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.
At GKN Aerospace, we are developing the technologies that shape the future of aviation. As an Engineering Functional Programme Lead / Principal Engineer, you will play a key role in leading engineering teams across complex aerospace programmes, ensuring the successful delivery of technical solutions that meet the highest standards of quality, safety and performance.
This is a senior technical leadership role for an experienced engineering professional who combines deep subject matter expertise with the ability to guide teams, influence stakeholders and drive programme success in a highly collaborative and international environment.
What You'll Do
As an Engineering Functional Programme Lead / Principal Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across one or more engineering teams within a programme. You will be responsible for ensuring that engineering activities are delivered on time, within budget and fully compliant with customer, regulatory and airworthiness requirements.
Working closely with Chief Engineers, Heads of Function and Programme Leaders, you will oversee technical execution, manage risk and support the development of robust engineering solutions throughout the programme lifecycle. You will act as a recognised technical authority, helping teams solve complex challenges while maintaining a focus on customer satisfaction, business objectives and continuous improvement.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading functional engineering teams to successfully deliver programme objectives.
- Providing technical oversight to ensure compliance with customer, certification and regulatory requirements.
- Identifying, anticipating and resolving technical challenges and customer requirements.
- Reviewing and approving technical solutions, deliverables, documentation and engineering reports.
- Assessing, managing and mitigating technical risk across programmes and projects.
- Supporting and independently reviewing bids, proposals and technical commitments.
- Ensuring engineering approaches, toolsets and methods are effective, compliant and fit for purpose.
- Driving design excellence, including Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) and Design to Cost principles.
- Supporting certification activities through review of test plans, specifications and compliance strategies.
- Leading customer reviews, technical discussions and programme gate reviews.
- Driving continuous improvement initiatives and promoting Lean engineering principles.
- Supporting capability development through coaching, mentoring and technical knowledge transfer.
- Establishing effective knowledge management practices and sharing best practices across teams.
- Monitoring programme performance and reporting key engineering metrics to senior stakeholders.
- Supporting manufacturing and industrialisation teams on materials, processes and product design requirements.
What You'll Bring
You are a highly experienced engineer with a reputation for technical excellence and leadership. You have the ability to influence decisions, guide multidisciplinary teams and solve complex engineering challenges while maintaining focus on programme delivery.
To be successful in this role, you will bring:
- A relevant technical qualification (HNC, Bachelor's degree, Master's degree or equivalent experience).
- More than 10 years of engineering experience, ideally within the aerospace industry.
- Extensive experience working in multidisciplinary engineering environments.
- Deep expertise within your engineering discipline and recognition as a technical leader.
- Experience holding technical checking and/or approval authority.
- Strong technical problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
- The ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a wide range of stakeholders.
- Experience leading engineering activities across projects, programmes or integrated product teams.
- Strong commercial awareness and understanding of customer requirements.
- Experience promoting Lean principles and leading continuous improvement initiatives.
- Demonstrated success in coaching, mentoring and developing engineering talent.
- The ability to operate independently and provide leadership within established governance frameworks.
The following experience would be considered an advantage:
- Experience leading teams through organisational change and transformation.
- Accountability for project or programme budgets.
- Experience working across Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Finance or Commercial functions.
- Leadership experience in customer-facing environments.
- Experience working within global, multicultural organisations.
- Delivery of projects through influence rather than direct authority.
What Makes You Successful
Success in this role requires exceptional technical credibility combined with strong leadership and influencing skills. You are someone who naturally brings people together, creates alignment around programme objectives and helps teams perform at their best.
You have a continuous improvement mindset and are motivated by solving complex challenges, developing others and delivering value for customers. You thrive in environments where you can combine strategic thinking with practical execution and where your expertise can directly influence programme outcomes.
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.
