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.

We are seeking a Hardware Systems Engineer to provide technical leadership for the definition, design, development and qualification of complex hardware systems.

Working within a multifunctional team, the Hardware Systems Engineer is responsible for defining hardware requirements, designing and developing architectural solutions, supporting the hardware function through the design and development lifecycle and ensuring the seamless integration and qualification of hardware components within our systems.

Hardware Systems Engineers work within the delegation of the Product Design Authority ensuring the solutions defined by the hardware team meet requirements, regulation and legislation needs of the programmes while maintaining adherence to product policy and business directives. The ideal candidate combines strong technical expertise in hardware design with a strategic, system-level perspective.

Principal Relationships:

As part of the role you will interface with a wide range of internal stake holders from Product Design Authorities and Technical Directors right through to Manufacturing and Test Technicians. You will also be expected to interact, present to and support customers and suppliers through-out the product lifecycle.   

Key Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Analyses the customer’s and other stakeholders’ needs whatever the used means (e.g. advanced studies, simulations, mock-ups, models, prototypes,)
• Defines the requirements, functions and interfaces on the component or sub-system.
• Formalises the specification and the architectural design to develop the component or sub-system.
• Prepares and performs the component or sub-system, verification and validation tests
• Ensures that hardware architecture stability is maintained across lifecycle phases from Bid to Delivery.
• Directs and coordinates hardware architecture studies.
• Approves the technical, technological, and methodological choices taken in respect of the selected hardware architecture.
• Guarantees adherence to in-scope standards, reuse policy and product development plans.
• Identifies modelling, simulation and prototyping opportunities.
• Co-ordinates product definition, and assessment of trade-offs between aspects of cost, customer requirements and technological possibilities.
• Prepares the Design & Justification Files.
• Provides knowledge on state-of-the-art hardware architecting, taking account of future developments.

Skills

Essential:

• An ability to work collaboratively within a team environment and demonstrate:
  • Good interpersonal skills,
  • Good communication and presentation skills,
  • Proactive “can-do” mentality,
  • Logical problem solving approaches.
• Ability to technically lead design and development activities, interfacing with other technical disciplines as required.
• The holder of the role must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following:
  • Systems Engineering Toolsets, Practices and Lifecycles
  • Architecting of Racks, Cabinets and Network Infrastructure for marine or similar harsh environments. 

or

• Architecting of equipment/sensors that are used in marine or similar harsh environments.

Desirable:

• Hardware design, development and qualification of systems or sub systems specific to SONAR, above water and below water communications systems or similar high reliability systems deployed in harsh environments.

Experience:

Essential:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in a Systems or Hardware Engineering role in an appropriate engineering field, e.g. Maritime, Aerospace, Defence. 
• Equivalent experience in a relevant technical field, either mechanical or electronics design will also be considered

Desirable:

• Experience working on underwater acoustics and/or sonar.
• The design of equipment for the sub-sea environment.
• Experience with Design for Cost / Design for Manufacture, manufacturing specifications and new product introduction.

Values & Behaviours:

• Collaborative and continuous improvement approach to work.
• Innovative mind set and embracing of new technologies and working methods.
• Able to work efficiently, both autonomously and as part of an integrated team.
• All work to be conducted in accordance with company processes.

Qualifications:

Essential:

• L5 Qualification (degree or equivalent in an engineering or scientific discipline) and of 5 years’ experience in a similar role. 

Desirable:

• Chartered Engineer
• L6 or 7 Qualification (within an engineering or scientific discipline).

With Thales employing 68,000 employees in 50 countries and 43% of all Thales UK roles being filled via internal movements 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.

Thales UK Key Facts

• Each year, Thales registers more than 300 patents
• A prominent retailer commissioned Thales to develop a ‘heat-sensing people counter' for use in its 400 stores
• 90% of all UK credit card transactions are secured by Thales
• Over 120,000 Thales Chip & PIN terminals have been installed across Europe
• Thales UK has earned 79 Queen's Awards for Technology and Export
• 90% of our sales are sourced from the UK
• 7% of our revenue is reinvested in R & D
• Thales has invested more than £2bn in the UK within the last 10 years
• Thales is the second largest defence systems supplier
• Thales embodies many famous companies, including Racal, Shorts Missiles, Pilkington Optronics, Redifon MEL, Thomson Marconi Sonar, Thorn Missile Electronics, Avimo

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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.

Great journeys start here, apply now!