Lean Master, Global Lean Expert

Lean Master, Global Lean Expert

Date: Jun 11, 2026

Location:Westlake, TX, US

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 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn.in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.

Job Summary

The Global Lean Master is a Lean Thought Leader and a role-model of Lean Leadership, with a deep understanding of Lean Transformation. They play a central role in developing the organisation into a Lean enterprise based upon GKN Aerospace’s Brilliant Basics Lean Model. They train, coach and influence Leadership Teams at their assigned sites, ensuring rigour and fidelity to the sites’ Brilliant Basics Deployment Plan, developing the sites’ Lean competence to a level that makes them self-sufficient in the Brilliant Basics.

The Global Lean Master is responsible for developing Lean expertise across the business to the extend that each Business Line becomes self-sufficient in the deployment of the Brilliant Basics.

In addition to these duties, they take a leading role in the delivery of significant breakthrough results across the business being the ‘go to’ person for solving some of the largest organisational challenges. They mentor Lean team members on, and bring thought leadership globally to, the deployment of the Brilliant Basics across GKN Aerospace. They also engage with the Business Line senior leadership, developing the Brilliant Basics as an Enterprise-wide business model, encompassing all functions and the extended value stream.

The Lean Master is responsible for ensuring that the Brilliant Basics Deployment is delivering the Breakthrough KPIs, the Daily Management KPIs, and the Brilliant Basics Maturity improvements across the business. They are considered a business partner and deliver significant business benefit.

Job Responsibilities

• Role modelling a culture that is aligned to the GKN Aerospace “Great Place to Work” value drivers and Culture Principles
• Exemplifying a safety-first mindset and ensuring that the GKN Aerospace Health, Safety and Environmental policies and standards are applied across GKNA and that all locations are a model of a world class healthy and safe working environment
• Developing first-class leaders who are readily able to progress to the next level of leadership, when required, and who embody the GKNA culture principles
• Driving the disciplined and rigorous deployment of the Brilliant Basics across all GKNA sites.
• Coaching Site Leadership teams and Site Lean Deployment Leaders in their deployment of the Brilliant Basics and the associated site improvements projects and Improvement Events, in alignment with the Breakthrough Initiatives
• Delivering significant improvement in People, Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cash and Cost (PSQDCC) targets, meeting customer and stakeholder commitments through the development of high Brilliant Basics Maturity. The Global Lean Master should be able to demonstrate a finance approved portfolio of Brilliant Basics Events with savings to an annualised value of at least £10M per year.
• Role modelling and providing thought Leadership for the Brilliant Basics at the Enterprise level
• Actively sharing best practice sharing across sites, building knowledge and best practice networks both internally and externally, developing self as a thought leader in the field of Lean Thinking and Leadership
• Developing deep Lean Expertise, ensuring that they become self-sufficient in deploying the Brilliant Basics including the training and coaching of others at all levels of the organization.
• Complying with all legal and regulatory requirements and ensuring that staff are aware of the policies and their individual responsibilities and accountabilities:
  • The company’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action policies
  • Compliance and Ethics Policy on Contracting with the United States Government in all areas of responsibility involving direct and indirect contracting with the United States Government

Export Control regulations 

Job Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or equivalent in an Engineering or Science discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years relevant business experience. 
• A deep understanding of Lean Thinking and Lean Leadership and demonstrated ability to influence at the most Senior Levels.
• Ability to lead, coach and mentor highly skilled and experienced team members with a successful track record of Leadership and direction through effective communications, building effective teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• GKN experience
• A minimum of two years’ service in GKN Aerospace in the role of a Lean Expert or Site Lean Deployment Leader
• No PDP rating less than Good Performance in the past 2 years
• Second or advanced degree in Business
• Previous and significant experience in multi-site Lean Transformation
• A Lean Certification from a reputable certifying body or benchmark company
• Aerospace supply chain experience
• A passion for the Aerospace industry

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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