Head of Mechanical Engineering Department

Thales; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales seeks a Head of Discipline – Mechanical in Bangalore to lead the mechanical engineering discipline. You will drive best practices, mentor engineers, and ensure excellence in design, analysis, and technology adoption across bids and products.

You will oversee technical reviews, capitalize on knowledge assets, and guide cross‑functional collaboration to deliver competitive solutions in the civil and defence sectors.

Qualifications

• Requires a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and ~20 years of experience in mechanical design & development.
• Strong grounding in mathematics, science and mechanical standards.
• Expertise with mechanical tools, methods and data management.

Responsibilities

• Inspire and improve best practices within the Mechanical Engineering discipline.
• Coach discipline engineers and foster an inclusive, high-performance environment.
• Lead discipline practices, tools deployment, and adoption of new technologies across projects.

Skills

Mechanical engineering expertise

Root cause analysis

Team coaching

Education

Master’s in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CATIA

SolidWorks

SmarTeam

PTC Creo

PTC PDMLink

Siemens NX

AutoCAD

CAD data management

Job description

HoD - Mechanical Location: Bangalore, India

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence.

Operating at the forefront of aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others.

Over 2200 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India.

Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors.

Thales has two engineering competence centres in India – one in Noida focused on Cyber & Digital business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs.

The Group has also established an MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility in Gurugram to provide comprehensive avionics maintenance and repair services to Indian airlines and support the growth of the local aviation industry.

Job Role: Head of Discipline – Mechanical

Responsibilities

• Inspire and catalyse the improvement of best practices within the Mechanical Engineering discipline, ensuring that they are mastered effectively.
• Act as a privileged point of contact on complex subjects and take on an educational role so that the team can reach discipline excellence and deliver competitive solutions within a multidisciplinary environment.
• Serve as a manager‑coach for discipline engineers and offer a diverse and inclusive environment with Hungry Humble Aware values.
• Guardians of engineering discipline excellence in a learning environment which contributes to highly competitive realizations (Quality, Attractiveness, Cost, Lead time).
• Take charge of the Discipline Practices and Tools tailoring and deployment (incl. digitisation, automation, data management) across Projects and Products.
• Be responsible for the adoption of new technologies.
• Ensure capitalisation and sharing of knowledge and assets (building blocks, cost estimating models, best practices, etc.).
• Foster continuous improvement based on root cause analysis, problem solving, new practice deployment, …
• Manage people within your discipline and ensure their development (skills management, coaching, career development, mindset), the adequacy with the expected needs (quality and quantity) at the right time and their allocation to Bids and Projects.
• Oversee mechanical activities and be plunged into a challenging environment, engage and develop the team through the use of collaborative work and challenging approaches.
• Be innovative and support continuous improvement.
• Empower and unite employees around clear objectives by acting as a coach and servant leader, mobilising influencing and “team first” skills.
• Have substantial knowledge of Mechanical Engineering.
• Perform technical reviews associated with their discipline on Bids/Products and Projects.
• Ensure Operational Subject Matter Experts allocate part of their time to coach engineering people and to train people about the Mechanical Engineering activities.

Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate / master’s in Mechanical Engineering with ~20 years of industry experience in Mechanical Design & Development.
• Good technical background in mathematics, science, and computer science, with great knowledge of mechanical laws, norms and standards.
• Expertise with mechanical technology and associated tools, methods and processes.
• Mechanical design skills: DS Catia, DS Solidworks, DS Smarteam, PTC Creo, PTC PDMLink, Siemens NX, Autodesk AutoCAD, CAD model, drawings, bill of materials, data management.
• Mechanical simulation skills: Ansys Mechanical, DS Abaqus, DS Dymola, MSC Nastran structural analysis (static, modal analysis, shocks, vibrations), mechanical‑tests correlation, design optimisation, strength analysis.
• Mechanical testing experience: shocks and vibration tests, qualification procedure.
• Demonstrate a strong desire for continuous improvement and capacity to develop a strategic vision; able to integrate and anticipate various elements of your environment to guide the team through competition challenges.

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.