Principal Inspector

Thales Group; Cheadle, Tipton; Remote; GBP 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales Group in the United Kingdom is seeking a Principal Inspector to join our On-site team in Cheadle, delivering inspection of parts and assemblies to exacting defence/aerospace standards.

The role encompasses fault logging, non-conformance reporting, and ensuring inspection equipment is calibrated; it requires IPC610/620 knowledge, ESD awareness, and the ability to read schematics. Security clearance (UK Eyes Only) is mandatory.

Qualifications

• Experience in inspection in an Electrical or Electro-Mechanical Production or Development facility or similar, ideally in a defence or Aerospace/Aircraft environment.
• Qualified to IPC610 & 620 standards all modules.
• Inspection of soldering, crimping, wire wrapping, splicing, sleeving, part making etc.
• Capable of interpreting, circuit diagrams, engineering drawings and technical documents.
• Knowledge of ESD Protection requirements.
• Capable of using production Inspection equipment such as Micrometers, Verniers, Slips, Gauges.

Responsibilities

• Perform inspection operations, for the acceptance of parts, sub-assemblies and products, to the required standards.
• Identify and log faults and record results.
• Inspect associated build pack, test results and records of jobs compliance to requirements.
• Raise Product Non-Conformance Reports, Problem Reports, Concessions / Production Permits.
• Ensure Inspection equipment is maintained and calibrated to the required standard.
• Update procedures and provide support to engineering.
• Overseeing of rework activities.
• Supplier off Site Acceptance UK & Overseas.

Skills

Electrical inspection

Electro-mechanical inspection

IPC Standards

ESD protection

Schematic interpretation

Inspection tools

Tools

Micrometers

Verniers

Slips

Gauges

Job description

## Principal InspectorApply: On-Site: Cheadle: Full time: Posted Today: End Date: October 30, 2026 (15 days left to apply): R0322359Location: Cheadle, United KingdomThales 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.**Working Arrangement: On-site in Cheadle****Working hours: 4 day working week –** 37 hours per week Monday to Thursday (9.25 hours per day). Fridays (if required) will be paid as overtimeAt Thales, precision matters. As a Principle Inspector, you'll play a critical role in ensuring the quality, safety and reliability of technology that supports some of the world's most important defence and security programmes. Your keen eye for detail and commitment to excellence will help ensure every component and assembly meets the highest standards before reaching our customers. If you take pride in identifying issues before they become problems and want to make a real impact in a world-leading engineering environment, we'd love to hear from you.**Core Benefits:**On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes;* Gain share incentive plan* 201 hours annual leave (plus bank holidays) plus opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)* 24 hours volunteering paid for* Healthcare cash plan* Pension scheme* Life Assurance* 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:*** Perform inspection operations, for the acceptance of parts, sub-assemblies and products, to the required standards.* Identify and log faults and record results.* Inspect associated build pack, test results and records of jobs compliance to requirements.* Raise Product Non-Conformance Reports, Problem Reports, Concessions / Production Permits.* Ensure Inspection equipment is maintained and calibrated to the required standard.* Update procedures and provide support to engineering.* Overseeing of rework activities.* Supplier off Site Acceptance UK & Overseas.**Ideal Experience & Skills:*** Experience in inspection in an Electrical or Electro-Mechanical Production or Development facility or similar, ideally in a defence or Aerospace/Aircraft environment.* Qualified to IPC610 & 620 standards all modules.* Inspection of soldering, crimping, wire wrapping, splicing, sleeving, part making etc* Capable of interpreting, circuit diagrams, engineering drawings and technical documents.* Knowledge of ESD Protection requirements.* Capable of using production Inspection equipment such as Micrometers, Verniers, Slips, Gauges**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/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.