Senior Materials Engineer

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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.

It’s great to know you’re making a difference to the future of aviation! Whatever part you play you’ll be helping us deliver operational excellence to our customers. Based at our Luton manufacturing plant you’ll do just that. Established in 1993, GKN Aerospace in Luton is a world leader in commercial and military ice protection systems and transparencies. Offering a full range of capabilities;

design, analysis, testing, certification and manufacture of electro-thermal ice protection, military fast jet canopies and flight deck windows to over 20 programmes including:
Boeing 787, Dream liner, Agusta Westland, AW101, Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Our customers include Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopters, Textron, BAE Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Leonardo. Our Luton site is home to 370+ employees and onsite facilities including onsite parking, food hub and vending machines.

The Luton Engineering & Technology team is focussed 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 Senior Materials Engineer with a strong non-metallic materials engineering background, to join our materials and test team to support the production and development of next generation composite aero structures, ice protection and transparency products. The role will be based in the Materials and Test (M&T) team within the wider Engineering and Technology department and report to the Functional Team Leader.

The role as a Senior Materials Engineer will support the business and engineering team, with non-metallic, polymer materials science and processing knowledge and guidance. Concentrating on thin film coating technologies and transparency materials. The role will initially lead a transparency coatings validation project before moving onto site production support and material obsolescence projects. The role will require a knowledge of the interactions between processing parameters and material properties of Acrylics, Polycarbonates and Polymers, being able to guide new technology test plans and current production deviations.

You will support the work of the business to establish safe working practices and necessary level of documentation. You will be involved with projects from the planning / assembly / instrumentation / commissioning phase though to successfully performing and reporting the test. You will also be responsible for providing specialist support to existing programmes within your field of expertise, helping to resolve manufacturing issues and supporting continuous improvement efforts.

You will have a proven track record of leading and delivering technical work, with strong communication skills being confident working with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including non-technical audiences.

• Development of manufacturing processes…