Senior Research Engineer – Energy Storage System (ESS)

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 15,000 employees across 41 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

GKN is actively engaged in a series of major, multi £M development programmes with the long term aim of enabling zero emission flight on a series of new aircraft programmes.  We want to enable the complete electrification of Aircraft powered by Liquid Hydrogen, Fuel cells and Cryogenically cooled networks and motors. As such we’ve already built up a significant capability with an international team of over 70 specialist Engineers working on Liquid Hydrogen based propulsion systems, including storage (tanks), Fuel management, Fuel cells, Electrical networks, Motors and Inverters, with Cryogenics being an enabling technology. This ground breaking technology is maturing rapidly and we’re searching for specialist Engineers and Scientists who want to work with us in this rapidly changing, dynamic, multifunctional environment to help us push further and faster as we win more programmes and the market accelerates.

The Senior Research Engineer – ESS will support the electrical power network team in delivering Energy Storage Systems (ESS) technology to enable the development of sustainable aerospace power and propulsion systems.  The electrical system product design is highly integrated.  The control system, protection system, stabilisation system (including the ESS) rely on all the individual systems working correctly together.  The role will be responsible for building modelling capability to support this integration and the resultant physical ESS design solutions.  The successful candidate will also oversee hardware delivery and testing. Ultimate testing will involve a flying demonstrator.

You will be expected to interface with the system architects to ensure the ESS requirements are captured, the wider electrical power network team, integrated controls and test engineers.  The primary work will be associated with a collaborative program and thus additional interfacing with collaborators and ESS suppliers is anticipated.   
 

Job Responsibilities

• Enhance and Develop Energy Storage Systems (ESS) – Systems Modelling Capability 
• Develop ESS – Design Capability
• Develop ESS control solutions – All modes of operation (including emergency states & aircraft start and stop)
• Assist in developing the ESS technology roadmap 
• Provide electrical system design feedback to support continuous improvement
• Generate interface control documents to support any ESS testing (including for the flight Demonstrator)
• Build and maintain Internal & external technical relationships with Customers and suppliers
   

What you’ll bring

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

Essential:

• Degree Qualified in relevant subject 
• Experience in modelling electrical systems with energy storage
• Experience in providing design feedback (including test result analysis) as part of continuous product development
• Experience in development of control algorithms
• Background of working within an Engineering company (or academic institution), with a  balance between a strong practical bias or detailed modelling capability 

Desirable:

• Aerospace Industry electrical and/ or controls experience
• Experience in electrical energy storage hardware design
• Wider experience of electrical power (MW) systems design
• Wider experience of fuel cells and / or electric drives
• Wider experience of control of electric Power Systems.
• Previous experience with electrical network stability design.
• Experience of working with a regulated Quality Management System. 

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. To be successful in this role you must be flexible and capable of working in a complex & evolving environment. You will have good interpersonal team working skills coupled with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
 

What We’ll Offer

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

• Competitive salary dependant on experience
• Opportunity to earn up to 15% bonus 
• Hybrid working – giving you the opportunity to balance home and office working
• Industry Leading Pension Scheme = we’ll match your contributions up to 8% on a 1 : 1.5 basis
• Life Assurance 8 x salary
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Income protection
• Shopping discounts
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• 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! 
 

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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