GE Aerospace Commercial Operations Management - 12 Month Placement

Job Description Summary

In the 12-month Commercial Operations Management Placement, you'll gain invaluable skills and experience in supporting and developing the processes and systems that keep our business operations teams at the cutting edge.

Job Description

About GE Aerospace

Are you ready to see your future take flight? At GE Aerospace, we are advancing aviation technologies for today and tomorrow. Your work will contribute to the production of advanced jet engines, components, and integrated systems that power commercial and military aircraft. You’ll be part of a team that embraces your drive, your curiosity, and your unique ideas and perspectives. Most importantly, you’ll share in our pride and purpose that affects the lives of millions around the world!

Roles and Responsibilities

In the 12-month Commercial Operations Management Placement, you'll gain invaluable skills and experience in supporting and developing the processes and systems that keep our business operations teams at the cutting edge. The opportunities available will cover all aspects of supporting busy operations teams, including building relationships internally and externally, supporting customer proposals and/or sales/aftermarket, working on streamlining processes to drive efficiency and developing materials for customer events.

Your role could focus on enhancing customer experience and operational excellence. As a placement in Customer Operations Team, you will play a pivotal role in streamlining our operations to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. This position is designed to integrate the principles of SQDC (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost), Voice of the Customer, Profitability and Cash, and our FLIGHT DECK (GE’s proprietary operating model) fundamentals into your daily activities, providing a comprehensive learning experience in an aerospace commercial environment.

There are several different types of roles within Commercial Operations, here is a snapshot of each:

Customer Operations (Dowty) - you'll gain invaluable skills and experience in supporting and developing the processes and systems that keep our business operations teams at the cutting edge. The opportunities available will cover all aspects of supporting busy operations teams, including building relationships internally and externally, supporting customer proposals and/or sales/aftermarket, working on streamlining processes to drive efficiency and developing materials for customer events.

Commercial Operations Team (Dowty) - This role focuses on meeting customer needs through strong interdepartmental collaboration and clear communication with both internal and external stakeholders. It involves coordinating customer requests such as RFQs and purchase orders by working closely with supply chain and engineering teams to meet critical deadlines. The position requires analysing operational data to develop performance metrics that sharpen team focus on strategic priorities, as well as leading process improvement projects to increase operational efficiency. Additionally, it includes preparing customer order books and facilitating client calls to ensure high customer satisfaction and timely delivery.

Commercial Engine Programs (Cust Prog/SAO/Cust Exper/MTO) (Wales) - these roles will provide experience across Customer Programs, Services Agreement Operations, Shop Cost, and Customer Experience. Working within a dynamic cross‑functional team, you will contribute to business‑critical activities that support customer delivery, operational performance, cost management, and strategic initiatives. The role offers a diverse portfolio of projects in customer operations, supply chain coordination, data management, profitability analysis, cost estimation, process improvement, and executive communications, while partnering with experienced leaders to drive outcomes aligned to Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, and Productivity goals.

You will be guided by structured goals and objectives and will have responsibility to deliver on inspiring projects supported by your People Leader and team around you. We will guide you throughout the year to ensure you make the best of your GE Aerospace experience. Your People Leader will offer coaching and mentoring, and you will be provided with the opportunity to connect with other placement students across the UK.  

This opportunity is offered in our Gloucester (Dowty, a GE Aerospace company) and Cardiff sites, during the process we will ask you to share your location preferences.

Dowty, a GE Aerospace company, is based in Gloucestershire. It is a world-leading supplier of electronically controlled, composite propeller systems for A wide range of civil and military applications, including commercial airliners and military airlifters to multi-role seaplanes and marine hovercraft.

Key programs include the Lockheed Martin C-130J, the De-Haviland, Dash 8-400 and the Leonardo C-27J.

Operated by a highly skilled workforce, Dowty’s’ in-house production expertise for composite blades includes application of resin transfer moulding processes, which have been continuously evolved and perfected since 1976; and the use of braiding machines that rapidly and accurately apply the blades’ fibre outer layers.

