DDCC Head of Engineering

Location: Crawley, 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.

DDCC Head of Engineering

Crawley – Hybrid (Relocation support can be provided)

About cortAIx and Thales: At Thales, we focus on building and delivering robust, real-world AI and Data solutions that make a tangible impact for our customers—and society at large. Our global cortAIx initiative unites over 600 AI and data specialists dedicated to developing trusted, operationally effective AI-powered systems for some of the most challenging and complex environments. In the UK, CortAIx is accelerating this mission by fostering technology, talent, and research focused on ethical, transparent, and explainable AI.

Primary Purpose of the Role: DDCC is Thales UK’s Digital and Data Competence Centre. This includes 3 primary areas of activity:

• cortAIx UK & Enterprise AI: Our AI incubation and industrialisation accelerator for deployed and enterprise AI solutions

• Data Enablement: Delivering foundational data tools, processes and architectures to support generation of value from data at pace

• Sovereign Cloud: Delivering cloud native platform solutions for Thales UK development and production activities

The DDCC Head of Engineering role is focused on technical management of engineering activities primarily supporting cortAIx UK. They manage and monitor the solution engineering activities and the teams in terms of development process, practices and tools strategies across DDCC engineering activities

What are we looking for: We’re looking for an experienced Software Engineer who understands architecture and can provide cross functional leadership to a small, technical complex team to drive developments. This is very much a hands-on position, leading solution delivery by working with teams across Software, Systems, IVVQ, AI and Machine Learning.

We need a solution provider, a force multiplier whose expertise sit in the delivery management of technical solutions but also can manage a small team of functional leaders and understands software architecture within safety critical environments.

Due to the nature of the work, we require the successful individual to be able to hold UK EYES ONLY Security clearance. See below for further details.

As DDCC Head of Engineering, your remit will cover:

• Stakeholder management: 1st point of contact for customer technical requirements/escalation points for scrum teams

• Governance: enforce technical direction; resolve cross-team conflicts.

• Talent development: hiring strategy, career ladders, mentoring systems, cross-discipline performance processes/escalation point.

• Change management: improving engineering effectiveness (e.g., test maturity, CI reliability, coding standards).

• Communication: translate leadership communication and analyse/describe impact to roadmap and trade-offs.

• Cross-team integration: coordinating platform, software, test/automation and support needs

• Quality, Safety, Cyber Assurance: verification strategy, traceability, defect management and Project Design Authority co-ordination/delivery

• Process/tooling: CI/CD for embedded, static analysis, unit/integration test frameworks, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, configuration management.

• Risk management: project technical risks reviews and management in conjunction AIDM

Key Responsibilities and Tasks:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the engineering strategy for AI products and platforms.

• Accountable for the technology roadmaps aligned to business objectives.

• Partner with executive leadership to identify and prioritise AI opportunities.

• Build a culture of innovation, experimentation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Act as a trusted advisor on emerging AI technologies, trends, and risks.

Engineering Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop Engineering Managers, Principal Engineers, AI Engineers and SW Engineers

• Build and scale high-performing, diverse engineering teams.

• Establish engineering standards, architecture principles, and delivery practices.

• Drive operational excellence across reliability, security, performance, and scalability.

• Foster a strong engineering culture focused on quality and customer outcomes.

Operational Excellence

• Define the process for and track engineering metrics including but not limited to:

  • Reliability
  • Deployment frequency
  • Lead time
  • Platform utilisation
  • Cost efficiency

• Drive automation throughout the software and AI lifecycle.

Success Measures Within the first 12-24 months:

• Delivery of measurable business value from AI initiatives.

• Improved engineering productivity and deployment frequency

• High employee engagement and retention.

• Successful implementation of AI & Engineering governance frameworks.

Core Skills and Experience required You will likely have academic qualifications in a relevant Engineering / Computer Science Discipline and will have experience among the following types of positions: Engineering Manager, Technical Project Manager, Software Engineering Manager, Technical Design Authority, Senior Systems / Solution Architecture roles in a relevant discipline

• You have worked on complex programmes in highly regulated environments /w defence / aerospace specific experience being of additional value

• You know how to verify the technical deliverables of engineering teams (customer needs, OCD, requirements, architecture choice…)

• You are able to lead and manage technical engineering projects, meeting the requirements with a clear view of the risks and opportunities

• You have significant experience in developing high quality technical documentation aligned to specified processes and frameworks

• You are able to engage and influence a diverse set of stakeholders as well as creating clear and achievable goals

• You are able to take decisions – even in uncertain contexts

• You are able to drive a culture of continuous improvement

Experience of having delivered operational AI solutions into embedded environments would be advantageous or knowledge/qualifications/experience that suggest you can quickly learn tools and processes which enable the establishment and smooth running of an MLOps and AI delivery organisation in a complex environment

Security Clearance Due the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires you to hold British Nationality, dual nationality can be considered. It would be advantageous if Security Clearance is 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. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance- United Kingdom Security Vetting - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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.

Your Career at Thales UK Future opportunities will allow you to discover other domains or sites. You will be able to evolve and grow your Competencies in different areas:

• Room and attention to personal development

• Build your talents in another domain of Thales Group, discovering new products, new customers, new country or go to a more complex Solution

• Choose between a technical expertise or a leadership path

• Build an international career within a leading Engineering Group

What we can offer We are committed to giving you opportunities to be your best. We believe in embracing the passion and potential of our people, and to achieve this we offer market leading training, development and experiences, along with the opportunity to be mentored and coached by some of the smartest minds in the industry. We hire from within as our first priority, so you’ll have a myriad of opportunities within our diverse, global organisation.

Our packages will include significant bonus, a strong pension contribution, private healthcare, development focused targets and relocation support can be provided if required along with a variety of learning, development and career enhancement opportunities. Further support can be provided towards academic and membership attainments.

#LI-CL1 At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.

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