Project Design Authority

Thales; Cheadle; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense technology company is seeking a Project Design Authority to ensure compliance and provide technical leadership on sonar system projects. The role requires significant expertise in relevant technologies and the ability to build strong relationships. Candidates should have a degree in engineering or a scientific discipline and experience in project design authority roles. This opportunity includes hybrid working options and generous benefits.

Benefits

Half day every Friday

Hybrid working

Pension scheme

28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)

Life cover

Development opportunities

Employee assistance program

Employee discount shopping schemes

Career enhancement opportunities

Qualifications

• Significant technical expertise in sonar systems or signal processing.
• Knowledge of systems engineering lifecycles for large complex systems.
• Experience as a Project Design Authority with technical/project experience.

Responsibilities

• Ensure solution design meets contract requirements and regulations.
• Analyse customer needs and assess solution architecture.
• Approve technical specifications and design justification.

Skills

Technical writing skills

Leadership capability

Interpersonal communication skills

Presentation skills

Organisational skills

Education

Degree or equivalent in an engineering or scientific discipline

Job description

Location

Templecombe, United Kingdom

Project Design Authority

25% travel required around the UK.

Thales Underwater Systems (UWS) design, develop and support sonar systems for anti‑submarine warfare and mine hunting. We are looking for a Project Design Authority to join a close‑knit, friendly and hardworking team.

Our Opportunity

The Project Design Authority will be responsible for solution compliance for a project, acting as primary technical leader of the Service Solution project team and lead technical interface with the customer.

This role provides overall technical oversight for a project and ensures appropriate design addressing customer needs.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• Responsible for ensuring, with the support of Specialty Engineering experts & Safety/HSE stakeholders, that the solution design takes into account contract requirements and applicable legislation, rules & regulations, including product safety & security and environmental/HSE requirements & standards, and that related certification activities are performed adequately and correctly.
• Analyses customer needs/requirements and assesses the support solution architecture and technical choices.
• Ensures solution compliance with customer needs, product policy, Make or Buy and Footprint (MoB&F) strategy & applicable legislation, rules & regulations. Approves the technical specification and source selection of subsystems/products to be outsourced, taking into account MoB&F policy, export restrictions and offset requirements.
• Reviews the technical risks and opportunities and the related mitigation plans throughout the bid or project.
• Checks the production and maintenance/service aspects of the solution with the production process/technology manager (PPTM) and the service engineering managers.
• Checks that the engineering environment (E2) for the solution is consistent with country/company E2 instruction, and overall solution cost, technical risks & schedule.
• Approves the Design & Justification File (D&JF) prepared by the solution architect (ARC).
• Approves the completion of integration, verification, validation and qualification results.
• Organises when appropriate technical meetings and peer reviews with the engineering delivery manager (EDM) and other technical stakeholders and experts, to perform the solution technical assessment and validation.

About You

• Good technical writing skills and good interpersonal communication skills.
• A well‑proven leadership capability – with natural ability to build and sustain strong working relationships at all levels.
• First‑class presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively manage relationships across the business and achieve outcomes beneficial to both own team and the broader business.
• Effective personal organisation and an ability to remain composed and focused under pressure.

Experience

• Significant technical expertise in one or more of the technological disciplines relevant to the company, e.g. sonar systems, signal processing, outboard hardware, and/or understanding of business case generation; the developmental lifecycle disciplines, e.g. requirements capture, modelling & analysis, system design, product development, IV&V, support and disposal.
• Experienced and knowledgeable of whole systems engineering lifecycles for large complex systems.
• Proven PDA with technical/project experience in both development and support fields.

Desirable

• Significant experience in an engineering role in an appropriate engineering field, e.g. maritime or defence.
• L6 qualification (degree or equivalent in an engineering or scientific discipline).

Security Clearance Statement

Due to the nature of the work at Thales, many roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires you to be a sole British National from birth and achieve Security Clearance (SC) without any caveats. If you are already holding SC, that is advantageous; otherwise a requirement that the successful applicant obtains and maintains SC clearance prior to commencement.

To be eligible for full SC you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last five years. In some circumstances a minimum of three years’ residence in the UK over the last five years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for baseline and security clearance please refer to the National Security Vetting (NSV) Agency. For 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 requiring further evidence.

What We Can Offer

We’re committed to giving you opportunities to be your best. We offer market‑leading training, development and experiences, along with the opportunity to be mentored and coached by some of the industry's smartest minds. We hire from within as our first priority, so you’ll have myriad opportunities within our diverse, global organisation.

Flexibility: Your health and well‑being matter 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, hybrid working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle.

Benefits at Thales

• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00
• Hybrid working
• Pension scheme
• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Life cover
• Progression and development opportunities
• 24/7 employee assistance program and access to mental wellbeing app
• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
• Development focused targets and relocation support can be provided if required along with various learning, development and career enhancement opportunities.

Thales is an equal‑opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.

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, contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Great journeys start here, apply now!