Navantia UK is a new force in British industry, supporting the UK’s defence, security and energy transition 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

Navantia UK is undergoing rapid growth and transformation, with major programmes driving the need for a more strategic, future-focused approach to Learning and Development. To support this evolution, we are seeking an experienced Learning & Development Consultant to shape and implement key initiatives that will reposition L&D as a proactive partner to the business.

Leading a small team comprising two in-house L&D Partners and a training administrator. This role reports to the Head of Talent & Culture, and will lead the design and delivery of scalable, business-aligned learning systems, frameworks, and interventions. A key focus will be on establishing a structured, dynamic approach to skills and competence management – enabling the business to plan, track, and develop capability in line with current and future needs.

The consultant will also play a critical role in advancing our Talent Development agenda, particularly around identifying and developing future leaders, and embedding Discovery Insights psychometrics into our leadership development approach.

Work with a multi-functional team to scope, select, and implementation of a suite of tools to support end-to-end people development – including a Learning Management System (LMS), goal setting, competence management, and performance management functionality.
Design and embed a competency management framework that links to workforce planning, development pathways, and performance reviews.
Create and roll out a harmonised Learning & Development procedure across all sites – defining how training needs are gathered and prioritised, how budgets are proposed and approved, and clarifying ownership for delivery and reporting (e.g. HR vs. General Managers).
Support the design and phased delivery of a new Leadership Development Programme, ensuring it reflects Navantia UK’s values, strategic direction, and evolving leadership needs.
Introduce Discovery Insights psychometrics into our approach to leadership development and assessment. Build internal capability and processes for sustainable use across talent and team development.
Shape and implement an approach to Talent Development, including succession planning, high-potential identification, and targeted development pathways.
Partner with and coach the in-house L&D team to build capability in stakeholder engagement, learning needs analysis, and modern learning design.
Develop a learning evaluation framework to measure impact and ensure continuous improvement.
Ensure all tools and frameworks are practical, scalable, and embedded into business rhythm and decision-making.

Qualifications

Proven experience delivering L&D transformation and building talent strategies in high-growth or complex organisations (engineering, manufacturing, or technical environments preferred).
Strong experience in implementing LMS platforms and designing scalable learning infrastructure.
Deep understanding of competency-based development and its application in performance and career development.
Qualified and experienced in the use of Discovery Insights psychometrics, ideally with experience embedding it into leadership or team development programmes.
Strong background in Talent Development, with experience in succession planning, high-potential frameworks, and leadership pipeline development.
CIPD L&D Level 7

Additional Information

Why Join Us?

The chance to work on complex, cutting-edge naval projects
Competitive salary
Company pension
Learning & development opportunities to keep building your career.
A collaborative and supportive working environment.

Equal Opportunity: 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. Our goal is to create a recruitment environment where every candidate feels valued and has an equal chance to succeed.

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.

Navantia UK

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