Solution Architect in Cheadle

Location: Cheadle, 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.

Primary Purpose of the Role: To develop and implement solution architectures for maritime systems (including sonar and combat management systems). To design systems to meet the project needs, optimising the design through trade-offs to maximise customer and Thales value. Work closely with Hardware and Software teams to align the solution and detail architectures.

Principal Relationships: As part of the Thales Systems Engineering team you will interact with the following key roles:

• Major Stakeholders / Clients
• Designers at all levels
• Bid team members
• Project team members
• Integration team members
• Project Planners
• Sales and Marketing

Key Responsibilities and Tasks: The list below is not exhaustive nor will individuals be expected to be able to undertake all of them. They are given as a guide as to the expected duties of the grade.

• Creating, managing, promoting and delivering Architectures for Thales Maritime projects.
• The development and management of Requirements Specifications for the System and Subsystems level.
• Good understanding of the development lifecycle and lifecycle products.
• Interfacing with the client, to define standards and architectural frameworks.
• Impact Analysis / Variation Compliance / Customer requirement resolution.
• The defining and authorising of Design Descriptions and Verification objectives.
• Provide technical advice to the Engineering Group Manager on all technical matters and management issues related to the Systems Engineering Group.
• To provide technical direction and leadership to the Systems Engineering community.
• Interaction with key stakeholders.
• Understanding and embracing customer needs and advising customers.
• Establish and maintain a structured Systems Engineering process and activity.
• Provide technical specifications.
• Provide assistance and guidance to the Project Systems Engineers for their responsibilities and design decisions.
• Represents the Systems Engineering Group on the Change Control Committee.
• Review change proposals, approve ECN’s on behalf of the Engineering Department.
• Keep abreast of technical development both within and outside of the company.
• To assist Engineering Group Manager to strengthen the engineering capabilities.

Key performance Indicators against Responsibilities and Tasks: This role is continually monitored for performance and as such some of the following typical Key performance indicators (KPI’s) will be used:

• Quality of work produced against agreed standards.
• Delivery to timescales.
• Delivery to budget.
• Performance against Thales key values.

Expected Competence Level:

• Able to use a range of IT tools.
• Has a sound ability to define the use of System Engineering tools, in particular modelling and requirements management.
• Has knowledge of configuration control processes.
• Can manage a complex project through a defined design process and is able to tailor CHORUS2 to project needs.
• Can define and use metrics as part of Quality assurance & control to change and re-model a System Engineering process.
• Working knowledge of project plans.
• Has knowledge of Engineering Safety Management in the context of architectural design.
• A sound understanding of naval system architectures.

Experience: The Solution Architect is the technical focal point for the solution design and framework, and must be able to resolve all issues, problems, questions and conflicts in the entire system. This requires frequent handling of new and unusual issues therefore a proven record of working in combat systems is required. Experience of collaborative working with cross-industry/customer teams, desirable for this to be multi-national. Sound knowledge of combat systems deployed in UK maritime fleet, with detailed knowledge of at least one combat system equipment. The post holder should have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate at all levels in the spoken and written word. A good outward appearance, self-motivation and the ability to work under pressure are vital. The success of the Systems Engineering job family relies on the interaction of its engineers at all levels, therefore evidence of team working is required.

Values & Behaviours:

• Innovate – Be motivated to search for novel and unique design solutions.
• Team working – Maximise the use of the wider Thales community to produce winning solutions.
• Develop people – Be prepared to share your ideas and experience with the wider Thales engineering community.
• Focus on customers – Be driven to deliver quality solutions to clients.
• Safety – Totally embrace the Thales safety culture to provide a safe and healthy working environment for all.
• Ethics - Thales employees must be exemplary in their ethical conduct and social responsibility.

Qualifications and Certification: Member of a professional body Engineering Degree or equivalent Essential: Have attained professional status (CEng) or equivalent.

Financial / Budgetary Responsibility: The post holder will be expected to deliver designs/projects to an agreed budget.

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.

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!