Digital Technology Engineer - MES

Location: Belfast, United Kingdom

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.

Purpose of the role

The Industrial Information Systems Engineer supports the UK MES Product Owner in the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) application across UK industrial competence centres (ICCs). This role assists with requirements analysis, technical solution development, deployment activities, and ongoing support to MES users. The position aims to ensure the effective operation and continual improvement of MES solutions in line with UK ICC standards and requirements.

Principal Relationships

• MES Product Owner
• MES Super Users
• MES Embedded Support
• Industrial Process Engineering
• IS/IT Support
• Planning and Supply Chain Teams

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• Requirements Capture
  • Work with the MES Product Owner and site stakeholders to gather, document, and communicate MES requirements.
  • Assist in translating operational needs into technical specifications and solution definitions.
  • Support super users with ongoing requirements clarification.
• Standards Implementation
  • Apply MES standards as defined by the Product Owner to support consistent ways of working across sites.
  • Contribute feedback and identification of implementation challenges to improve standards and processes.
• Deployment
  • Participate in Agile rituals (stand-ups, review meetings, etc.) to communicate progress and obstacles.
  • Support technical deployment of MES solutions across UK sites, including configuration, testing, and troubleshooting.
  • Liaise with IS/IT, MES embedded support, and site resources for cross functional deployment tasks.
• Validation & Testing
  • Support the preparation and execution of user stories and test cases as defined by the Product Owner.
  • Assist with validation activities, including system testing, user acceptance, and documentation.
  • Record and report test results, defects, and improvement opportunities.
• Ongoing Support
  • Provide technical assistance to super users and functional teams, addressing application issues or queries.
  • Support incident management and troubleshooting for MES related problems during and after deployment.
  • Assist in maintaining and updating MES documentation, user guides, and training materials.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Actively seek opportunities to improve MES solutions and deployment processes.
  • Participate in knowledge-sharing activities and contribute to best practice development across ICCs.

Skills & Experience

• Essential
  • Experience in manufacturing systems, MES, or industrial IT.
  • Working knowledge of software deployment and system integration in an industrial environment.
  • Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams.
  • Familiarity with Agile methodologies is desirable.
  • Understanding of total supply chain disciplines (Manufacturing Engineering, Planning, Procurement, Manufacturing, Delivery, Supplier Quality Assurance, Logistic/Delivery).
• Desirable
  • Experience in the defence manufacturing sector.
  • Experience with IOT architectures & industrial communication protocols.

Values & Behaviours

• Shape solutions out of complexity
• Be ambitious and accountable
• Perform through cooperation
• Influence key stakeholder
• Manage self

Qualifications

• Essential
  • Manufacturing degree or equivalent technical qualification.
  • Lean awareness (e.g. "5S, Kaizen, Six Sigma etc.").

What We Can Offer

We are committed to giving you opportunities to be your best. We believe in embracing the passion and potential of our people, and to achieve this we offer market leading training, development and experiences, along with the opportunity to be mentored and coached by some of the smartest minds in the industry. We hire from within as our first priority, so you will have a myriad of opportunities within our diverse, global organisation.

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.

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales. 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.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring.