Research Specialist - Special Coatings Technology

GKN; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace technology firm in the UK is seeking a Research Specialist in Special Coatings Technology to support the development of advanced polymer coatings. This role involves hands-on research, technical delivery of projects, and stakeholder engagement. Candidates should have a relevant Chemistry/Materials degree and experience in coating development. Offering a competitive salary and benefits including a pension scheme and enhanced leave policies.

Benefits

Competitive salary dependent on experience

Industry Leading Pension Scheme

Life Assurance 8× salary

185 hours holiday + bank holidays

Income protection

Shopping discounts

Cycle to Work Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Virtual GP Clinic

Free onsite parking

Local gym discount

Discount with local nursery and preschool

Qualifications

• Experience of coating development and application technology.
• Logical and methodical approach to task planning.
• Good writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver technical project tasks and ensure research objectives are met.
• Lead hands-on development tests to meet project goals.
• Engage with stakeholders through presentations and reviews.

Skills

Knowledge of coating development

Materials testing

Test/experimental design

Report writing

Presentation skills

Education

Relevant accredited Chemistry/Materials/Coatings based degree

Higher degree (Masters/PhD/EngD)

Job description

Job Overview

The Luton Engineering & Technology team is focused 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 Research Specialist – Special Coatings Technology to join our coatings development team based at our Luton Manufacturing facility, to support the development of next generation high-performance transparency polymer coatings, icephobic coatings and coating manufacturing processes.

As a Research Specialist you will bring your knowledge in polymer coatings development, processing, application and coating testing techniques to deliver high-impact research and development across Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1-7. You'll be responsible for ensuring that all research outputs are technically robust, innovative, and aligned with our broader engineering and sustainability goals, and you will also support existing programmes within your field of expertise, helping to resolve manufacturing issues and supporting continuous improvement efforts.

Core operational hours at our Luton site are: 07:30 – 16:30 Monday to Thursday & 07:30 – 12:30 Friday.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the technical delivery of allocated project tasks, deliverables, or project work packages, ensuring the research objectives have been satisfied.
• Support or lead any necessary "hands‑on" development test work and development trials that are required to meet project objectives.
• Contribute to Technology Development Plans, Project definitions and may support creation of Technology Business Cases and external funding proposals as required.
• Support project stakeholder engagement activities including customer presentations and reviews, and you may lead management of supply chain partners activities in some cases.
• Ensure EHS policy and process adherence for your activities, and contribute to a proactive EHS culture in the wider team.

Required Qualifications

• A relevant, accredited Chemistry / Materials / Coatings based degree.
• Knowledge / Experience of coating development, application technology and materials testing.
• Experience of test/experimental design, and practical execution in laboratory or test facility conditions to defined standards.
• Logical and methodical approach to task planning.
• Good report writing and presentation skills.

Desirable Qualifications

• A higher degree qualification such as a Masters, PhD or EngD.
• An awareness of aerospace certification requirements.

Security Clearance

The position requires UK National Security Vetting (UKNSV) Security clearance (SC) due to the nature and responsibilities of the work carried out. In order to obtain an SC you usually need to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of 5 years to the current date (but we do assess each case individually). 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.

Benefits

• Competitive salary dependent on experience
• Industry Leading Pension Scheme – we’ll match your contributions up to 8% on a 1 : 1.5 basis
• Life Assurance 8× 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
• Free onsite parking
• Local gym discount
• 50% off local travel card
• Free airport Dart
• Free airport parking
• Discount with local nursery and preschool childcare setting
• Enhanced family‑friendly leave

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. We are committed to providing an accessible recruitment process; if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.