Director, Facility Engineering & Operations

GKN Aerospace; Garden Grove (CA); On-site; USD 162,203 - 202,753; Full time

Job summary

GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, CA is seeking a Director of Facilities Engineering & Operations to lead facilities, maintenance, utilities, and capital projects. You will ensure reliability, safety and performance of critical systems supporting production in a regulated aerospace environment.

You will drive multi-year capital plans, oversee upgrades and plant electrical systems, and partner with EH&S, QA, and Operations to meet customer commitments and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field is required.
• 10+ years in aerospace, defense, chemical, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• 10+ years of leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, facilities, or technical teams.
• Experience supporting critical utilities and infrastructure (HVAC, cleanrooms, compressed air, chilled water, steam, plant electrical).
• Capital project leadership from planning through commissioning.
• Knowledge of AS9100, ISO standards, regulatory compliance, and customer audits.
• Strong leadership, project management, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for facilities engineering, maintenance, utilities, and infrastructure.
• Develop operating plans, budgets, staffing strategies, and reliability initiatives.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, EH&S, Supply Chain, Finance, and HR to support site objectives.
• Ensure uptime and performance of critical building systems and manufacturing utilities.
• Lead recovery efforts during major equipment, utility, or infrastructure disruptions.
• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance programs, asset management, and root cause problem solving.
• Develop and execute a multi-year capital roadmap.
• Oversee facility upgrades, infrastructure improvements, and equipment replacement projects.
• Manage contractors, consultants, suppliers, and project teams to deliver projects safely, on time, and within budget.
• Support compliance with AS9100, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Cal/OSHA, and customer requirements.
• Partner with EH&S to maintain environmental, health, and safety standards.
• Ensure facilities remain audit-ready and support regulatory compliance.
• Lead and develop facilities, maintenance, and technical teams.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability, and continuous improvement practices.
• Create a culture centered on safety, reliability, and operational excellence.

Skills

Facilities leadership

Maintenance

Capital projects

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

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

We’re seeking a Director of Facilities Engineering & Operations to lead facilities, maintenance, utilities, infrastructure, and capital projects at our aerospace manufacturing site in Garden Grove. This role is responsible for ensuring the reliability, safety, and performance of the systems that support production, including cleanrooms, HVAC, electrical distribution, compressed air, chilled water, and other critical utilities. Our operations rely on highly reliable facilities and controlled environments to manufacture mission-critical aerospace components. Your leadership will help ensure business continuity, support customer delivery commitments, strengthen regulatory compliance, and position the site for future growth.

Job Responsibilities

Lead Facilities & Maintenance Operations

• Provide strategic leadership for facilities engineering, maintenance, utilities, and infrastructure.
• Develop operating plans, budgets, staffing strategies, and reliability initiatives.
• Partner with Operations, Quality, EH&S, Supply Chain, Finance, and HR to support site objectives.

Drive Reliability & Business Continuity

• Ensure uptime and performance of critical building systems and manufacturing utilities.
• Lead recovery efforts during major equipment, utility, or infrastructure disruptions.
• Drive preventive and predictive maintenance programs, asset management, and root cause problem solving.

Lead Capital & Infrastructure Projects

• Develop and execute a multi-year capital roadmap.
• Oversee facility upgrades, infrastructure improvements, and equipment replacement projects.
• Manage contractors, consultants, suppliers, and project teams to deliver projects safely, on time, and within budget.

Ensure Compliance & Safety

• Support compliance with AS9100, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Cal/OSHA, and customer requirements.
• Partner with EH&S to maintain environmental, health, and safety standards.
• Ensure facilities remain audit-ready and support regulatory compliance.

Build High-Performing Teams

• Lead and develop facilities, maintenance, and technical teams.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability, and continuous improvement practices.
• Create a culture centered on safety, reliability, and operational excellence.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, chemical, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• 10+ years of leadership experience managing engineering, maintenance, facilities, or technical teams.
• Experience supporting critical utilities and infrastructure, including HVAC, cleanrooms, compressed air, chilled water, steam, and plant electrical systems.
• Capital project leadership experience from planning through commissioning.
• Knowledge of AS9100, ISO standards, regulatory compliance, and customer audits.
• Strong leadership, project management, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR regulations.

Preferred

• CMRP, PMP, PE, or similar professional certification.
• Aerospace manufacturing experience supporting major OEM or defense customers.
• Experience with cleanrooms, CNC operations, chemical processing, coatings, autoclaves, glass, or acrylic manufacturing.
• Experience implementing reliability programs, FMEA, CMMS systems, and predictive maintenance strategies.
• Experience leading both union and non-union teams.

Compensation Data

Annual Salary: $162,203.00 - $202,753.00

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.