Senior Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer – Process & Lean Lead

GKN; Ideford; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary dependent on exp.

Bonus up to 15%

Industry-leading pension (8% matched)

Life Assurance 8x salary

Excellent holiday allowance 185

Employee assistance

EV salary sacrifice

Free onsite parking

Staff discounts

Cycle to work

Gym discounts

Free airport parking

Diverse working culture

Job summary

GKN Aerospace seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at the Luton site to drive production planning from concept to production and develop high‑capability processes using ZDM and APQP tools. You will document SOPs, manage introduction activities and lead lean improvements across composites and aerospace programs.

You will collaborate across departments, tackle complex technical issues, support MRB, and present outcomes to senior audiences. UK NSV clearance may apply for sensitive programs.

Qualifications

• Minimum HND qualification (or equivalent) in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering/Aerospace
• 6Sigma Greenbelt qualification
• Experience with APQP standards (Process Flow Diagram, FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, PPK)
• Experience using Fishbone diagrams and 5 Whys for root cause analysis
• Experience leading Lean manufacturing incl. 5S and kaizen activities
• Experience in lay-up processes for composite materials
• Specification interpretation experience

Responsibilities

• Lead production planning implementation from concept to production.
• Design high capability manufacturing processes using ZDM and APQP tools.
• Develop, document and optimise SOPs and Process Specifications.
• Create/update engineering documentation and manage introduction activities.
• Lead improvements to reduce scrap and rework.
• Provide MRB support for deviations and faults.
• Present outcomes to senior stakeholders clearly.
• Identify and solve technical problems.
• Establish and improve production process controls.

Skills

Production planning

Process improvement

SOP documentation

Cross-functional collaboration

Lean manufacturing

5S

Root cause analysis

A3/8D problem solving

Lay-up processes (composites)

Education

HND in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Aerospace

Engineering/Aerospace background

Tools

ZDM tool suite

APQP Core Tools

6Sigma Greenbelt

Fishbone diagrams

Process Flow Diagram

Job description

GKN Aerospace seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at the Luton site to drive production planning from concept to production and develop high‑capability processes using ZDM and APQP tools. You will document SOPs, manage introduction activities and lead lean improvements across composites and aerospace programs.

You will collaborate across departments, tackle complex technical issues, support MRB, and present outcomes to senior audiences. UK NSV clearance may apply for sensitive programs.