GE Aerospace Wales specialises in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of a range of commercial jet engines. The facility, based in Nantgarw, just north of Cardiff, occupies over 1.2 million square feet of workshop space and has two state-of-the-art aircraft engine test facilities, along with a significant repair capability – known as Component Repair Wales.

The site has the capability to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for a range of engine types – including the world’s most powerful commercial aircraft engine the GE90-115B and the world’s most popular commercial engine the CFM56.

As one of the largest commercial aircraft engine maintenance facilities in the world, with annual sales of over $2bn, the business works with over 90 customers worldwide, including Emirates, TUI, Lufthansa, Delta, United, ANA and British Airways.

In 2017, the Wales site was selected as the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility of choice for the GE9X; which will become the world’s largest and most fuel-efficient jet engine when it launches into service. The business will benefit from a £5m investment from the Welsh Government to support the total £20m investment put forward by the business, to equip and upskill the facility to be ready to maintain the GE9X fleet when it enters service on the new Boeing 777X aircraft.

The Wales team places a strong focus on providing career opportunities for talented individuals. Our apprenticeship, internship and work experience opportunities have been built to ensure the long-term success of our business by developing the next generation of technical, engineering and problem-solving talent.

If you are passionate about Commercial Business Operations, we would like to hear from you.

Qualifications / Requirements 

• Currently studying a Business Management/ Finance/ Accountancy/ Economics/ Law related Bachelor’s or integrated Master’s degree

• Keen interest in Business Operations 

• On course to achieve a 2:1 degree or above

• To be in your penultimate year of study and returning to education post placement

Desired Characteristics

• Able to roll up your sleeves and get involved in projects 

• Organised & able to work towards deadlines 

• Inspired and curious to learn 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills 

• Able to take ownership for projects  

• Analytical and problem-solving skills  

• Proficient in Microsoft Office 

• Able to work as part of a team  

A placement at GE Aerospace is an opportunity to learn while doing. At GE Aerospace, you’ll work with business leaders in an atmosphere that will develop you, while doing work that makes an immediate impact.

Total Reward 

At GE Aerospace we understand the importance of Total Reward. Our flexible benefits plan, called FlexChoice, gives you freedom, choice, and flexibility in the way you receive your benefits, as well as giving you the opportunity to make savings where possible.   

As a new joiner to GE, we are pleased to be able to offer you the following as default in your benefit fund, which you then can tailor to meet your individual needs.  

• Non-contributory Pension             

• Life Assurance  

• Group income protection               

• Private medical cover       

• Holiday Hourly equivalent of 26 days, with flexible options to buy or sell  

Recruitment Process 

As part of our recruitment process, you will be required to submit an initial CV application. After this, the stages are a video interview, testing and MS Teams online interview. Our recruitment team will be in touch with you at every stage to keep you updated and understand what is next in the process.

If you require any adjustments to the process to enable you to be at your best, please email the team via UKEarly.Careers@geaerospace.com. 

Please note our applications will close on Saturday 31st October but may close earlier dependant on application volumes. We would encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

Please only submit one application. If you submit multiple applications, we will progress the most suitable one. If in future you are deemed to be suitable for other opportunities, we will automatically consider you for these too.

Security Clearance

Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance is required and must be maintained for this role. Please note that in the event that BPSS clearance cannot be obtained, you may not be eligible for the role and/or any offer of employment may be withdrawn on grounds of national security. Please see the link below for further details regarding the requirements for BPSS clearance: BPSS.  

Right to Work 

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, under the applicable UK immigration rules as may be in place from time to time, it may be that candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be appointed to a post if a suitably qualified, experienced and skilled candidate who does not require sponsorship is available to take up the post.

Further, sponsorship is not available for our Early Careers opportunities. Our placement roles are pipeline for our graduate roles so you would need the permanent right to work to be eligible. For further information please visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Whether we are manufacturing components for our engines, driving innovation in fuel and noise reduction, or unlocking new opportunities to grow and deliver more productivity, our GE Aerospace teams are dedicated and making a global impact. Join us and help move the aerospace industry forward.