Configuration Manager, Engineering Operations

Location: Irvine, United States of America
Thales people architect solutions that enable two-thirds of planes to take off and land safely. We create in-flight entertainment systems that engross 50 million fliers every year and we develop the avionics that control the world’s largest commercial aircrafts. Our simulators train the next generation of pilots for fighter jets, transporters and search and rescue helicopters. And, together, each and every member of our aerospace team makes a difference.

Configuration Manager, Engineering Operations

Irvine, CA (Hybrid)

Position Summary

Thales is looking for a Configuration Manager, Engineering Operations to be responsible for defining and executing the enterprise strategy, governance framework, and operational direction for Software, Hardware, and Solution Configuration Management across the global InFlyt Entertainment & Connectivity (IFEC) engineering organization. Reporting to the Director of Engineering Operations, you will provide leadership for the evolution, standardization, and optimization of configuration management capabilities supporting complex, safety-conscious, and highly integrated IFEC platforms across distributed international teams.

As the Configuration Manager, Engineering Operations, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy and accountability, leading cross-functional initiatives that strengthen engineering operational excellence, product lifecycle governance, release integrity, scalability, and development efficiency across the full solution lifecycle. You will be responsible for establishing long-term configuration management roadmaps, advancing Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) strategies, and driving continuous improvement initiatives that support business growth, engineering transformation, and global delivery objectives.

You will partner extensively with engineering, program management, quality, product, cybersecurity, DevOps, and global operational stakeholders to align configuration management strategies with organizational priorities, compliance expectations, and customer delivery commitments.

In this position, you will also provide leadership and mentorship to globally distributed technical teams, ensuring alignment to enterprise standards, engineering best practices, and future-state operational capabilities.

Current scope of responsibility includes engineering operations across Irvine, Melbourne, France, and India, with the potential for continued expansion based on evolving business and organizational needs.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Define and lead the enterprise Configuration Management strategy, governance model, standards, and roadmap for Software, Hardware, and integrated Solution environments supporting IFEC systems; drive the evolution and implementation of scalable Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), release management, and configuration governance processes aligned with Chorus methodologies and global engineering objectives.
• Establish and operationalize standardized configuration management frameworks, policies, tools, workflows, and best practices across geographically distributed engineering organizations; provide strategic oversight and technical leadership for configuration management tools, repositories, CI/CD integration, build and release controls, and engineering operational processes; ensure configuration management activities support regulatory, quality, cybersecurity, and customer compliance expectations throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Partner with senior engineering and operational leadership to align configuration management capabilities with strategic business priorities, product delivery objectives, technology modernization efforts, and long-term organizational transformation initiatives; collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including third-party development partners, to ensure alignment of configuration management processes, tooling strategies, operational standards, and delivery expectations.
• Lead cross-functional operational improvement initiatives focused on engineering efficiency, release quality, automation, defect containment, traceability, compliance, and lifecycle governance; drive adoption of modern engineering methodologies, automation capabilities, and industry best practices to improve scalability, productivity, reliability, and quality across the software and solution delivery lifecycle; establish performance metrics, operational KPIs, and governance mechanisms to monitor effectiveness, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement initiatives across the engineering organization.
• Lead risk identification, mitigation planning, and escalation management related to release integrity, configuration control, operational readiness, and product lifecycle activities; lead regular operational reviews, stakeholder meetings, and cross-functional governance discussions to ensure alignment, transparency, execution accountability, and issue resolution.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and functional direction to configuration management engineers and analysts across global teams, fostering technical growth, operational consistency, accountability, and organizational capability development; support workforce planning activities, including organizational scaling, skills assessments, succession planning, resource allocation, and capability development aligned with business and technology roadmaps; partner with leadership to develop operational budgets, tooling investment strategies, and training plans supporting configuration management modernization and engineering operational excellence initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Cloud Computing, or a related technical field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 4+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, cloud engineering, AI/ML engineering, or related technical disciplines, including 3+ years of hands-on experience designing, developing, and deploying production-grade AI/ML solutions within enterprise or large-scale environments; demonstrated experience contributing to technical architecture decisions and influencing engineering direction across cross-functional teams, with strong collaboration and communication skills and the ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholder groups.
• Strong expertise in applied AI solution patterns including agentic architectures, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), orchestration frameworks, evaluation pipelines, and intelligent automation, along with a solid understanding of modern AI system concepts including memory management, planning, tool orchestration, model evaluation, guardrails, and responsible AI principles.
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern application development technologies including APIs, React, and TypeScript, with hands-on experience implementing scalable cloud-native applications and distributed systems supporting AI workloads; hands-on experience with AWS cloud technologies, including serverless architectures, infrastructure automation, and AI/ML services such as Amazon Bedrock; experience with infrastructure-as-code and DevOps practices using technologies such as Terraform, CI/CD pipelines, and automated deployment frameworks; and strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to translate complex business needs into scalable technical solutions.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.

If you’re excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

Special Position Requirements

• Schedule: Core business hours Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm, Hybrid, 9/80 eligible.
• Physical Environment: Typical office environment.
• Physical Demands: Must be able to perform the essential functions of the role.
• Travel: Less than 10% travel may be required.
• Regulatory Compliance Requirements: None.

Why Join Us?

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This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with [a] criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal law, state law, and local ordinances.

We are an equal opportunity employer, including disability and veteran status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales, please contact us at [email protected].

The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

Total Target Cash (TTC) 141,043.46 - 251,526.72 USD Annual

This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including – but not limited to – the employee’s career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company’s annual salary budget, the customer’s program requirements, and the company’s internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, state, or federal law.

(For Internal candidate, if you need more information, please reach out to your HR Shared Service, 1st Point) 

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 30 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

•Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance

•Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period

•Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off

•Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program