Capture Director

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 GKN Aerospace is seeking a highly experienced Capture Director to lead the strategy, capture and delivery transition of major opportunities across the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and related advanced defence programmes.

This role will drive the pursuit of funding, investment, technology development and long-term production workshare opportunities, ensuring GKN secures and delivers strategic positions that strengthen UK sovereign capability and advanced manufacturing leadership.

Working closely with government, industry partners and international stakeholders, you will lead complex capture campaigns from opportunity qualification through contract award and into programme mobilisation.

This is a remote role, with a reporting line to our Bristol Global Technology Centre. The role comes with regular national and international travel to customer, partner and GKN Aerospace sites.

What You'll Be Doing

Capture Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute capture strategies and campaign plans to secure GCAP and Advanced Programmes workshare, investment and partnerships.
• Lead opportunities from qualification through contract award, monitoring performance and reporting progress to senior stakeholders.

Stakeholder & Partnership Management

• Engage key stakeholders to influence funding, investment and industrial strategies.
• Represent GKN Aerospace at customer, industry and government forums.

Bid & Capture Execution

• Lead cross-functional teams to develop winning business cases, bids and proposals.
• Drive competitive positioning, pricing strategy and solution development.
• Manage capture budgets, risks, governance and compliance requirements.

Programme Transition & Oversight

• Lead the transition of awarded opportunities into programme execution.
• Establish delivery governance and provide strategic oversight to ensure successful outcomes.

What You'll Bring

Skills & Experience

• Proven track record leading complex capture campaigns within the defence or aerospace sector.
• Experience securing and delivering large-scale technology development, manufacturing or industrialisation programmes.
• Strong stakeholder management, negotiation and influencing skills within multinational and government environments.
• Ability to lead high-performing cross-functional teams and align diverse stakeholders around strategic objectives.
• Broad understanding of business development, commercial management, programme delivery, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain operations.
• Experience within aerostructures, transparencies, advanced manufacturing and defence aerospace technologies is highly desirable.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC).

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Aerospace, Manufacturing or a related discipline.
• Business, commercial or programme management qualification desirable.
• Professional programme management certification (e.g. IPMA, APM, PMI) desirable.

What We'll Offer

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

• Competitive salary and remuneration package dependent on experience.
• 36% company bonus based on personal and business performance.
• £6,300 annual car allowance.
• Single cover private medical (option to pay for family).
• Industry Leading Pension Scheme = we’ll 1.5x employee contributions (max 12%).
• Life Assurance 8 x salary.
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays.
• Flexible working hours.
• Income protection.
• Shopping discounts.
• Cycle To Work Scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Virtual GP Clinic for you and immediate family.
• 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 your 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.