Discipline Manager Systems Engineering

Location: Reading, United Kingdom

Thales people architect solutions that are relied upon to deliver operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defensive systems for land, sea, and air. From early warning, to threat neutralisation, our platforms cover all levels from very short-range systems, to extended protection across the entire battle-space including Airspace Mobility Solutions, Vehicles and Tactical Systems and Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Discipline Manager–Systems Engineering

Location: Reading (with regular travel required to Glasgow site)

Are you looking to develop your people management and development skills in a successful and growing part of the business? Are you able to bring multi-discipline teams together to drive delivery and continuous improvement? Look no further… this is the role for you!

The Role:

We currently have an exciting opportunity to recruit the Discipline Manager for our systems engineering discipline based in Reading for Optronics and Missile Electronics (OME)!

As a Discipline Manager based in Green Park, Reading, your role encompasses leading the implementation of processes, tools, and governance within the OME systems team. Reporting to the Head of Discipline, your responsibilities extend to managing personnel and enhancing the competencies of the team members.

Additionally, you will provide crucial support to the IVVQ Discipline Manager by aiding in the implementation of their strategy and practices. Furthermore, you will be involved in assisting with the people management tasks for the IVVQ Discipline Manager in OME South.

This position demands strong leadership and interpersonal skills to effectively guide the team, facilitate continuous improvement, and provide support for individual professional growth. You will also be instrumental in driving the team's performance and maintaining a conducive and productive work environment.

In this role, effective leadership and communication skills are essential, as you will be responsible for driving the team's performance, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and providing guidance and support to team members as they work towards their professional development goals.

This is an excellent opportunity to evolve and grow your competencies within leadership and people management across an evolving function, as well as provide a valuable contribution to Systems as a whole in OME.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploy the adequate Practices and Tools tailored to reach the required maturity according to Project/Product delivery challenges
• Work with the local engineering delivery team to make them efficient - identify gaps and associated actions to support continuous improvement driving increased competiveness
• Encourage adoption of new technologies and tools
• Capitalise and share knowledge and assets
• Allocate Subject Matter Experts and enable coaching within the team
• Manage and develop individual and collective team skills & ensure allocation of people to products / projects
• Contribute to bids and project peer reviews, reducing technical/engineering risks and increasing confidence to deliver 
• Support, Review and approve estimates for the Systems design and IVVQ activities
• Support, review and approve suitable strategies for Systems design and IVVQ activities

About you:

• You will have extensive experience and knowledge in Systems engineering from concept generation, architecting, systems design, verification, validation and acceptance
• You will have significant experience in team management 
• You want to oversee systems-related activities and be plunged into a challenging environment 
• You are a leader willing to engage and develop your team through the use of collaborative work and challenging approaches 
• You love to share knowledge and help people develop themselves, which enables you to be recognised as a great mentor and team-player 

We are looking for an individual invested and passionate about people, able to empower and unite employees around clear objectives by acting as a coach and developing talent. You will have substantial knowledge of systems Engineering (familiar with technology, tools, methods and processes) and a good awareness of adjacent functions. You will be an experienced people manager who has led complex multi-disciplinary teams defining the processes, practices and tools to be used in order to deliver a systems Engineering or IVVQ campaign to the project and customer needs. You will have a track record of developing people as well as have experience leading teams through change and continuous improvement.

You will have led the definition or practices and procedures in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of ways of working within the discipline.

Experience of leading the engineering activities on projects that use systems engineering tools.  You are able to develop a strategic vision and bring teams along the journey with you to promote improved delivery and competitiveness.

YOUR CAREER AT THALES

Future opportunities will allow you to discover other domains or sites. You will be able to evolve and grow your Competencies in different areas:

Room and attention to personal development
Build your talents in another domain of Thales Group, discovering new products, new customers, new country or go to a more complex Solution
Choose between a technical expertise or a leadership path
Build an international career within a leading Engineering Group

Connect with Fiona Tal, Talent Acquisition Partner #LI-FT1 who is eager to explore together with you this exciting opportunity.

This role will require SC Clearance. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance.

To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years. In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!