S&OP Lead

Location: Templecombe, United Kingdom

Thales people provide armed forces customers with operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defence mission systems solutions at land, sea, and air. Our platforms extend across the battlespace including Above and Sonar, Electronic Combat, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems.

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.

Based Templecombe, Cheadle, Crawley – hybrid role with 3 days a week in the office with approx. 20-40% travel to Thales UK sites

Are you a Sales & Operations Planning subject matter expert (SME)? Do you have experience in improving and managing processes related to resource capacity and capability planning? Are you experienced in change management and stakeholder management? 

What the role has to offer:

• High profile and critical role where you will gain exposure across the entire Thales Business

• Great opportunity to help shape business decisions across UWS

• Join a growing business area who rely on the S&OP process to forecast how and where we need to expand

Core Benefits:

On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes.

• Performance-related bonus

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

• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) plus opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)

• 24 hours volunteering paid for

• Private healthcare (grade dependent)

• Pension scheme

• Life cover

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

• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers

• Gym membership discounts

Our Opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity for an S&OP Lead to join Thales Underwater Systems who provide technology to enhance and secure the future of our world leading Sonar Capability to UK and International Navies.

You will be responsible for managing and continually improving all processes, tools and reports related to UWS UK’s Sales & Operations Planning process, covering people, product deliverables, supply chain and links to Strategic Business Planning, Multi-Year Budget and financials.  You will ensure that the S&OP process is fit for purpose, appropriately governed, undertaken in a timely manner and producing value-add outputs.

You will be the UWS UK Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the S&OP process and will involve managing stakeholders at all levels, identifying gaps and improvements needed, facilitating and coaching meetings, representing UWS in the UK S&OP Manager community, leading the UWS Exec S&OP process with the UWS senior leadership team, and creating analyses and KPIs that add value to the business, allowing capacity and capability decisions to be taken to meet business strategy and improve business performance.

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 you to be a UK National and achieve Security Clearance (SC) without any caveats. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment.  If approved by the MOD, a dual national from a non-ITAR country may be considered. 

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.

Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.

About You

You will have In depth understanding of S&OP processes and business benefits together with the following:-

• Strong stakeholder management with high emotional intelligence and the ability to influence and challenge at all levels

• The ability to break down silos, joining up stakeholders to achieve common goals, identifying cross-functional and cross-sector risks and opportunities

• Practical working knowledge of business planning tools such as; Excel, Oracle, Primavera, Power Query, Power BI

• The ability to provide accurate and up to date business planning information to decision-makers in the sectors, functions, manufacturing units and senior leadership team as appropriate

• Strong data management skills, including the ability to interpret data into meaningful conclusions and create targeted reports to answer specific business questions and needs

• Process-driven person, capable of championing and refining processes to fit the needs of the business

• Strong team leader who leads by example, capable of managing a team to get the best from them

• Strong problem-solving, planning and delivery orientation

#LI-ST1

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!