Engineering Business Manager
GKN Aerospace · Papendrecht, Netherlands
You apply off-site, with the employer or the job board. I never handle applications.
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.
Job Summary
Are you eager to immerse yourself in a role where continuous learning is the norm and where challenges push you beyond traditional finance boundaries? Do you have strong skills in financial analysis & reporting that can support the company towards business success? If so, the role of Engineering Business Manager.
As a member of the Engineering & Technology Management Team, you will provide business leadership and decision support for an organization of approximately 140 employees. You will oversee budget planning, workforce and capacity management, performance reporting, KPI monitoring, and investment planning, ensuring that operational objectives are translated into actionable business plans and financially sustainable outcomes.
Working closely with department managers, project leaders, HR, and Finance, you will support strategic and operational decision-making through robust analysis, forecasting, business modelling, and performance management. You will act as a trusted advisor to leadership, identifying risks and opportunities, challenging assumptions, and driving continuous improvement across the organization.
Job Responsibilities
- Serve as a member of the Engineering & Technology Management Team and act as a trusted advisor to department leadership on operational, financial, and strategic matters.
- Own the planning and control cycle for the Engineering & Technology organization, including budget planning, forecasting, strategic planning, and performance management.
- Monitor and steer departmental performance across financial, operational, workforce, and strategic objectives.
- Lead workforce planning activities for an organization of approximately 150 employees, providing insight into headcount, recruitment plans, contractor utilization, capacity requirements, and labor cost development.
- Develop KPIs, dashboards, and management reporting to support performance reviews and drive accountability across the organization.
- Build business and financial models to support investment decisions, CAPEX proposals, organizational changes, and improvement initiatives.
Identify performance gaps, risks, and opportunities, and support management in defining and implementing corrective actions.
- Act as the key liaison between Engineering & Technology, Finance, HR, and other support functions to ensure alignment between operational objectives and financial targets.
- Provide management with fact-based insights, scenario analyses, and recommendations to support effective business decision-making.
- Drive continuous improvement of planning, reporting, governance, and performance management processes.
- Serve as a member of the Engineering & Technology Management Team and act as a trusted advisor to department leadership on operational, financial, and strategic matters.
- Own the planning and control cycle for the Engineering & Technology organization, including budget planning, forecasting, strategic planning, and performance management.
- Monitor and steer departmental performance across financial, operational, workforce, and strategic objectives.
- Lead workforce planning activities for an organization of approximately 150 employees, providing insight into headcount, recruitment plans, contractor utilization, capacity requirements, and labor cost development.
- Develop KPIs, dashboards, and management reporting to support performance reviews and drive accountability across the organization.
- Build business and financial models to support investment decisions, CAPEX proposals, organizational changes, and improvement initiatives.
- Identify performance gaps, risks, and opportunities, and support management in defining and implementing corrective actions.
- Act as the key liaison between Engineering & Technology, Finance, HR, and other support functions to ensure alignment between operational objectives and financial targets.
- Provide management with fact-based insights, scenario analyses, and recommendations to support effective business decision-making.
- Drive continuous improvement of planning, reporting, governance, and performance management processes. Job Qualifications
- A completed HBO or University degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Industrial Engineering & Management, or a related field.
- Minimum 5-8 years of experience in Business Management, Business Control, Finance Business Partnering, Program Control, or a similar role within an engineering, manufacturing, technology-driven, or project-based environment.
- Demonstrated experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, performance management, and business case development.
- Experience supporting workforce planning, capacity management, resource planning, and organizational performance monitoring.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex financial and operational data into actionable business insights and recommendations.
- Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional stakeholders, gathering, challenging, and consolidating key performance drivers across engineering, operations, HR, and finance functions.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence and challenge management teams using data-driven insights.
- Proactive and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently in a dynamic environment.
- Structured and organized, capable of balancing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.
- Advanced Excel skills, including financial modelling, scenario analysis, and business case development.
- Experience with Power BI, data visualization, or business intelligence tools is highly desirable.
- Experience building and evaluating business cases, investment proposals, and CAPEX models.
- Understanding of KPI development, performance dashboards, and management reporting.
- Ability to operate as a trusted business partner within a management team and contribute to strategic decision-making.
- Fluent in English, both written and spoken. Knowledge of Dutch is considered a plus. What We'll Offer
We are committed to offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities, a career that can go in many directions thanks to our breadth of international opportunities. By being part of GKN Fokker 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.
Furthermore, we will offer you:
- A gross monthly salary based on grade N between 6933 - 8914 euros.
- 29 holidays for full-time employment
- 13 ADV days for full-time employment
- An excellent pension scheme (PME)
- Metalektro CLA
A pleasant and informal working environment, in which we work together to achieve the best result for our customers.
How to Apply
Apply online by sending us your CV. Due to data privacy reasons we do not handle any applications sent by email.
For additional questions you can contact Mark Streep, Talent Acquisition, via mark.streep@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.