Head of Engineering

Location: Oxford, United Kingdom

A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering, for more than 40 years, high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thanks to our diversity of skills, talents and cultures, our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators), therefore have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate. 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.

The TAS Head of Engineering will provide leadership to the functional, operational and delivery elements of engineering within the Thales Alenia Space organisation. The TAS Head of Engineering owns the four levers of engineering competitiveness:

• Craft and Skill

• Digital Transformation

• Operating Model

• Talent and Culture

TAS Head of Engineering sits on the TAS Leadership Team and represents TAS UK Engineering at a country and BL level.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of leading a large engineering team and a record of accomplishment of putting knowledge into action. Excellent team-working and leadership skills are required as is the ability to work highly effectively across both functional and operational boundaries influencing peers and senior stakeholders as necessary.

This role is based primarily in Harwell, Oxfordshire.

What the role has to offer

• Working within a large and diverse team; leading on local initiatives

• Challenging and rewarding work

• Ability to influence and ensure we deliver on our commitments for customers who have some of the most exciting missions ever conceived

• Delivering the agreed strategy for Engineering, through process excellence

Our Opportunity

Leading the Engineering Department, consisting of Propulsion, Mechanical and Thermal engineers you will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer to:

• Provide engineering leadership and act as an ambassador externally and within the company that supports a culture of continuous improvement in project execution, the development of skills and capability and product line engineering.

• Elaborate the vision of the Engineering of TAS-UK in line with the JV vision taking into account the country axis in order to make it meaningful for your engineering teams.

• Full accountability of the Engineering Performance Plan of TAS-UK, making sure we address the transverse business challenges in line with the priorities set by the JV.

• Full accountability for the TAS-UK Strategic Capability Plan, making sure it addresses the needs identified through the Strategic Business Planning (SBP) process.

• Maintain and improve professional standards – in coordination with TAS technical leads to develop the engineering and technical community – you will provide real purpose to this community and look at ways of engaging and using their expertise more widely across our business.

• Responsible for the deployment of practices and tools on bids and projects under the relevant process owner coordination and aligned with the TAS JV definition.

• Ensure there is a clear mapping and understanding of Engineering responsibilities within TAS-UK.

• Assuring our Engineering Supply Chain activities are in line with achievement of our On Time Delivery and associated business Financial objectives.

• Identifying systemic Engineering issues, capturing business cases, funding and associated tasking of business improvements and ensuring such improvements are implemented. Measuring delivery to ensure we achieve and sustain the desired Engineering results.

• Report performance and lead on Engineering Monthly cycles, including reporting to and presenting data to various stakeholders.

• Manage and implement any Engineering transformation initiatives to ensure they support future business strategy.

• Ensure Engineering CAPEX and OPEX spend is well managed and supports safe, high quality Engineering activities in TAS-UK.

• Supporting the identification and management of tactical resourcing/capability issues.

• Help the entity functional leads to analyse current capability data for their teams, making use of the capability reports and capability data contained in our various tools as appropriate.

• Supporting all partner Functions in ensuring that revenue and cash targets are understood and achieved across all activities.

• Working collaboratively with the Head of Operations to ensure strong focus on meeting design release dates in line with procurement and production timescales.

• Acting as the lead interface with applicable UK owners for Performance Initiatives.

• Playing a role in co-ordination of the TAS MYB and ensuring we have a robust S&OP Process.

• Contribute to the arbitration of technical issues securing successful resolution.

• Participate in risk management initiatives, ensuring risks are managed and mitigated.

Principal Relationships:

• Internal: CEO/COO; Head of IS/IT; Head of Engineering; CFO; OFP; PCC Director; PMO, Bid and Programme Management; HR. You will also lead important relationships across the JV with Technical, Procurement, Quality and Data Management teams.

• External: customers and project teams (including agencies), suppliers, internal and third party auditors.

Skills and Experience :

• A confident Line management professional, coaching and supporting the engineering leadership team and others as required.

• Ability to demonstrate a vision for the future direction of the business for all of our engineering colleagues.

• Clear and demonstrable technical and managerial leadership within an engineering environment, with excellent people management skills and the ability to influence and challenge others.

• Team player who can interface at all levels within operations, engineering and manufacturing, representing the business to outside government and customer organisations, and who can operate successfully in a multi-cultural environment.

• Good understanding of relevant Engineering Standards and engineering processes, to include ECSS and other relevant space standards.

• An ability to quickly assimilate and utilise a knowledge of the technical and market environment and apply this to the commercial requirements of the business.

• Ability to work professionally and constructively within a team environment providing advice and consultancy.

• A self-starter, capable of working on own initiative, with a high level of integrity.

• First class communication skills – you create an open environment where you share information and ideas and innovative thinking is stimulated.

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