Director Engineering Jobs

Location: Ottawa, Canada
In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.
For decades, Ottawa has been a global technology leader. Today, Canada’s capital holds one of the brightest and most diverse technological ecosystems in North America. Voted as Canada’s best place to live 2017 by Maclean's, Ottawa offers a low cost of living with a high quality of life. The Thales Ottawa office has been a major supplier and long-term trusted partner to DND, enabling the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve mission success.
This position is Hybrid Ottawa.
Position Summary
Thales is looking for a Director of Engineering who is responsible for the establishment, leadership, and overall management of a multidisciplinary engineering staff organization for the Thales Canada – Defence & Security (TCDS) business unit.
The Director of Engineering contributes to the overall strategic business plan and builds and maintains an engineering capability in support of that plan. Engineering capability is articulated between Engineering disciplines, Engineering delivery and Engineering operations.
The Director of Engineering leads, mentors, and manages departmental staff and associated resources, and attains excellence in the behaviour, capabilities, and outcomes of the Engineering Department.
Key Areas of Responsibility

• Accountable for the Engineering Department operating and capital budgets.
• Coordinate with the TCDS Director of Innovation and the Thales Digital Services (TDS) business unit for the optimal implementation of the Manage Research & Technology internal processes.
• Contribute to the overall TCDS business strategy and communicates that strategy and its engineering derivatives to the Engineering Department.
• Ensure that the work and products of the engineering department is in compliance with necessary standards and regulations.
• Provide leadership and direction to the following domains within the Engineering Department: Engineering Delivery, Systems Engineering & Integration, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Technologists, Cyber security & Network, Integrated Logistics Support (ILS), and Configuration & Document Management.
• Lead the conceptualization, evaluation, development, delivery, and management of digital engineering toolkits/environments.
• Tailors Thales reference system for the optimal implementation of the Design, Develop, and Quality the Solution (DDQS) and Manage Product Policy process families.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, promoting application of best practices across all disciplines within the department
• Lead design-to-cost solution identification and development activities, including make-team-buy decisions, for bids and proposals. Oversees the preparation and endorses engineering estimates.
• Provide a conduit to state-of-the art engineering expertise and facilities.
• Establish, develop, and direct the engineering disciplines within a functional structure and provide the team with an enabling, challenging, and rewarding environment.
• Establish metrics for and ensure the achievement of schedule, cost, and performance objectives for engineering activities. Creates and applies methods to improve Earnings Before Interest & Taxes (EBIT) through the engineering function on projects in execution. Creates and applies methods to improve the On Time Acceptable Delivery (OTAD)
• Perform resource forecasting and levelling across the Engineering Department.
• Establish partnerships with Industry, Customers and others in support of TCDS objectives.

Minimum Requirements:

• At least 10 years of experience in a Senior Engineering management role
• Strong customer focus and a desire to achieve results including the ability to manage multiple priorities and time lines.
• Requires a bachelor's degree in engineering and/or related discipline
• Relevant experience in systems integration and digital transformation environment
• Reputation for collaborative working and building and leading highly effective teams
• Ability to make decisions using sound business judgment
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects in a fast-paced environment
• An excellent written and verbal communicator with superior interpersonal and relationship management skills.

Key Qualifications

• Deployment of digital environments for engineering tools
• Demonstrated experience with design to cost efforts
• Demonstrated results delivering improved EBIT on programs beyond as bid
• Experience working within a matrix work environment, reporting into a business unit and at a country function level
• Demonstrated success with the roll out of change management initiatives across the business

Financial Impact

• EBIT and OTAD is directly and significantly impacted by the efficiency of the engineering organization.
• Competiveness in terms of providing the correct skillset as well as innovative solutions, and the ability to communicate with customers directly and in proposal documentation all have a financial impact

Customer Complexities

• The diversity of business models and contracts executed by TCDS require generalist knowledge and the ability to effectively formulate collaborations with externals and Thales internals.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements:
All applicants must be able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance and meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Canadian Controlled Goods Registration Program and ITAR.
Thales is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applicants from the four designated groups (women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, and aboriginals) to apply for employment. At Thales, we provide accessibility to people with disabilities. Should you require accommodations, please consult with your recruitment office and they will work with you to make any adjustments that best suit your individual needs.
Thales thanks all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.