{"id":2332705,"url":"https://alion.io/job/gkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace","title":"Chief Engineer - Defence Aerospace","company":{"id":1833182,"name":"GKN Aerospace","domain":"gknaerospace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/gknaerospace-com","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"SuccessFactors","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"head","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Hoogeveen, Netherlands"],"countries":["NL"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":6755,"max":8697,"currency":"EUR","period":"month","gross":true,"usd_annual":116964},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-22T02:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-22","last_verified_at":"2026-10-19T09:37:02Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":27,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":27},"description":"Chief Engineer Aerospace & Defence | Lead Innovation & Program Excellence\nAre you an accomplished engineering leader with a passion for aerospace innovation, technical excellence, and program delivery? Do you thrive in complex, multidisciplinary environments where technology, leadership, and business objectives come together?\nWe are looking for an experienced Chief Engineer to join our Defence Engineering & Technology organization in the Netherlands. In this highly visible leadership role, you will be responsible for the overall technical execution and engineering performance of complex aerospace and defence programs, ensuring the successful delivery of innovative, airworthy, and cost-effective solutions.\nAs a member of the Program Core Team, you will work closely with Program Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Commercial teams to drive program success from concept development through certification and product realization.\nYour impact\nAs Chief Engineer, you are the technical authority and engineering leader within the program. You will define the technical strategy, lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, manage technical risks, and ensure that program objectives are achieved in terms of performance, quality, schedule, cost, and certification.\nYou will play a pivotal role in turning complex customer requirements into world-class aerospace solutions while maintaining the highest standards of technical excellence, safety, and airworthiness.\nKey Responsibilities\nLead Engineering Excellence\nLead all engineering activities across the full product development lifecycle, from concept and feasibility studies through development, certification, and product maturity.\nDeliver innovative and competitive technical solutions that meet customer expectations and business objectives.\nEnsure compliance with airworthiness, certification, regulatory, and customer requirements.\nServe as the primary technical authority within the program.\n\nDrive Program Performance\nEstablish and maintain the Project Engineering Plan (PEP) and Engineering Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).\nManage engineering scope, schedule, cost, and resource requirements.\nImplement engineering planning, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms, including Earned Value Management (EVM).\nIdentify technical risks and develop effective mitigation strategies.\nLead corrective actions when deviations occur in performance, schedule, or budget.\n-\nEnsure Airworthiness & Certification\nDevelop and maintain certification plans and compliance documentation.\nSupport and execute delegated airworthiness responsibilities.\nLead technical investigations and corrective actions resulting from in-service events, incidents, or technical findings.\nEnsure products meet all applicable certification and qualification requirements.\n\nLead and Inspire Teams\nProvide operational leadership to Engineering Team Leads, Technical Project Leads, and Engineers.\nFoster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.\nCoach and mentor engineering professionals, supporting their growth and development.\nEnsure effective deployment of engineering resources across programs and priorities.\n-\nEngage Customers and Stakeholders\nAct as the primary technical focal point for customers and strategic partners.\nBuild strong relationships with senior stakeholders both internally and externally.\nSupport business development activities by demonstrating engineering capability and identifying new opportunities.\nCollaborate closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, and Commercial teams to achieve optimal program outcomes.\n\nDrive Continuous Improvement\nLead major design reviews, including Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR) and Critical Design Reviews (CDR).\nPromote best practices, process improvements, lessons learned, and knowledge sharing across the organization.\nContribute to the ongoing development of engineering tools, methodologies, and standards.\nWhat you bring to be successful\nEssential Qualifications & Experience\nBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.\nMinimum of 10 years of engineering experience, preferably within aerospace, defence, or a highly regulated industry.\nStrong track record leading complex multidisciplinary engineering programs.\nBroad technical expertise across multiple engineering disciplines.\nExperience with certification, airworthiness, and product compliance processes.\nProven ability to lead technical teams and influence stakeholders without direct hierarchical authority.\nStrong understanding of project management principles, risk management, budgeting, and schedule control.\nExcellent communication and stakeholder management skills.\nAbility to make sound decisions in complex and uncertain environments.\nPreferred Qualifications\nFormal project management training or certification.\nExperience working within international and multicultural organizations.\nExperience coaching, mentoring, and developing engineering talent.\nKnowledge of aerospace development lifecycle management and Earned Value Management methodologies.\nSoft skills\nYou combine technical authority with inspirational leadership. You can balance strategic thinking with operational execution and are motivated by delivering results through people.\nYou are:\nA respected technical leader.\nCustomer-focused and commercially aware.\nDecisive and resilient under pressure.\nResults-driven and accountable.\nAn excellent communicator and relationship builder.\nPassionate about innovation, teamwork, and continuous improvement.\nCommitted to developing both technology and people.\nWhat we offer\nWe are committed to offer you a challenge but also a great opportunity to learn and grow. We want to offer you a career that can go to many directions thanks to our breadth of international opportunities. By being part of GKN Aerospace that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry, you will know that you will be working towards being the most trusted partner in the aerospace industry.\nWe will support and promote your professional and personal development. Furthermore, we will offer you:\nA gross monthly salary based on the Metalektro collective labor agreement (CAO), within Grade N, ranging from €6.755 to €8.697 gross a month, depending on knowledge and experience. If senior-level experience is applicable, O scale applies, with a maximum of € 9.440,-\n8% holiday allowance,\n42 paid holidays for full-time employment in line with the Collective Labor Agreement Metalektro (29 holidays and 13 ADV days),\nAn excellent pension scheme (PME) and travel allowance,\nA pleasant and informal working environment, in which we work together to achieve the best result for our customers.\nInterested?\nApply via the button, we’re looking forward to your application. In case of any questions you can contact Tamara via ","description_format":"text","description_chars":6968,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Aerospace Manufacturing","Aircraft Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-12T09:24:10Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":36,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.81,"p_room":0.45,"age_days":27,"expected_fill_days":17,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:tail","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":116964,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/gkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/gkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-19T17:37:39Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":13444,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-20T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1833182},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1833182"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fgkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fgkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fgkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/gkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fgkn-aerospace-chief-engineer-defence-aerospace"}]}