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Thales

Principal Systems Engineer

Hybrid

Stockport, United kingdom

Senior

Full Time

09-12-2025

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Skills

Leadership Test Sales Research Training Team Management Marketing Sensor Systems

Job Specifications

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:

Our purpose is to be the leading provider of underwater sensor systems and decision superiority. We’re helping navies across the globe keep the world, our friends, our families and all of us safe.

In Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW), we put huge numbers of sensors on every submarine, which locate and provide data about other submarines and objects. Our world-leading sonar technology is used across the entire UK submarine fleet.

The primary purpose of this role is to manage the Systems Engineering Process to company and international standards for a major project. Includes significant team management responsibility to provide direction to a team of engineers through requirements management definition, design, implementation and validation until delivery of the system.

You must be able to provide systems engineering decision authority.

Principal Relationships:

As part of the Thales Systems Engineering process you will interact with the following key roles:

Engineers at all levels
Bid team members
Project team members
Testing team members
Installation team members
Project Planners
Sales and Marketing
Supply Chain
Commercial
Major Stakeholders / Client

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.

Develop and manage requirements specifications at both the system and subsystem levels.
Demonstrate a solid understanding of the development lifecycle and lifecycle products.
Interface with clients to define the content and format of test specifications.
Define and authorise test specifications.
Conduct impact analysis and manage variations.
Ensure compliance with customer requirements and resolve related issues.
Define and authorize design descriptions and verification requirements.
Provide technical advice to the Engineering Group Manager on technical matters and management issues pertinent to the Systems Engineering Group.
Offer technical direction and leadership to the Systems Engineering community.
Engage with key stakeholders effectively.
Establish and maintain a structured Systems Engineering process and activities.
Provide detailed technical specifications.
Offer assistance and guidance to Project Systems Engineers regarding their responsibilities and design decisions.
Prepare resource plans and budgets for the Systems Engineering Group, managing the budget to ensure project objectives are met within financial constraints.
Approve estimates for project activities and manage the Systems Engineering Group to ensure work is completed on time and within budget.
Develop and train Systems Engineering personnel to ensure a qualified staff is available to perform and lead the design and requirements development for projects and products, including acceptance requirements.
Represent the Systems Engineering Group on the change control committee, reviewing change proposals and approving Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) on behalf of the engineering department.
Stay informed of technical developments both within and outside of the company.
Identify training, development, and performance needs through the Annual Check-in and Development Check-in processes for the Systems Engineering community under your supervision.
Assist the Engineering Group Manager in strengthening the engineering capabilities of the team.

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:

Financial performance of the System Engineering team under your control.
Timely delivery team objectives, appraisals and development actions.
Quality of work produced against agreed standards
Delivery to timescales
Del

About the Company

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies specialized in three business domains: Defence & Security, Aeronautics & Space, and Cybersecurity & Digital identity. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive. The Group invests close to EUR4 billion a year in Research & Development, particularly in key innovation areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, cloud technologies and 6G. Thales has close to 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In... Know more