Overview

An exciting position has arisen for a Senior Research Engineer (SRE) - Assembly Automation. The successful candidate shall work as part of a transnational team supporting a variety of technology activities, but with particular responsibility for specifying, developing and deploying automated systems for assembly operations. Drawing on their diverse experience and awareness of state-of-art automation systems to progress a variety of research and development activities in the TRL1-6 range, often being required to work with and steer specialised suppliers to develop sub-systems to GKN specifications. They will work closely with other disciplines such as manufacturing and product design engineers in order to ensure that automated systems meet technical requirements and deliver the required return on investment. They shall be capable of achieving through others internally and externally, and will be committed to development of their own skills and professional network. Their good communication skills shall enable them to confidently engage with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders. Travel will be required but in a managed, reasonable and agreeable fashion. This opportunity will provide a hybrid working pattern.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the strategic direction of assembly operations and the approach required in respect to product and process technologies.
• Build strong relationships with academia, suppliers and catapult centres.
• Identify state of the art assembly technologies to align with our business strategy.
• Clearly articulate requirements to external collaborators.
• Develop solutions from conception to reality.
• Program and simulate assembly and manufacturing methods and hardware.
• Contribute to the development of assembly strategy, reconciling input from multiple specialist areas.
• Assess value streams and requirements of existing sites and interpret these to develop proposals for appropriate technology development focus.
• Understand product design trends and drivers in order to understand the limitations and opportunities presented by improved and increased levels of automation.
• Develop novel solutions to meet requirements of target applications.
• Work closely with operations to use technology to reduce or eliminate historic non-conformance issues.
• Demonstrate technology benefits to the wider business.
• Conceive and actively promote opportunities for technology introduction and process improvement.
• Engage with and manage; project stakeholders, internal/external customers, and supply chain partners.
• Ensure EHS policy and process adherence for their activities, and will contribute to a proactive EHS culture in the wider team.
• Contribute to the development of GKN as a 'Great Place to Work', aligned with the core principles - safe, innovative, open & honest, care & respect, and ownership.

Qualifications

• Degree-qualified (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline such as automation/robotics, mechanical, manufacturing, mechatronics, or aerospace engineering.
• Demonstrable experience of working with industrial automation systems, specifically Siemens PLCs via STEP 7 or TIA Portal.
• Programming experience, preferably including MATLAB and C#. Familiarity of the .NET framework is advantageous.
• Practical experience with wiring, integration, ladder logic and/or control loops (e.g. PID) is advantageous.
• Knowledge of large volume metrology tools and techniques (e.g. laser trackers, photogrammetry).
• Detailed knowledge in at least one of the following areas; manufacturing and assembly processes, tooling philosophies, inspection methods or automation solutions.
• Excellent technical writing and documentation skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Proficient in CAD tools (preferably CATIA); ability to design basic components, interrogate and manipulate products/assemblies.
• Experience of direct line management & enabling continued professional development.
• Manage technical projects through all stages of a linear lifecycle within a research or production environment.

Desirable

• Hands-on experience of aircraft component manufacture and assembly processes.
• Familiarity with robotics and associated methods such as inverse kinematics, forward dynamics, path planning/offline programming. Practical experience or academic exposure to robot simulation and programming environments is advantageous.
• Holds a formal project management qualification such as the APM PMQ or PRINCE2.

Benefits

• Competitive salary dependent on experience
• Industry Leading Pension Scheme = we'll match your contributions up to 8% on a 1 : 1.5 basis
• Life Assurance 8 x salary
• Opportunity to earn up to 15% bonus
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Flexible working hours including the ability to finish at 12noon on a Friday
• Income protection
• Shopping discounts
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Virtual GP Clinic for you and immediate family
• A collaborative, dynamic working environment

GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! We are committed to sustainability and to providing an accessible recruitment process. We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.