GKN Aerospace is ‘s werelds meest toonaangevende leverancier binnen de vliegtuigindustrie. Met 32 productielocaties in 12 landen bedienen we meer dan 90% van ‘s werelds vliegtuig- en motorfabrikanten en een omzet behaald van £3.6 miljard in 2025. Wij ontwerpen en produceren innovatieve slimme ruimtevaartsystemen en componenten. Elke keer dat je per vliegtuig reist, is het waarschijnlijk dat GKN je op weg helpt.
We zijn op zoek naar mensen die een verschil willen maken, getalenteerde medewerkers met de vaardigheden en passies om het beste te worden in wat ze doen.
We are seeking a strategic and commercially driven leader to shape and accelerate the growth of our Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS) business. In this senior role, you will define and execute a global commercial strategy with a strong focus on defence programs and emerging aerospace markets. You will operate at the intersection of technology, strategy, and customer engagement—driving growth through insight, innovation, and execution.
Overall accountability for the strategy to achieve above market growth and managing all aspects of the customer relationship, this includes but is not limited to delivering goods and services to the customer, achieving the financial returns required by the company and developing the people and processes necessary to be successful. The role is accountable for creating a great place to work.
As Vice President Business Development – EWIS, you hold full accountability for defining and executing the commercial strategy. Your primary focus is on defence programmes and emerging markets, including UAS, space, eVTOL, and special mission aircraft.
You translate strategy into clear, regionally executable plans and identify new growth opportunities beyond traditional aerospace markets. At the same time, you ensure EWIS is firmly embedded within the divisional business development structure, while actively driving account penetration and value creation. The following aspects are within your scope:
You will lead the global commercial direction for EWIS and translate strategy into actionable growth plans:
- Define and own the EWIS commercial strategy, with emphasis on defence and non-traditional markets (UAS, space, eVTOL, special missions)
- Identify white spaces and disruptive entry points beyond traditional aerospace customers
- Develop and drive the commercial roadmap and account penetration strategy
- Embed EWIS within divisional business development structures
Customer & Program Leadership
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You will act as a senior interface for key stakeholders and lead strategic capture initiatives:
- Engage with OEMs, Ministries of Defence, and Tier-1 partners at executive level
- Lead negotiations for complex, multi-national and long-term contracts
- Drive capture strategies for new platforms, retrofits, and digital EWIS programs
- Leverage relationships to unlock strategic opportunities
Business & Market Intelligence
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You will ensure data-driven decision-making across the commercial organization:
- Own Business Intelligence (BI) and Market Intelligence (MI) capabilities
- Translate insights on defence budgets, competitors, and technology trends into action
- Support investment decisions and strategic prioritisation
Proposals, Pricing & Value Proposition
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You will elevate commercial excellence and value-based positioning:
- Oversee bid strategy, governance, and pricing frameworks
- Implement robust costing models (make/buy, lifecycle, risk/margin)
- Define compelling value propositions (safety, weight optimisation, lifecycle cost, digital EWIS)
Business Development Leadership
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You will build and lead a high-performing BD organisation:
- Guide BD Directors across global defence and emerging markets
- Drive program shaping, early customer engagement, and partnership ecosystems
- Foster strong collaboration with engineering and operations teams
Cross-Functional Leadership
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You will ensure alignment and execution across the organisation:
- Partner with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance
- Champion the voice of the customer in EWIS strategy and roadmap
- Build organisational capability, accountability, and succession
You bring a rare combination of technical depth, commercial acumen, and leadership credibility:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering (or Electrical/Systems Engineering with aerospace focus)
- 15–20 years of experience in aerospace, preferably in EWIS, avionics, or complex systems
- Proven track record in business development and capture leadership
- Strong credibility with OEMs and defence customers
Data-driven, strategic, and customer-focused mindset
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Leadership Characteristics
- Product-driven: passionate about EWIS as a safety-critical, differentiating system
- Strategic and decisive: able to think long-term and execute pragmatically
- Data-led: using BI/MI insights as core leadership tools
- Influential: credible from boardroom to engineering floor
- Resilient and ethical: comfortable navigating complexity, compliance, and ambiguity
We are committed to offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities, a career that can go in many directions thanks to our breadth of international opportunities. By being part of GKN Fokker Aerospace that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry, you will know that you will be working towards being the most trusted partner in the aerospace industry.
Furthermore, we will offer you:
- A gross monthly salary based on grade WTW-D16
- 30 holidays for full-time employment
- An excellent pension scheme (PME)
- Competitive Bonus Scheme(s)
- Company car
A pleasant and informal working environment, in which we work together to achieve the best result for our customers.
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Next to a competitive package, we will offer you a world of opportunities: we want to see your career fly! We will 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!
Apply online by sending us your CV. Due to data privacy reasons we do not handle any applications sent by email.
For additional questions you can contact Mark Streep, Talent Acquisition, via [email protected].
Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB)
As a global engineering company, innovation is what differentiates us from our competitors and is central to our success.
A balance of cultures, ethnicities and genders help bring new ideas and creativity to GKN. We need people of different backgrounds, with different skills and perspectives to spark originality, imagination and creativeness in our teams around the world.
GKN is an equal opportunity employer.
We treat all our employees and applicants fairly and are committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination or harassment against any employee or qualified applicant on the grounds of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.
