Senior Contract Manager

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

We're looking for a Senior Contracts Manager to join our Optronics & Missile Electronics (OME) UK business. This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping complex defence programmes, partnering with customers and stakeholders across the UK and internationally. You'll lead commercial strategy from bid through to contract delivery, negotiate high-value agreements, and provide trusted commercial guidance across our Land, Sea and Air sectors. If you enjoy influencing business outcomes, working on strategically important programmes and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, we'd love to hear from you.

About Optronics & Missile Electronics (OME)

We enable forces to gather timely, meaningful information so they can make thoughtful, decisive choices that safeguard communities. For more than 130 years, we've championed the development of optronics for military, scientific and commercial applications. Our expertise covers three sectors: Air, Land and Sea.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial and contractual aspects of bids and programmes across the OME UK portfolio, providing commercially robust solutions and advice.

• Negotiate and manage complex customer contracts and critical supplier subcontracts, including high-value defence programmes.

• Manage contracts throughout their full lifecycle, including change management, risk mitigation and commercial governance.

• Draft, negotiate and maintain commercial agreements including NDAs, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Teaming Agreements.

• Support government pricing audits and ensure compliance with legal, regulatory and trade compliance requirements, including UK and US regulations where applicable.

Ideal Experience & Skills

• Significant commercial contracts experience, ideally within the defence or highly regulated engineering sector.

• Proven experience negotiating and managing complex contracts, including agreements valued in excess of £10 million.

• Strong working knowledge of UK MoD contracting, including DEFCONs, with knowledge of FAR/DFARS and Single Source Contract Regulations being advantageous.

• Understanding of export controls, trade compliance and ITAR requirements, together with excellent commercial judgement and analytical skills.

• Degree qualified in Law, Business or a related discipline, with the ability to build strong customer relationships and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

• Performance-related bonus

• Car cash allowance

• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00

• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with the opportunity to buy additional leave

• 24 hours paid volunteering leave

• Private healthcare

• Pension scheme

• Life cover

• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and access to a mental wellbeing app

• Employee discounts on major brands and retailers

• Gym membership discounts

Security Clearance Requirement

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held; however, if not currently held, the successful applicant will be required to obtain and maintain SC clearance prior to commencing employment.

To be eligible for full SC, you will generally need to have resided in the UK for the last five years. In some circumstances, a minimum of three years' residence within the last five years may be accepted, subject to additional overseas checks.

Please refer to the UK Security Vetting guidance for further information.

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At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.

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