Head of Industrial Process Engineering

thales; Templecombe; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus up to 12%

Car allowance

Half-day Friday

Annual leave 201 hours + buy up to 40

Volunteer time

Private healthcare

Pension

Life insurance

EAP & wellbeing app

Employee discounts

Gym discounts

Job summary

Thales seeks a Head of Industrial Process Engineering to lead and develop our Industrial Process Engineering capability across the UK Industrial Centre of Competence. You will provide strategic leadership to a multi-disciplinary team, driving industrial excellence, continuous improvement and manufacturing transformation across a complex engineering and manufacturing environment.

Reporting to senior leaders, you will align processes, tools, people and infrastructure to grow business performance,

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in complex manufacturing, industrial or engineering environments.
• Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and deliver large-scale industrial transformation programmes.
• Strong knowledge of lean methodologies and industrial toolsets (ERP, MRP, MES).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management across organisational levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Industrial Process Engineering teams across UK sites.
• Define and implement industrial strategies and capability development plans.
• Drive continuous improvement and lean manufacturing projects across the business.
• Act as industrial authority at programme reviews and bid gates for robust industrialisation.
• Build relationships with stakeholders to support business objectives.

Skills

Leadership

Lean

ERP/MRP/MES

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

ERP/MRP/MES systems

Job description

Location: Templecombe, United Kingdom

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

Head of Industrial Process Engineering

Hybrid working arrangement: minimum 4 days a week on site

Working hours: Full-time Monday - Friday. 37 hours per week

Location: Templecombe (with occasional travel to Cheadle and other UK sites set at 10%)

We are looking for a Head of Industrial Process Engineering to lead and develop our Industrial Process Engineering capability across the UK Industrial Centre of Competence. In this role, you will provide strategic leadership to a multi-disciplinary team, driving industrial excellence, continuous improvement and manufacturing transformation across a complex engineering and manufacturing environment.

Working closely with senior leaders across Operations, Engineering, Programmes and Supply Chain, you will ensure that industrial processes, tools, people and infrastructure are aligned to support business growth, operational performance and product lifecycle delivery. You will play a critical role in shaping industrial strategy, improving competitiveness and embedding a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Core Benefits

On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes:

• Performance-related bonus up to 12% of your salary
• Car allowance
• Half day every Friday
• 201 hours annual leave (plus bank holidays) plus opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)
• 24 hours volunteering paid for
• Private healthcare (Couples cover through Aviva)
• Pension scheme
• Life Assurance and Health Insurance
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app
• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
• Gym membership discounts

You can read about some of our other benefits here: United Kingdom benefits | Thales Group

Under Water Systems (UWS)

Our purpose is to be the leading provider of underwater sensors and decision superiority, helping navies across the world keep our friends, families and all of us safe. We cover four sectors: Mine Counter Measures, Anti-Submarine warfare, Services and Future Capabilities.

Main Responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Lead and develop Industrial Process Engineering teams across multiple UK sites, fostering a high-performing, collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Define and implement industrial strategies, processes and capability development plans that improve operational efficiency, competitiveness and manufacturing readiness.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, lean manufacturing practices and industrial transformation projects across the business.
• Act as the industrial authority at programme reviews and bid gates, ensuring robust industrialisation, production readiness and cost-effective delivery solutions.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure industrial capabilities, resources and performance support business objectives.

Experience & Skills

We are looking for someone who can bring:

• Significant leadership experience within complex manufacturing, industrial or engineering environments.
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and delivering large-scale industrial improvement or transformation programmes.
• Strong knowledge of lean methodologies, continuous improvement techniques and industrial toolsets such as ERP, MRP and MES systems.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across all organisational levels.
• A degree in an engineering, manufacturing or related discipline.

Experience across the full product lifecycle, defence manufacturing environments, or highly regulated industries would be highly advantageous.

Security Clearance Requirement: UK Eyes Only:

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.

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.

Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/nat