Textron Inc.’s new Cessna chief takes the helm at a time when the business-jet maker’s orders are rebounding more slowly than the company would like, CEO Officer Scott Donnelly said in an interview.

Textron hired Scott Ernest, a General Electric Co. aviation executive, on Tuesday to lead the Cessna unit, where operating losses widened to $38 million in the first three months of the year, as orders rose at a slower pace than the Providence-based company expected. Still, Donnelly said, he sees a pickup. Ernest joins Cessna as the planemaker prepares for a rebound, Donnelly said.