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
This is a unique opportunity for a highly capable individual to step into a pivotal role at the heart of our operations. As we continue strengthening our journey toward world‑class performance, we need someone who can bring clarity, rigour, and innovation to the data, systems, and processes that underpin our Procurement Operations. You don’t necessarily need a background in procurement — what matters is your ability to understand how complex operational environments work, make sense of data, improve processes, and influence people. You’ll learn how our Procurement Operations function works from the inside out, becoming the trusted expert who ensures the accuracy of our master data, the integrity of our processes, and the performance insights that help the team deliver excellence. If you love getting under the skin of how things work, identifying smarter ways of doing them, and enabling others to perform at their best, this role offers a rare chance to shape meaningful operational capability across a major aerospace manufacturing site.
In this role you will lead process governance, operational data integrity, analytics, systems enablement, and continuous improvement activities across our site Procurement Operations, as well as overseeing the development and performance of the Purchasing Excellence Coordinator, and acting as the local expert for ERP/MRP processes, data quality, reporting, and operational standards. You will ensure processes are accurate, compliant, efficient, and aligned with global standards, while enabling the wider team with the tools, insights, and training required to operate at a world‑class level.
Job Responsibilities
1. Act as custodian for all function KPIs and master data, and provide the data required to monitor and develop Procurement Operations performance.
2. Drive simple, accurate, and repeatable performance reporting, and lead weekly data audits to ensure accuracy, compliance, and cleansing of operational data.
3. Own the local procurement processes within the BMS/quality system manual, ensuring alignment with internal global standards and external regulatory/customer requirements.
4. Maintain the integrity of all procured parts master data, including vendor and quality records.
5. Interface with other excellence teams to embed consistent standards and methodologies.
6. Lead functional excellence relating to ERP/MRP systems and purchasing processes.
7. Act as the site contact for rollout and adoption of global tools, software, and process standards.
8. Provide coaching and support to staff on systems, data, and process queries.
9. Build and implement a site excellence roadmap aligned with business strategy.
10. Lead and/or support improvement projects that enhance efficiency, quality, and performance.
11. Oversee activities and development of the Purchasing Excellence Coordinator.
12. Promote an engaged, data‑driven, and process‑optimised culture aligned with world‑class objectives.
Job Qualifications
Essential
13. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
14. Experience working with ERP/MRP systems and understanding of operational processes.
15. Ability to lead cross‑functional improvement activities and influence stakeholders.
16. Excellent communication, coaching, and facilitation abilities.
17. High level of education in Business Administration, IT, or a related discipline.
Desirable
18. Experience in process governance, continuous improvement, or operational performance roles.
19. Competencies such as decisiveness, customer focus, planning & organisation, and results orientation.
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.