Senior Engineer - Systems Engineering

Date: Aug 15, 2025

Location: Bristol, GB

Company: GKN Aerospace Careers

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

Making a Difference 

 

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.

 

At our Bristol Global Technology Centre, we specialise in the research and development of the future of powered flight.

 

We have a new exciting and career defining opportunity for a Senior Engineer – Systems Engineering – to join our growing Aircraft Systems Engineering team. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of the green revolution in aviation, a project that aligns with our company mission, “To be the most Trusted and Sustainable Partner in the Sky”.

 

Reporting to the Principal Research Engineer for Systems Engineering, you will be responsible for Systems Engineering from requirements elucidation, development, specification and test definition, including integration.

 

This role will be based at our Bristol GTC, however travel will be expected including occasional international.

How You'll Contribute

The Engineer shall draw on their engineering background and product lifecycle awareness to progress a variety of research activities in the TRL1-6 range. They must have sound experience in technical working and risk management. They shall 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.

 

The Senior Research Engineer will be responsible for the following:-

  • Responsible to define and develop requirements, and turn them into a feasible solution
  • Responsible to develop functions, systems, items and components
  • Use and develop model based systems engineering (MBSE) techniques for requirements and architecture creation.
  • Define approaches to system verification & communicate these to specialist domain teams
  • Work with the systems architects, mechanical systems engineers and system simulation engineers to ensure that the system requirements are achieved.
  • Shall anticipate and manage transversal technical and business issues
  • Generate technical reports and present findings
  • Develop specification documents and procedures for new products before launched into manufacturing
  • Shall ensure configuration management is in place for the systems and all of its components from requirement through to operation
  • Provide general technical feedback on the design and development of mechanical and electrical sub-systems.

What You'll Bring

To help us make a difference, you’ll bring your passion and expertise/ talent for what you do along with the following skills, experience, qualifications and attributes:

 

Essential

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in relevant engineering discipline
  • Experienced in requirements engineering and management of requirements across all project lifecycle stages
  • Experience in systems engineering applied to concept and /or product development, ideally in aerospace
  • Experienced working in a safety critical system development
  • Experience in MBSE (e.g. SysML), functional decomposition and performing architectural system level studies, e.g. ANSYS SCADE
  • Experience in functional and physical system development
  • Experience in Safety Assessment and Compliance Planning, including FTA and FMEA, e.g. ANSYS Medini
  • Experienced in developing verification cases for (sub)system and development
  • Experience in applying systems engineering techniques within an R&T project
  • Experience in associated international standards, design practices, certification requirements (and means of compliance) as well as in service issues.

 

Desirable

  • Proficiency in Requirements Management tools e.g. DOORS, Codebeamer
  • Detail-oriented with experience in data management.
  • Practical experience in HTS electrical systems
  • Proficiency in Multi-domain Modelling/Simulation packages, e.g. MATLAB, Simulink, Simscape, Amesim or other
  • Experience in the specification, design, integration and test of the electrical and fluid systems, including functional, EMC and copper-bird testing,
  • Experience in cryogenic and hydrogen systems engineering
  • Experience logical development including the specification and validation of aerospace software
  • Solid basis in cryogenic thermodynamics
  • Experience in component and item testing and / or design of tests to DO160 as well as running system test rigs
  • Willing to support University research including Internships and Master’s projects.

 

Personal Attributes

  • Strong Communication Skills
  • Excellent Team Player
  • Passion & Energy
  • Execution
  • Problem Solving
  • (Self) discipline
  • Commitment to professional development.

 

We are looking for people who want to make a difference, talented members with the skills and passions to become the best of the future in what they do. You will have the ability to work autonomously and also part of a wider team.

What We'll Offer

Once you’re on board you’ll get the following perks and benefits:

  • Competitive salary dependent on experience
  • Company bonus based on company and personal performance
  • Industry Leading Pension Scheme = we’ll match your contributions on a 1 : 1.5 basis. Company contributing up 12% 
  • Life Assurance 8 x salary
  • 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.

 

As well as a competitive package we’ll offer you a world of opportunity. We want to see your career fly!  We’ll support your career progression by providing you with learning and development opportunities. That’s the beauty of being part of a global business, once you’re on board you never know where you career journey may take you! 

 

#LI-SSGKN

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. ​