Graduate Production Planner

Navantia UK is a new force in British industry, supporting the UK’s defence, energy and maritime ambitions. We’re doing this by creating state-of-the-art sovereign defence capabilities, investing in the UK to modernise industrial facilities, and bolstering the nation's energy security. Established in 2022, Navantia UK is a subsidiary of Navantia SA, a Spanish state-owned company with over 300 years of naval shipbuilding history. In January 2025, Navantia UK completed the acquisition of Harland & Wolff and its four historic facilities in Belfast, Appledore, Methil, and Arnish. By combining Harland & Wolff’s proud heritage and facilities with Navantia’s global expertise, Navantia UK is well-positioned to strengthen Britain’s defence, maritime and energy industrial capabilities, supporting jobs and economic growth across the UK.

Start Your Graduate Career with Navantia
Full-time, Permanent (Graduate Entry-Level)

Are you a recent graduate looking to build a career in production planning, work preparation, scheduling or material management?

Navantia UK is recruiting a Graduate Production Planner to join our Belfast team and support the planning and coordination activities that enable shipyard production execution. This is an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while developing technical, analytical and systems capability.

You’ll work alongside experienced Production, Work Preparation, Material Management and Scheduling colleagues, gaining exposure to how complex shipbuilding workflows are planned, sequenced and delivered.

You don’t need to be an expert when you join us. We’ll provide training and support to help you build foundational capability in SAP PP/MM, production planning processes, work package readiness and technical interpretation.

What You’ll Be Doing
As a Graduate Production Planner, you’ll support the preparation, control and coordination of the information required to keep production moving. Your work will help ensure materials, work orders, drawings and technical documentation are ready when needed.

You’ll gain experience across:

Production Planning & Work Preparation

• Preparing, updating and controlling production planning and work preparation information.
• Creating and maintaining work orders, routings, reports and readiness trackers.

Material Management

• Carrying out material availability checks and tracking constraints.
• Interpreting bills of material and technical information for planning purposes.

Scheduling & Coordination

• Preparing data for scheduling and production planning meetings.
• Updating actions, trackers and progress information.
• Coordinating with Production, Work Preparation, Material Management and Planning colleagues.

Technical & Systems Development

• Learning SAP PP/MM and core production planning processes.
• Developing understanding of production workflows, load-capacity principles and system architecture.

What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for graduates who are organised, curious and eager to learn — people who enjoy working with data, solving problems and supporting operational delivery.

You’ll Need

• A degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, Project Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Business Operations or a related discipline.
• Strong interest in production planning, work preparation, materials or shipbuilding operations.
• Good numerical, analytical and organisational skills.
• Ability to interpret basic technical information or willingness to develop this skill.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• A learning mindset and willingness to develop SAP capability.

It Would Be Great If You Also Have

• Exposure to SAP, ERP systems or manufacturing planning.
• Understanding of shipbuilding or manufacturing environments.
• Placement or project experience involving planning, materials, production or data analysis.

What You’ll Gain
Joining Navantia as a Graduate Production Planner will give you the opportunity to:

• Build foundational capability in SAP PP/MM and production planning systems.
• Gain hands-on experience supporting real production workflows and shopfloor execution.
• Develop skills in planning, scheduling, materials, technical interpretation and data accuracy.
• Work alongside experienced professionals across multiple production-related functions.
• Build a strong foundation for progression into professional-level planning roles.

Who Will Succeed in This Role?
We’re looking for someone who is:

• Detail-focused
• Organised
• Curious
• Collaborative
• Proactive
• A clear communicator
• Most importantly, we’re looking for someone with the enthusiasm and potential to learn.

Why Navantia?
This is an opportunity to start your career in a unique industry, working on complex shipbuilding programmes that require precision, coordination and technical excellence.

You’ll gain practical experience, receive structured development and build skills that will support your long-term career in production planning, manufacturing or operations.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, we’d love to hear from you.

Please note that Assessment Centres will be held on Monday 7th September and Tuesday 8th September. Candidates will be assigned to attend on one of these dates only. Following the Assessment Centre, successful candidates will be invited to a final interview on Thursday 10th September.

***Please note as part of the onboarding process all candidates will need to complete BPSS security clearance***

We are an Opening Doors employer, committed to equal opportunity and an inclusive workplace. Our approach, shaped by our values of service, trust, excellence, agility, dedication, and you, we focus on removing barriers and recognising potential. We are committed to fairness at every stage, including providing reasonable adjustments and actively working to eliminate discrimination.

We believe talent is everywhere, and by widening access to opportunity and welcoming diverse experiences, we aim to create a workplace where every person feels valued and has an equal chance.

If you experience difficulties or are unable to apply for a role on-line please contact us at people.skills@harland-wolff.com and one of the team will be in contact to help you.