Senior Systems Engineer (Electronics)

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 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn.in 2023. 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, Airbus A320, 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.

As a Senior Systems Engineer (Electronics) you will draw on your diverse engineering background and the product lifecycle awareness to work on a variety of research activities in the TRL1-6 range. You must have sound experience in leading technical work, including budgeting, schedule and risk management. You will be capable of achieving through others internally and externally, and you will be committed to development of your own skills and professional network. Your proactive nature will enable you to understand and adapt to new technology areas quickly. 

The Luton team is focussed on developing product and manufacturing process technology related to aircraft ice protection systems and specialist structures for both civil and defence applications. The areas of activity cover but is not limited to: Electro-thermal systems and Electro-mechanical systems, Specialist materials and coating systems, Embedded and structural composites, Aircraft transparencies, Icing modelling and analysis, Sensing and data acquisition, Electrical and software control systems and digital engineering / manufacturing. 

This role is to provide analysis and design data to support ice protection system design through modelling and simulation of in-flight icing behaviour of aircraft surfaces, or representative surfaces. It is further expected that the role holder develop an in-depth understanding of the icing wind tunnel facility capabilities, and provide consultation and support to customers and other third party users ensuring testing is conducted in line with relevant standards and specifications and contributing to test reports as required.

This expertise is to be developed through understanding icing physics and aircraft ice protection philosophies (particularly electrothermal), and through practical experimentation and modelling verification using the research icing wind tunnel. The successful candidate should have a broad engineering knowledge base but have a desire to specialise and in time develop the in depth knowledge to become a subject matter expert in icing analysis and testing, being able to support next generation ice protection system designs.

We are seeking someone adaptable in their approach to work, and be willing to understudy other team members in their areas of expertise to ensure project objectives are met. As a Senior Systems Engineer (Electronics), you will be naturally curious and seek to increase/deepen your own technical knowledge through study, collaborative working, hypothesis testing and experimentation.

Core operational hours at our Luton site are: 07:30  - 16:30 Monday to Thursday & 07:30 - 12:30 Friday. The role requires flexibility for occassional national travel to meet with customer and we offer the opportunity to work from home up to two days per week dependent on business need. 

Job Responsibilities

• Responsible for the technical delivery of allocated project deliverables, or project work packages, ensuring the research objectives have been satisfied. 
• You may have budget accountability for a Work Stream or Work Package
• Support or lead any necessary 'hands on' development test work and development trials that are required to meet your Work Package/Work Stream delivery objectives.
• Support or lead the design of external work packages to be carried out by third parties in order to meet project research objectives. 
• Responsible for accurately capturing and recording data and results from test work and development trials. 
• Responsible for raising and issuing high quality and detailed technical documentation.
• Seek to understand the strategic direction of the target products or manufacturing process technologies being developed within your project(s)
• Responsible for preparation of Technology Development Plans and Technology Business Cases within your project(s)
• Ensure all planning documentation in your responsibility is regularly updated, accurate, and delivery is on track. You may also have schedule accountability for your project(s)
• Suggest and explore exploitation routes, aligned with the guidance of the Work Stream Lead.
• Drive project(s) toward exploitation, identifying and supporting industrialisation scenario development.
• Support project stakeholder management with internal/external customers, and you may lead management of supply chain partners in some cases.
• Take an active role in creating a personal development plan linked to GKN's TEF and will be responsible for delivering on agreed objectives supported by your line manager
• Ensure EHS policy and process adherence for your activities, and you will contribute to a proactive EHS culture in the wider team.
• 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.

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:
• HNC, degree or equivalent experience in electrical or systems engineering 
• Experience delivering designs for electro-mechanical, sensing OR controller systems within an engineering environment
• Electronics pcb design experience
• Good general engineering/technology knowledge base and can demonstrate strategic thinking.
• Working knowledge of aerodynamics and an appreciation of physics based modelling approaches for thermodynamic analysis.
• Experience of test/experimental design, and practical execution in laboratory or test facility conditions to defined standards, and be able to contribute to the development of new test methods. 
• Strong self-starter, able to execute tasks according to plan.
• Logical and methodical approach to task planning.
• Experience managing deployed resources (people you lead but you are not their line manager).
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, and can confidently translate complex information to a variety of audiences and you are able to represent your project(s) and GKN values in internal/external review meetings.

Desirable:
• A higher degree qualification such as a Masters, PhD or EngD 
• General awareness of budget and schedule management.
• An awareness of aerospace certification requirements.
• Experience of the Systems Development Lifecycle process
• You will be developing your own network and you will have a general awareness of key companies and key individuals who operate in the wider aerospace technology and engineering field

We are looking for people who want to make a difference, talented members with the skills and passions to become the best of the future in what they do. 

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 do 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 you 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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