Location: Crawley, United Kingdom
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.
Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across five major industries; Aerospace, Defence, Ground Transportation, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters 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, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.
Head of Programme & PMO Delivery Assurance
What the role has to offer:
Excellent opportunity to work across and collaborate with senior leadership and exec teams in the UK
Real pivotal and agile role, empowering the role holder to deploy all skills and experience to date into an influential role in the UK business and make a difference
Excellent exposure and career prospects
Our opportunity at a glance:
As a member of the UK Bid & Project Management (B&PM) Delivery Assurance Team, the Head of Programme & PMO Delivery Assurance is responsible for improving project performance by increasing the maturity and performance of major PMOs, Bids and Projects across Thales in the UK. This involves hands-on leadership and guidance to actively support key bids and projects - supporting Project leadership by establishing and executing Projects in line with Thales processes/ways of working and customer requirements.
Key tasks:
This will be a varied and dynamic position, responsible for improving project performance by increasing the maturity and performance of major projects across Thales in the UK. Your leadership and guidance will be critical in actively supporting key bids and projects by supporting project leadership, establishing and executing Projects in line with Thales processes/ways of working and customer requirements. Key tasks include:
Hands-on support to large, complex and strategically important Bids and Projects, the nature of which will vary:
Diagnosing performance issues, developing and implementing improvement plans
Support to Project setup and/or recovery
Assurance reviews (analysis, diagnosis, recommendation)
Contributing to Baseline Validation of Critical and B2 Bids
Short-term dedicated support (E.g. at critical phases of a Bid or Project)
Medium-term interim/transition management, supporting or taking overall leadership of the bid/project PMO for a period of time
Audits / Assessments (internal and/or external) focussed on compliance to process and best practice
During TIGER missions responsibilities will typically include (but are not limited to) the following:
Overall performance and value-add of the bid or project team
Designing, deploying and executing a full spectrum of best practice in accordance with the Business Management System (CHORUS 2.0) and the UK B&PM toolset
Supporting business governance, reporting and independent assurance reviews
Using project performance data to identify and proactively address issues
The collection and capitalisation of lessons learned
Hands-on support to Portfolios and/or CBUs/Domains:
Coaching, mentoring and training
Deployment of new capabilities
Supporting organisational change activities
Mobilising Project expertise from across the Bid & Project Management community to ‘multiply’ UK-wide capacity and capability
About You
Significant experience of complex projects/programmes
Significant experience of designing, implementing and leading PMOs on complex projects/programmes
Experience of implementing best practice in large and complex organisations
Experience of working in a leadership, energised/energising capacity and able to drive change with urgency and an absolute focus on outcomes and benefits
Working with competency and maturity frameworks based on industry standards
Proven track record of successfully delivering change
Evidence of the ability to coach and train others to develop capability
Evidence of the ability to draw strategic best practice from external professional sources to be applied internally for the advancement of Thales
Adept at building robust and productive relationships in a complex environment with many stakeholders
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including written presentation and report writing
The ability to lead project interventions in a matrix-style function and organisation
The ability to build trust, credibility and rapport with key Bid & Project stakeholders and senior sponsors
Excellent technical skills across the full spectrum of project controls
Benefits at Thales
We strive to create an environment where you can prioritise your wellbeing and have designed our benefits to give you the flexibility and power to do so. Our core benefits include a company car allowance, pension plan, private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection as well as an employee assistance programme.
In addition, our flexible benefits platform gives you the power to customise your benefits to suit your needs. You can choose to add a number of optional benefits including: healthcare cash plan, health assessments, family cover private medical insurance, buying/selling annual leave, gym membership discounts + much, much more. You can also enjoy exclusive access to our discount site!
Alongside a competitive base salary, we offer a variable compensation plan bonus, 27 days annual leave + 1 company day + UK public holidays as well as the opportunity to volunteer up to 3 days to support local charities/communities in which we work.
Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to our success.
In line with Thales' 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 which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.
At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.
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, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.
Great journeys start here, apply now!