Production Planning and Control Degree Apprenticeship

Job Description:

Start date: September 2025

Location: Airbus Defence & Space Stevenage

Duration: 5 years

University: London MET University

Degree: BSc (Hons) Integrated Project Management

Application closing date: We encourage you to apply early to avoid missing out on this opportunity! Please note we will close adverts as soon as we receive sufficient applications.

Benefits:

Salary: 20,200

37 hours per week //  Half day Fridays!* // 25 days holiday plus bank holidays // Pension // Success share // Plus many more flexible benefits! 

*subject to completing full hours prior to this

About us: 

The Production Planning and Control department has a helicopter view of operations with end to end visibility and control of Airbus Space Systems Production within the UK.

In Stevenage, we plan, schedule and control the Manufacture, Assembly, Integration and Test (MAIT) of spacecraft, satellites, rovers and equipment. We maintain optimised production plans and schedules to drive On Quality, On Time and On Cost deliveries while ensuring full end to end control and traceability of purchased and allocated materials.

Production Planning and Control deal with uncertainty and complex problems on a daily basis. We challenge ourselves and others to continuously improve and proactively manage risk and opportunity of our production system to enhance our performance (On Quality, On Time and On Cost delivery).

Our 5 year Production Planning and Scheduling Degree Apprenticeship offers a full degree with no fees, plus vocational training with a regular salary. Through this Programme you will achieve a BSc (Hons) Integrated Project Management, and gain professional working experience.

What you will be doing: 

This apprenticeship offers the successful candidate the opportunity to build a holistic view of Space Systems MAIT, activities of the role may include:

Production Control:

• Load Customer Order demand into production and manage Work Order in SAP

• Ensure kits/works orders are released to AIT on time and expedite them to meet the planned delivery dates

• Input into and maintain Production Schedules

• Maintain the ‘live’ status of products in the AIT production flows with assistance of area team leaders and area managers

• Support the manufacturing area manager with work centre forecasts from the company stock control/forecasting tool. Give visibility to the Production and Manufacturing Managers at the weekly operations reviews

• Manage material supply issues to avoid potential delivery slippages

• Ensure full traceability for all products issued to manufacturing

• Monitor drawing release activity and adherence to production schedules

• Report any delay, investigate impact/recovery and ensure project are charged for respective changes to schedule/effort

• Analyse and report potential impacts derived from the ‘Shortage Risk Reports’, release of purchase requisitions

• Propose solutions in the event of shortages and identify schedule recovery opportunities from changing production workflow

• Manage the delivery/transfer of materials to satisfy project/company demand, paying particular attention to ITAR/IPR and EEE items

Scheduling:

• Create, maintain and optimise the production schedule according to our industrial capacity and capabilities

• Identify critical and sub-critical paths on the multi-programme schedule, raising awareness of key drivers and critical work packages to drive issue resolution

• Take progress and reschedule the multi-programme production plan on a weekly basis

• Issue and report on weekly production plans to all areas (Spacecraft Technicians, Manufacturing Engineers, Production Controllers, Delivery Managers)

• Conduct scenario planning activities, analysing risk and opportunities to industrial capacity, supporting and facilitating resolution of clashes and providing innovative solutions

• Smooth (level) the multi-programme forward load to match the availability of resource and industrial constraints

• Analyse the status of production (progress, impacts, blockers and issues) and iterate the production plan

• Prepare and participate or lead the Weekly Master Production meetings involving all the stakeholders

• Build, update and analyse KPIs measuring production plan execution and deliveries with a view to defining improvement plans and associated actions

Skills and knowledge you will develop include:

• Planning and scheduling processes, methods and tools

• Data manipulation and analysis techniques

• Resource and workload planning

• Problem-solving methodologies

• Use of tools i.e. SAP and Planning software

Requirements:

In order to be eligible to this apprenticeship, you must have a minimum of:

• ​2 to 3 GCE “A” Levels at Grades A to C

AND

• GCSE: Grade 4/C or above in English Language and Mathematics.

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Submit your CV stating your grades and if they are predicted or achieved

• Submit a Cover Letter stating your motivations

Important Information:

GRADES: If you are on predicted grades, your offer will be conditional to achieving the position’s requirements before the apprenticeship start date.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: Eligibility to gain UK SC Security Clearance OR You will be subject to a BPSS check (including a criminal record check). 

Our apprenticeship roles do not meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas & Immigration to enable sponsorship of migrant workers.

Contact:

Please let us know if you need us to make any adjustments to allow you to access and participate fully in the recruitment process. If you wish to discuss this further please contact via email apprentices&64;airbus.com​. Any information disclosed will be treated in the strictest confidence.

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.

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Airbus is, and always has been, committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom&64;airbus.com.

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