Engineering Operations Manager

Location: Templecombe, 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

The primary purpose of the Engineering Operations Manager is to work with the UWS Head of Engineering Operations and Engineering Operations Team to develop and optimise the support provided to the UWS Engineering Team, with the aim of enabling and maximising efficient and effective ways of working.

The UWS Engineering Operations Team is responsible for the management of engineering operations for the UWS Engineering Director and MMS Engineering Team. This encompasses capabilities, resources, tools, processes, data analysis and the implementation of the engineering performance plan.

This role will initially focus on: implementation of the strategic roadmap and management programmes for physical environments; continued support to the S&OP process; and development and management of the Engineering Performance Plan (EPP).

This role demands professional engineering management capabilities, strong leadership and team management skills. It involves making decisions with a lack of data, and the ability to understand and thrive in complex situations, simplifying and shaping solutions from complexity, and providing clarity to others. It also necessitates accomplished stakeholder management skills to maintain a strong cross-discipline network, within and outside of UWS.

Principal Relationships

As part of the UWS Engineering Operations team you will interact with the following key roles:

• The UWS Engineering Environments Manager reports to the UWS Head of Engineering Operations
• The UWS Engineering Environments Manager works closely with the UWS Engineering Operations team to support wider improvement activities
• The UWS Engineering Environments Manager works closely with the UWS Engineering Director, UWS Heads of Engineering Discipline and UWS Heads of Engineering Delivery to understand demands and requirements of the UWS business
• The UWS Engineering Environments Manager works closely with the UWS and UK Operational Functions (Finance, Operations, QA, Industry, Procurement, HSE)
• UK Central Engineering Team
  
  

Key Responsibilities And Tasks

The list below is indicative of the initial focus of the role. This will vary over time dependent on the demand and individual skillsets across the UWS Engineering Operations team:

• Build a capability in management of engineering ‘physical environments’:
• Identify ‘Engineering Physical Environment’ capabilities and for each one, identify current and future requirements (and required interfaces). Position roadmaps to align with UWS strategic plans, including Product Roadmaps; SBP; TISP; STIP; SCP; etc.
• Development and delivery of a ‘Engineering Physical Environment’ Management Plan to ensure day-to-day management of ‘Engineering Physical Environment’ is complete according to individual ‘Engineering Physical Environment’ Plans
• Coordination/delivery of improvement projects across the ‘Engineering Physical Environment’
• During Bid and Project Kick Off (PKO) support identification of future ‘Engineering Physical Environment’ requirements
• S&OP
• Enable accurate and effective workforce management, supporting the HoED (Demand) and HoD (Supply) with a focus on enabling data-driven decisions
• Represent the Engineering Job Family throughout the monthly Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, with responsibility for preparing the strategic supply plan for agreement with the UWS sectors/business
• Manage engineering S&OP process improvements, ensuring required supply actions (e.g. capability, recruitment, offshoring / outsourcing etc.) are identified
• Monitor & Control the EPP:
• Support in the creation of the EPP and setting of objectives. This includes the derivation of objectives based on the flow down of objectives, future capability requirements and identified issues with UWS engineering delivery.
• Coordinate and manage the ongoing delivery of actions under the EPP. This includes management of the MYB Budget, support to the UWS Engineering Leadership Monthly Strategic and Competitiveness Reviews, and support to the Engineering Director & Head of Engineering Operations with wider engineering reporting.
• Work closely with all stakeholders involved in the delivery of the EPP objectives.
• Act as part of a wider Engineering Operations team, focused on ensuring that the engineering management team are able to operate as efficiently as possible. This includes supporting the monthly engineering reporting cycle through provision of metrics and identification of actions, blockers, issues, etc. to be resolved.
  

Essential

Skills & Behaviours

• Leadership and team management: lead by example, inspire, motivate and engage teams, provide direction, support and develop individuals, delegate responsibilities, encourage collaboration
• Problem evaluation: problem characterisation, problem structuring, analysing information, documenting evidence, interpreting data, presenting solutions
• Change management: challenging the status quo, creating clear purpose/objectives, aligning change, identifying/managing stakeholders, changing culture, identifying and resolving blockers
• System thinking: understanding of systems principles, characterising systems, working within complexity, problem structuring approaches
• Driving success: taking action, seizing opportunities, pursuing goals, motivating others, building teams
• Building collaboration: persuading and negotiating with own perspective, listening and engaging to other perspectives, working towards creating shared objectives and actions
• Building network: identifying and meeting stakeholders, building relationships, establishing rapport, maintaining relationships, understanding people, valuing individuals
• Communication: influencing people, articulating/translating information, creating and delivering communication plans
  
  

Financial / Budgetary Responsibility

Management of CAPEX/OPEX budgets related to ‘Engineering Physical Environment’ management and improvement activities

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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