ability to synthesise/report content.
- Strong interpersonal skills, range leadership competencies, and drive for technology maturity and continuous improvement.
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Qualifications & Experience
- Degree in an Engineering or IT subject, OR equivalent competency via professional training+safety-critical environment experience. (Applicants without formal qualifications may apply with recognised training+extensive experience.)
- Proficient in SFIA Level 6 (Initiate, Influence).
- Expertise in safety-critical service design, delivering/improving systems for operational resilience.
- Leadership track record delivering value, quality, costcipl-efficiency, and stakeholder alignment under uncertainty.
- Complex organisational transformation experience, particularly in matrix rôles.
- Core ITIL skills (Foundation/Practitioner preferred).
- Deep insight into NATS’s operating environment and strategic objectives.
Domain Experience
- Engineering, IT, or Business Management in high-pressure, multi-site, customer-centric domains.
- Multi-disciplinary leadership across the full service lifecycle (marketing, sales, architecture, engineering, suppliers, operations).
Personal Traits
- Senior stakeholder management skills.
- Embodying a fast-paced/dynamic organisational mindset, blending resilience, energy, and agility.
- Commitment to customer-centric process improvement.
Additional Notes
- Total reward benefits: Why NATS?
- Flexible working policies include hybrid options, office/remote hybrid, and flex/part-time arrangements—inquire upon application.
NATS embraces diversity. We value candidates of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and capabilities. Bring innovative perspectives to aviation safety. No safety culture or background is an obstruction to applying. Enter your distinction.
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