Senior Software Development Engineer
Date: Jun 3, 2026
Location: Papendrecht, NL
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
Within GKN Aerospace, GKN Fokker Elmo’s Engineering Tools & Methods department (ETM) is continuously looking for new tools, processes or other innovations to improve our ways of working. This includes the selection of off-the-shelf best in class tools, improvement of existing processes as well as developing software in-house, to best support and extend our competitive edge. As a software development engineer you are a pivotal part of this process in developing software to drastically improve existing processes, reduce lead-times and optimize our wiring designs.
What you will do
- Drive Automation: Identify process-improving automation opportunities within design and manufacturing workflows.
- Translate Requirements: Turn real-world, end-user engineering needs into crisp, explicit software specifications.
- Full-Lifecycle Dev: Own the software architecture, programming, testing, and system verification phases.
- Play a pivotal role in setting up, extending, and maintaining our software engineering infrastructure.
What you will bring
- Master’s degree (MSc) in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or an Engineering discipline (e.g., Aerospace or Mechanical) with a heavy software component.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in similar position.
- Solid practical experience with object-oriented programming, specifically Python. Knowledge of VBA is a plus.
- Strong affinity for Agile workflows, data modeling methods, and complete end-to-end SDLC processes (from requirements gathering to user acceptance testing).
- Excellent verbal and written communication of the English language.
Skills
- Ability to extract clear requirements from complex human expectations and test software explicitly against user needs.
- A knack for creating creative, abstract solutions to complex engineering dilemmas and evaluating their trade-offs.
- The talent to cleanly and efficiently translate unique solution methodologies into reliable software code.
Competencies
- Ownership: You take responsibility for your projects and drive them safely across the finish line.
- Analytical Mindset: You think abstractly, effortlessly spotting hidden dependencies and interrelationships in complex systems.
- Objective Judgment: You formulate well-considered, data-driven opinions while maintaining absolute objectivity.
- Collaboration: You maintain a constructive approach to the ideas of others and thrive in a harmonious team ecosystem.
What we'll offer
We 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. We will support and promote your professional and personal development.
Furthermore, we will offer you:
• The role is in Grade L1 and according to the CLA Metalektro,
• 8% holiday allowance,
• 42 paid holidays for full-time employment in line with the Collective Labor Agreement Metalektro
• An excellent pension scheme (PME) and travel allowance,
• A pleasant and informal working environment, in which we work together to achieve the best result for our customers.
Next to the attractive package, we will offer you a world of opportunities: we want to see your career fly! We will support your career progression by providing you with learning and development opportunities.
How to apply
Please apply online by sending us a Cover Letter and your CV. Due to data privacy reasons we do not handle any applications sent by email. For additional questions you can contact Ioanna Dimitriadi, Talent Acquisition Specialist, via ioanna.dimitriadi@fokker.com
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.
