Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Engineer / Test Design Engineer in Reading

Location: Cheadle, United Kingdom. Locations: Crawley, Reading, Cheadle, Bristol, Glasgow, or any other Thales site in the UK.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of test solutions for complex aerospace and defence systems, ensuring compliance with MOD and industry standards.
• Define test strategies, frameworks, and architectures to support product development, verification, qualification, and in-service support.
• Translate system and customer requirements into effective test system requirements and architectures.
• Ensure test solutions integrate seamlessly with hardware, software, and system environments.
• Work closely with design engineers, test engineers, and programme managers to ensure traceability and compliance throughout the lifecycle.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Contribute to bid and proposal activity, providing technical input to estimates, schedules, and solution concepts.
• Engage directly with key stakeholders to ensure alignment with defence standards, policies, and best practices.
• Drive innovation in test methods, including automation, digital twins, and model-based test approaches.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Test Systems Architect / Test Systems Engineer.
• Strong background in test system design and architecture.
• Experience of integrating hardware, software, and COTS solutions into test.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to interface with customers.
• Demonstrable ability to work across the full system lifecycle – from concept through to in-service support.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with test automation.
• Knowledge of safety, security, and information assurance in defence systems.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape next-generation test systems for critical aerospace and defence programmes.
• Work on challenging projects with direct impact on UK defence capability.
• Professional development support, including chartership and advanced training.
• Hybrid and flexible working options.

Security Clearance Requirement

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. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance. 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.

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.