Industrialization Specialist

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 hiring an Industrialization Specialist to ensure on-time delivery of new facilities and expansion projects that enable our product ramp-up. The role leads short and long term industrialization and capital planning and execution, equipment commissioning, including Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), Building Management Systems (BMS), and project technical cost, schedule, and change governance.

You’ll be involved in the current and future planning for industrialization and capital for the facility engaging with business and operational stakeholders in creating and executing a plan in support of the site strategic plans. You will coordinate general contractors, subcontractors, industrial engineers, design partners, and the operations, environment, health and safety, and quality teams to meet Integrated Master Schedule milestones and budget commitments, close punch lists, and hand over audit-ready facilities.

After handover, this role leads the industrialization of facility equipment and building systems, including utilities, controls/BMS integration, pre-operational checks, acceptance, and turnover to operations with maintenance plans and spares.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage annual and forward planning industrialization strategy including risks, opportunities, and gaps for the site aligned to current and future planning. Responsible for capital planning and budgeting.
• Define work scopes and statements of work to suppliers. Provide technical input into sourcing, quoting, and supplier contract negotiations. Review supplier proposals to assess best value and compliance with GKN requirements.
• Prepare and submit capital justification documents and monitor through to approval, implementation, and post project evaluation.
• Lead construction and equipment projects across site; align milestones with the IMS. Aligns actuals with project budgets.
• Lead, plan, and execute installation and commissioning of equipment: FAT/SAT, pre-functional/functional testing, punch list management, turnover packages.
• Lead and Coordinate BMS integration (alarm and system strategy, vendor interfaces, data integrity).
• Validate technical progress and quantities for Schedule of Values (SOV)/pay applications; enforce scope/change governance with Procurement/Commercial/Finance/suppliers.
• Chair weekly progress meetings; clear field issues and track decisions/constraints.
• Ensure permits, inspections, and documentation are complete; maintain as-builts/CAD updates with A&E.
• Oversee contractor safety programs; conduct audits and close findings in coordination with safety.
• Develops tracking tools to monitor progress and report on status and key metrics to monitor facilities project performance. Provide dashboards and execute reports/summaries on status, risks, and readiness to leadership and operations
• Support regulatory/third-party audits.
• Stakeholder communication and readiness to include providing timely updates on status, risks, milestones, and readiness to leadership and operations.
• Align construction and commissioning activities with operational needs, permits, and startup/validation requirements.
• Develops integrated plans with the operations and project teams at the current and/or future site of the products to ensure the facilities meet customer schedules, regulatory requirements are understood and planned for and integrated plans are developed

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor in engineering for mechanical, manufactruing, or similar technical fields of study.
• 5+ years in facilities construction and equipment commissioning on large capital projects.
• Hands-on experience with Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), pre-functional and functional testing, punch list management, and turnover packages. Working knowledge of Building Management Systems (BMS).
• Ability to validate technical progress and quantities for Schedules of Values (SOV) and pay applications, and to propose corrective actions; partners with Procurement/Commercial/Finance.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Project or Primavera P6
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication skils. Able to influence general contractors (GCs), subcontractors, Architecture & Engineering (A&E), Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), and Quality.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and suppliers without formal authority, holding teams accountable to project objectives and deliverables.
• Working knowledge of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and facilities regulatory requirements
• Willing and able to travel domestically up to 30%.
• Must be a U.S. Person per ITAR regulations to comply with export compliance requirements, with ability to obtain a Department of Defense security clearance if needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Concurrent projects (multi-equipment commissioning concurrently)
• Project delivery in a matrixed organization.
• Experience with similar manufacturing processes or equipment (ex. clean rooms, composite fabrications and assembly, autoclaves and ovens).
• Advanced MS Project/Primavera; strong MS Office; dashboard/reporting experience; Procore, Power BI.
• Master’s in Engineering/Construction/Business a plus.
• Results & continuous improvement; removes constraints and drives punch list closure while maintaining team and stakeholder engagement
• Technical acumen in construction, commissioning, and BMS/OT integration.
• Leadership and influence without authority; strong stakeholder/vendor management.
• Planning & prioritization under tight deadlines; risk/change governance discipline.
• Safety and quality mindset; audit-ready documentation.

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.