Manufacturing Engineer - Product & Planning

Manufacturing Engineer - Product & Planning

Date: Sep 23, 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 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.6bn in 2025. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

What do we do at GKN Fokker Elmo

At GKN Fokker ELMO, we make wiring harnesses for aircraft, which connect all the electrical systems in an aircraft. To make the wiring harnesses, we have everything in-house from start to finish. From complete engineering to our final product, the ready-to-use wiring harnesses, we do this for well-known aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed-Martin for both civil and military aircraft.
We produce these wiring harnesses worldwide at several sites. In Papendrecht, we have approximately 1200 employees. This is what GKN Fokker ELMO is all about: quality and therefore airworthiness. 

Job Summary

To complement our Manufacturing Engineering team, we are looking for a Manufacturing Engineer. You will be working in a team with Senior Manufacturing Engineers, Principal Manufacturing Engineers, Configuration Managers and Quality Engineers. In your role as a Manufacturing Engineer, you will support the department in the daily conversion of supplied design information into work instructions, and associated matrix lists for the production of engine/motor wiring harnesses for aircraft.
Most of the wiring harnesses we work on are produced at our overseas facilities located in Turkey, China and India. Therefore, you have daily contact with your fellow Manufacturing Engineers at these locations. A smaller part of the wire harnesses is produced in Papendrecht, the Netherlands.

What you'll do

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will play a key role in supporting and improving our production processes, ensuring efficient, high-quality manufacturing operations while working closely with Engineering, Production, Quality, and Supply Chain teams. Your responsibilities further include:

•    Creating work package parts and instructions.
•    Entering, and registering changes in the product instructions.
•    Supplying the necessary logistical material overviews in our ERP/ Baan system. Supporting production in the foreign branches.
•    Making improvement proposals regarding the production process, methods and techniques.
•    Determining the necessary materials and tools for production

What you'll bring

•    Secondary Vocational Education and Training or Bachelor’s Degree in the direction of electrical, mechanical, industrial or mechatronics engineering.
•    Good command of the English language, speaking and writing, Dutch is a plus.
•    Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel.
•    Thinks in solutions, contributes solutions, and assists in applying those solutions where necessary.
•    Possesses good communication skills.

Above all we are looking for talent who want to start a conversation with us. Together we can explore whether there is match between you and us and create an opportunity dependent on your education and experience.

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 job grade H and according to the CLA Metalektro,
• 8% holiday allowance,
• 40 paid holidays for full-time employment in line with the Collective Labor Agreement Metalektro (27 holidays and 13 ADV days),
• 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 your CV and motivation letter. Due to data privacy reasons we do not handle any applications sent by email. For additional questions you can contact: Glenn Duggert, Talent Acquisition, via email - View email address on careers.gknaerospace.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.​
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