GKN Aerospace Careers
Senior Materials Engineer
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Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.
GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet.
With over 16,000 employees across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.
Job Summary
It’s great to know you’re making a difference to the future of aviation! Whatever part you play you’ll be helping us deliver operational excellence to our customers. Based at our Luton manufacturing plant you’ll do just that. Established in 1993, GKN Aerospace in Luton is a world leader in commercial and military ice protection systems and transparencies. Offering a full range of capabilities; design, analysis, testing, certification and manufacture of electro-thermal ice protection, military fast jet canopies and flight deck windows to over 20 programmes including: Boeing 787, Dreamliner, AgustaWestland, AW101, Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Our customers include Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopters, Textron, BAE Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Leonardo. Our Luton site is home to 370+ employees and onsite facilities including onsite parking, food hub and vending machines.
The Luton Engineering & Technology team is focussed on developing product and manufacturing process technology related to aircraft ice protection systems, transparencies and coatings, and specialist structures for both civil and defence applications.
We’re looking for a Senior Materials Engineer with a strong non-metallic materials engineering background, to join our materials and test team to support the production and development of next generation composite aero structures, ice protection and transparency products. The role will be based in the Materials and Test (M&T) team within the wider Engineering and Technology department and report to the Functional Team Leader.
The role as a Senior Materials Engineer will support the business and engineering team, with non-metallic, polymer materials science and processing knowledge and guidance. Concentrating on thin film coating technologies and transparency materials. The role will initially lead a transparency coatings validation project before moving onto site production support and material obsolescence projects. The role will require a knowledge of the interactions between processing parameters and material properties of Acrylics, Polycarbonates and Polymers, being able to guide new technology test plans and current production deviations.
You will support the work of the business to establish safe working practices and necessary level of documentation. You will be involved with projects from the planning / assembly / instrumentation / commissioning phase though to successfully performing and reporting the test. You will also be responsible for providing specialist support to existing programmes within your field of expertise, helping to resolve manufacturing issues and supporting continuous improvement efforts.
Job Responsibilities
- Development of manufacturing processes in relation to transparent polymer and adhesive materials
- Qualification of materials and processes to ensure they comply with the requirements
- Lead thin film polymer coatings projects
- Lead material obsolescence and REACh affected material replacement projects
- Interact with different levels of leadership across the business, reporting progress to senior managers and site leadership team.
- Work closely with Principle Materials Engineer to effectively manage the Material Obsolescence process
- Collect inputs, related to a task and take it through an identified process to produce an output / deliverable adhering to quality and schedule requirements.
- Exemplifying a safety-first mind-set and ensuring compliance with the GKN Aerospace Health, Safety and Environmental policies and standards.
- Supporting production material related queries and issues, regarding re-life, testing and investigations.
- Developing, optimizing and maintaining specifications and handbooks related to non-metallic polymers; ensuring they are compliant with all relevant customer, regulatory, and airworthiness requirements.
- Preparing and defining tests/test plans; critical and systematic interpretation and analysis of test data, applying the outcome of tests for substantiation of specification changes.
- Defining activities in a project-oriented fashion with identification of deliverables, milestones and associated planning.
- Troubleshooting and production support on Materials Issues (e.g. Polymers and bonding).
- Interfacing with customers on a technical (M&T) level.
- Maintaining contacts with suppliers regarding alternative/new products.
- Integration into the wider, global engineering function, collaborating with other sites around the world.
- Contribute to the development of GKN as a 'great place to work', aligned with the core principles - safe, innovative, open & honest, care & respect, and ownership.
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What You'll Bring
To help us make a difference, you’ll bring your passion and talent for what you do along with the following skills, experience, qualifications and attributes:
Essential:
- Chemistry / Materials Science / aerospace engineering education, BSc / MSc level
- Knowledge of / experience in Polymer material science and processing
- Significant relevant experience within an industrial engineering discipline, preferably within an aerospace environment
- Experience with quality systems, specifications, standards, etc., with the ability to oversee the broader field
- Excellent reporting and project management skills; Good command of the English language, both verbally and in writing,
- Team player at all levels in the company, pro-active attitude, but also capable of acting on an individual basis and reporting back to the relevant parties within GKN.
Desirable:
- Ability to plan work through formal project management processes, to ensure successful delivery of required outcomes.
- You will have an awareness of aerospace certification requirements.
- Knowledge of / experience in Transparent thin film coatings
As Senior Materials Engineer you should have a broad interest in Aerospace engineering with a high level of understanding in non-metallic material technologies & testing and characterisation techniques. You’ll be able to adapt to changing priorities to meet business priorities handling multiple enquires at once. Your proactive nature will enable you to understand and adapt to new technology areas quickly. Your good communication skills shall enable you to confidently engage with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders, including operations and other business functions.
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The successful candidate should be adaptable in their approach to work, and be able to adapt to potentially dynamic priorities. As a Senior Materials Engineer, you will be naturally curious and seek to increase/deepen their own technical knowledge through study, collaborative working, hypothesis testing and experimentation.
Note: Some GKN programmes are subject to regulatory restrictions which may impact certain nationalities. As part of the application process you will be asked to declare when applying for this role.
The position requires UK National Security Vetting (UKNSV) Security clearance (SC) due to the nature and responsibilities of the work carried out. In order for us to obtain an SC you usually need to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 5 years to current date (but we will assess each case individually).
What We'll Offer
Once you’re on board you’ll get the following perks and benefits:
- Competitive salary dependent on experience
- The opportunity to earn up to 15% bonus
- Industry Leading Pension Scheme = we’ll match your contributions up to 8% on a 1 : 1.5 basis
- Life Assurance 8 x salary
- 185 hours holiday + bank holidays
- Income protection
- Shopping discounts
- Cycle To Work Scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Virtual GP Clinic for you and immediate family
- Electric Vehicle (EV) salary sacrifice scheme (Insurance, servicing, maintenance, roadside assistance and more included)
- Free onsite parking
- Local gym discount
- Free airport parking
- Enhanced family friendly leave
- A collaborative, dynamic working environment
As well as a competitive package we’ll offer you a world of opportunity. We want to see your career fly! We’ll support your career progression by providing you with learning and development opportunities. That’s the beauty of being part of a global business, once you’re on board you never know where your career journey may take you!
Join us and keep the world moving … click on the link below to apply
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We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?
A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working
Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.
We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.
We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.
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