Director, Facility Engineering & Operations

Director, Facility Engineering & Operations Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Director, Facility Engineering & Operations to join our team at GKN Aerospace.

The Director, Facility Engineering & Operations is a senior site leadership role providing strategic, operational and engineering leadership for facilities maintenance, repair, utilities, infrastructure, capital projects, and environmental compliance supporting vertically integrated acrylic manufacturing at the Garden Grove site.

• Requires an executive‑level ability for hands‑on leadership during critical equipment recovery, long‑range infrastructure strategy, and capital planning.
• Direct improvement projects to repair, overhaul or replace existing equipment and infrastructure systems (e.g. air, chilled water, steam).
• Directly supports Product Safety, On-Time Delivery, Environmental Stewardship, and Zero Harm by maintaining controlled environments, resilient utilities, and compliant infrastructure in alignment with AS9100, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Cal/OSHA, and California environmental regulations.
• Provide leadership during high‑impact equipment or infrastructure events to restore critical assets and maintain operational capability;
• Formulate and deliver strategies for systemic capital improvements to the site’s infrastructure that are both cost effective and compliant to local, state, and federal environmental, health and safety regulations.

• Build and lead a highly engaged Facilities & Maintenance department team Lead union and non-union facilities teams.
• Create and sustain a culture aligned with our "Great Place to Grow" values by role‑modeling behaviors, motivating, and recognizing team contributions.
• Be open and honest in performance appraisals, supporting and coaching individuals to close performance gaps.
• Execute Daily Management and Standardized Work through Leader Standard Work and Tiered communication flow.
• Lead facilities maintenance, repair, and reliability programs implementing systemic upgrades through CMMS software; monitor and report on key metrics (e.g., OEE) and drive performance improvements.
• Ensure uptime of HVAC, electrical distribution, compressed air, chilled water, and other process utilities and systems.
• Investigate and resolve systemic maintenance issues, including root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.
• Apply industrial engineering principles to facility layout, flow, and capacity enablement.
• Organize the creation and sustainment of Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) of critical equipment and lead the improved reliability of equipment performance.
• Ensure compliance with SCAQMD/AQMD, CUPA, DTSC, Cal/OSHA, and local authorities.
• Lead capital deployment lifecycle through 5-year strategic planning, project scoping, Capex approval, project execution and project closure.
• Support AS9100, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Manage customer and stakeholder relationships, including issue resolution, performance reviews, and audits.

Required Qualifications:

• Direct experience in facilities & maintenance of ISO-5/ISO-7 clean rooms and HVAC, CNC (e.g. Heian, Zimmerman, Fadal, etc.), chilled water, steam, compressed air and vacuum, chemical distribution, and plant electrical.
• Capital project leadership in regulated manufacturing.
• 10 years of aerospace & defense manufacturing experience or other regulated manufacturing fields.
• 10 years of management, supervisory, or leadership professional experience.
• Must be U.S. Person in compliance with U.S. ITAR regulations.
• Strong knowledge of aerospace quality standards (AS9100, AS9145, ISO
  9001) and customer/regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of EH&S standards (ISO
  14001, ISO
  45001) and California environmental regulations.
• Strong leadership, communication, and project management skills.

Desired

Qualifications:

• Reliability & Maintainability Implementation Certification (RMIC).
• Aerospace or aircraft parts manufacturing industry experience in the Joint Strike Fighter program, OEM customers (e.g. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier, Airbus, etc.).

Nearest Major Market: Orange County

Nearest Secondary Market: Los Angeles