Head of Hull Construction in Belfast

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.

Job Description

• Lead and manage the Structures area based on strategies and policies aligned with H&W’s applicable strategies and policies.
• Develop and strengthen knowledge and operational capabilities within the Structures area to meet all Programs requirements effectively and efficiently.
• HSE Preventive leadership. Coordinate the development of annual Prevention and Environmental plans for the Structures area and ensure compliance.
• Resources Management Support the Operations Director in managing the productive resources within the area under their responsibility. Monitor and track Budget (U.P.A. and P.O.A.), area expenses, project scheduling, workload, and underactivity within the area under their responsibility. Coordinate the activities of the Structures area, for each project/program executed by H&W ensuring that work is carried out in accordance with proper procedures and work methods and applying established quality standards and criteria. Manage production carried out within the scope of Structures, suggest hiring decisions when production requirements exceed the shipyard’s own capacity and manage and supervise subcontracted work.
• Technical and Quality Define and/or execute the Structures Policy/Plan for each project/program to be executed by H&W. Provide technical support to the programmes in all matters relating to Structures. Improve production processes affecting Structural‑related disciplines, promoting continuous improvement, the use of information technologies, and technological advancement, including training and development of personnel. Collaborate with Procurement, Engineering, and with the Operations areas in the contracting process through the preparation of specifications and/or technical evaluations. Propose any improvements or changes related to organization, personnel, infrastructure, and investments necessary for the optimized functioning of the area. Define and develop the necessary Procedures for the execution of each project/program to be carried out by H&W. Ensure the implementation, development, and communication of Quality through the integration and compliance with the QMS within their area of responsibility.

Qualifications

• Demonstrate ability to guide, mentor and develop a team as a leader.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and communicate technical information to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Good planning and organisational skills, including ability to interpret and update project plans, identifying areas where progress is impacting the success of the project and proposing necessary changes to recover any variance.
• Familiarity with naval and maritime codes, including classification society rules and regulations and Defence standards.
• Familiarity with Enterprise Resources Planning systems, ERP, proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to understand Earned Value Management (EVM), to aid in decision‑making to ensure the SPI and CPI of the project is in a healthy condition.

On offer

• Company pension
• Life Assurance
• L&D opportunities
• Health Care Cash Plan

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. To ensure equal opportunities for all candidates, we commit to a fair and unbiased recruitment process at every stage. This includes ensuring hiring managers are aware of legislation, providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities, and actively seeking to eliminate any form of discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.