Chief Technologist - Naval Optronics
UK Wide Locations
Thales is a world leader in the design and manufacture of products for the worldwide defence, aerospace and security markets. Naval Optronics (specifically Submarine Periscopes and Optronics Masts) is a key and growing product area for the Optronics and Missile Electronics (OME) business line of Thales UK with very significant work with Royal Navy, Canadian Navy and Australian Navy (inc AUKUS).
A senior vacancy has arisen for Chief Technologist - Naval Optronics, reporting to the OME Technical Director and working closely with the Naval Business Manager and Product Line Architect (PLA). The key focus of this role will be to provide strategic leadership of our naval optronics engineering and technology with a view of future technology, products and systems to serve our allied customers and enhance future capabilities.
The role will be of interest to professionals with expertise in naval optronics systems, who already work at a strategic level in an organisation or have a naval optronics background, for example in the Royal Navy, and the ambition to take on larger strategic responsibilities in that domain.
Key responsibilities:
Thought leadership - influencing the thinking and direction of travel of the adoption and exploitation of technology for the naval optronics systems
Technology planning - creating and communicating the Technology Roadmap for naval optronics identifying the key emerging or existing technologies and the plan for the adoption of these technologies within the Business Line.
Operational needs - working with users (esp Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy & Royal Canadian Navy) to solicit and understand the operational needs for naval optronics systems and link operational needs to the proposed technical solutions in the Technology Plan.
External funding - identification and pursuit of sources of external technology funding (MoD, DSTL, DASA, Industry, Government) to support activities within the naval optronics domain.
Leveraging Thales technology - working with the Thales Key Technology Domains (KTDs) and Specialist Engineering Teams (SETs), ensure that the technical challenges facing the Naval Business Line are being addressed by the KTDs and SETs and that any resulting research/ analysis data is communicated to the PLA and Product Design Authorities (PDAs)
Academic Links - ensure Thales Naval Optronics Systems visibility within the University base and participate in recruitment / sponsorship / funding activities. Liaise with universities to influence research activities.
International liaison: facilitating cross-Thales cooperation on technology insertion and acting as a key technical point of contact for analysis of intra-group international opportunities relating to naval optronics
Supplier Collaboration - liaising and collaborating with suppliers and partners in the exploitation of new and emerging technologies to enhance the product range and to improve customer value.
Competitor Analysis - monitoring the adoption of technology across the wider naval optronics industry and ensuring that Thales technology innovation and adoption is 'best in class'.
Intellectual Property (IP) - ensuring appropriate IP protection e.g. patents is put in place for novel solutions.
Skills, qualifications and expertise:
Location
Glasgow, Scotland - Hybrid Working. Candidates will also be considered across the UK and who are commutable or based close to Thales sites in Reading, Crawley, Cheadle (Manchester), Bristol, Templecombe, and able to travel to visit Thales and customer sites adhocly when required - some adhoc international travel may also be required.
Security Clearance statement:
Due to the sensitive nature of much of the work, all applicants must be eligible for Security Clearance.
Flexibility:
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 Work Environment:
At Thales, we believe in flexible SMART working and have the expectation this role will be delivered through a combination of remote and office based collaborative working. When working in the office, you will be based at Thales sites in the UK, featuring access to a wide variety of resources including manufacturing, environmental and electromagnetic test facilities and specialised laboratories. The modern site includes a subsidised restaurant, a café, break out spaces, bicycle storage facilities and more
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. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.
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.
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