About the Role:
As a Digital Product Owner Apprentice, you will develop the product knowledge, practical skills and professional behaviours needed to define, prioritise and deliver valuable products and improvements.
Working as part of our product and delivery community, you will contribute to live projects by collaborating with engineering, design, data, systems and domain specialists to turn user and business needs into clear outcomes, well-prioritised work and measurable delivery.
What You Will Learn
Your responsibilities may include:
- Working with experienced product owners, AIDMs and teams on live initiatives to learn effective product practices
- Shadowing Product Owners and AIDMs to understand customer and stakeholder needs, translating them into clear product goals and requirements
- Contributing to product discovery, including defining user problems, assumptions and success metrics
- Supporting backlog refinement by collecting input, flagging risks, and proposing reworded requirements for clarity
- Supporting validation through demos, feedback loops and continuous improvement of product outcomes
- Conducting straight forward stakeholder and user research (e.g., interviews, surveys, feedback review) and summarising findings
- Supporting product discovery activities by helping write drafts of problem statements, hypotheses and success measures
- Producing lightweight documentation (e.g., user story notes, FAQs, release notes drafts, decision records)
- Supporting change management activities such as training materials, rollout checklists and escalation paths
Training
Apprenticeship Programme:
This is a 24-month programme aligned to the Level 4 Digital Product Manager Apprenticeship standard. Delivered in partnership with a digital specialist provider, the programme is delivered via a virtual model including:
- Live virtual lectures
- Online learning resources
- Self-directed learning activities
The programme will conclude with an End Point Assessment, followed by roll-off into your permanent role within the Thales UK business.
What happens at the end
- Secure a permanent role from day one at the start of your apprenticeship
Skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Team working
Qualifications
- GCSE 3 x GCSE's (grade 9-4 or A*-C) - essential
- GCSE English (grade 9-4 or A*-C) - essential
- GCSE Maths (grade 9-4 or A*-C) - essential
- A Level 2 x A Levels (grade C or above) - essential
Key details
- Wage: £24,000 a year
- Working week: Monday - Friday, 37 hours a week (8 hours Monday - Thursday, 5 hours Friday).
- Hours: 37 hours per week
- Duration: 2 Years
- Start date: 2027-09-06
- Closing date: 2027-02-17
- Apprenticeship standard: Digital product manager (level 4)
- Training provider: QA LIMITED
About the employer
Together, we create the ingenious technological systems and innovations that impact and improve people's lives every single day. Even if you haven't heard the name Thales before, you've definitely benefited from our inventiveness. We reinvest 20% of our sales in Research & Development in the UK. Together we supply invention across 4 core areas: Aerospace, Space, Defence and Security, Digital Identity and Security.
Digital Product Owner Apprentice - Crawley employer: Thales Group
Thales is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in the heart of Crawley. With a strong commitment to employee growth, we provide extensive training opportunities, competitive benefits including private medical insurance and annual bonuses, and a supportive environment where your contributions directly impact the future of technology. Join us to be part of a team that values diversity, encourages creativity, and prioritises ethical AI solutions.
