Autoclave Operator - Multi-skilled

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

The Autoclave Operator role is to perform a variety of specialized duties involved in the fabrication and assembly of diversified composite details and assemblies. As required or assigned will operate equipment or perform functions that require specific technical skills and/or training.

The team member will be fully supported by their Team Leader (TL), who will enable their training, coaching and quickly respond to them if they find any off-standard / quality issues.

They will be expected to actively identify safety concerns (Hazard identification), make problems immediately known to their TL (Pull the Andon), and raise improvement ideas to solve problems (Kaizen).

They will be part of a team that will collectively work on creating a Great Place To Work through a culture of continuous improvement, safe working and open dialogue.

Job Responsibilities

• Direct activities of workers by assisting in control or verification of processes or in unloading of materials.
• Notify maintenance engineers of equipment malfunctions by following company protocol.
• Assist Autoclave II Implement appropriate industrial emergency response procedures by following company policies and procedures.
• Assist Autoclave II inspect equipment or units to detect leaks or malfunctions by shutting equipment down.
• Assist Autoclave II observe safety precautions to prevent fires or explosions by following company manuals and specifications.
• Assist Autoclave II determine products, ingredients, or prescribed modifications of plant procedures by reading plant specifications.
• Assist Autoclave II keep track of operational data such as temperatures, pressures, ingredients used, processing times and test results by recording the operational data.
• Manage inventory by counting supplies received and consumed.
• Assist Autoclave II estimate materials required for production and manufacturing of products by monitoring inventory and forecasting needs.
• Assist Autoclave II manage inventory by counting supplies received and consumed.

Job Qualifications

• A High School diploma or GED and three to five years of manufacturing work experience are required.
• Basic computer literacy skills and a familiarity with shop math calculations required.
• A demonstrated ability to follow detailed or complex written and/or verbal work instructions required.
• The ability to work as a team player is required by the position.
• Position will require flexibility with shift and workweek assignments, in order to support operation requirements.
• Detailed understanding of procedures required for composite assembly, bonding, and laminating operations is highly desired.
• Prior work experience or training in the safe operation of forklift equipment required.
• As assigned, moderate physical effort required operating forklifts and handling cumbersome mold and/or tool surfaces.
• As assigned, occasional lifting of heavy weights such as cured structures, composite parts or raw materials may be required.

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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