Unit Manager

Location: Bangalore, India

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2200 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India - one in Noida focused on Cyber & Digital business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs. The Group has also established an MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility in Gurugram to provide comprehensive avionics maintenance and repair services to Indian airlines and support the growth of the local aviation industry.

Thales is expanding its presence in India through the development of a Group Engineering Competence Centre (ECC), reinforcing its position as a leader in all its markets. Launching in early 2019 in Bengaluru, the ECC will expand Thales’ footprint in its core business areas and cement its long-standing relationship with India. Strong of more than 400 engineers as of today, ECC will grow to >1200 by 2029, the ECC Bangalore local Unit Manager will be one of the key player to make it happen, managing a whole department of ECC.

The Opportunity:

• The chance to work in an organization that is driving towards building a structured Engineering footprint in line with Thales’ growth and competitiveness ambition
• The chance be in contact with people having different cultural background from all across the world.
• A young and enthusiastic team looking to take interesting new projects on board.
• A working environment that facilitates professional development through continuous learning, close collaboration within teams and a solution-oriented attitude.
• An opportunity to work in Bengaluru, the innovation and technological hub of India.

Key Responsibilities & Tasks

• Built the team in the Bangalore ECC, as an extension of each existing CC of home unit
• Provide operational expertise and strategic leadership, support, guidance, and training to teams on all aspects.
• Assess the skillsets and competencies and develop training plans / action plans to resolve skill / competency gaps in collaboration with HoDs.
• Ensure, proper hiring in collaboration with HoDs
• Ensure proper performance: Your commitment will be focused on quality, schedule, and costs.
•     Maintain within your team a strong culture of performance measurement, continuous improvement (discipline, lessons learn, know how…), metrics, visual management and competitiveness initiatives
• Contribute to the strategy of Go To India for engineering and MoBF strategy
•     Evaluate local skills and maturity of Thales targeted partners,
•     Support GBU for the export control topics
•     Support ECC teams on engineering environment setup 
•     Contribute to the ECC strategy be an active member of the ECC CODIR

Skills Required

• Team management
  • Previous experience in leading large teams (> 50 people)
  • High experience in Engineering Management, People Management and Project Management
• Engineering background
  • Capability to understand the subjects, help the team or find them the right team members.
  •      Clear understanding and experience in latest technology

You will need to demonstrate a high level of autonomy and efficiency, as well as a strong willingness to interact with the domain stakeholders, stakeholders in India and within the ECC.

Soft Skills:

•       Strong Leadership skills – ability to inspire and motivate

•       Ability to build and lead a team

•       Ability to work in a complex matrix and multicultural environment

•        Ability to influence stakeholders

You need to be a strong believer of Thales International engineering strategy.

Experience – 12+ years

Qualification – Engineering Background

This position is in Bengaluru, India.

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.