The aerospace firm, Bombardier, is putting its Belfast operation up for sale as part of a reorganisation of the business.
The company is selling its entire aerostructures operations which also has factories in Morocco.
The Canadian aircraft manufacturer employs about 4,000 people across several locations in Northern Ireland.
The company said it would be working closely with employees and unions, through any future transition period.
In a statement, Bombardier announced the “strategic formation of Bombardier Aviation, consolidating all aerospace assets into a single, streamlined and fully integrated business”.
The statement added: “Our sites in Belfast and Morocco have seen a significant increase in work from other global customers in recent years.
“We are recognised as a global leader in aerostructures, with unique end-to-end capabilities – through design and development, testing and manufacture, to after-market support.”
It said Bombardier was committed to finding the right buyer, adding “one that will operate responsibly and help us achieve our full growth potential”.
“There are no new workforce announcements as a result of this decision, but our management team will continue to drive ongoing transformation initiatives to improve productivity and increase our competitiveness, to give more weight to our unique value proposition to potential buyers.”
