Mechanical Hardware Engineering Manager

Location: Belfast, 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.

Mechanical Hardware Engineering Manager
Location: based in Belfast, minimum 3 days/ week in office (hybrid), with <10% domestic travel
Other: permanent, full-time

Lead the development of innovative hardware solutions that help protect and defend, while shaping the future capability of a high-performing engineering team in a business where your leadership will have real impact.

What the role has to offer

• Influence from strategy to delivery - take ownership across the full product lifecycle, from bid and concept development through to qualification, deployment, and continuous improvement, with a genuine opportunity to shape engineering direction and outcomes.

• Leadership with purpose - lead, mentor, and develop a team of Mechanical & Hardware Engineers while playing a key role in building engineering capability, embedding best practice, and driving technical excellence.

• Meaningful work with work-life balance - join a team delivering mission-critical defence technologies while benefiting from a hybrid working model, private healthcare, and a half day every Friday.

Our Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Mechanical Hardware Engineering Manager to lead the delivery of innovative hardware solutions across complex, mission-critical programmes. Leading a team of Mechanical & Hardware Engineers, you will drive technical excellence, ensure delivery to cost, schedule and quality targets, and work closely with multidisciplinary teams to develop compliant, high-performance products. As a key member of the Mechanical Engineering Leadership Team, you will shape the functional engineering strategy, champion best practice, and develop team capability while overseeing the full product lifecycle from concept and bid through to qualification and deployment. The ideal candidate will be a proven Mechanical Engineering leader with strong technical credibility, commercial awareness, and a track record of delivering complex hardware programmes while building and inspiring high-performing teams.

Building a Future, we can all trust.

Integrated Airspace Protection Systems (IAS) - our main purpose is to protect and defend. We provide rapid integrated solutions for detection, coordination, fire control, engagement and support. We cover three sectors: Surface Attack & Air Defence (UK), Air Defence (International) and Air Operations & Services as well as Space.

What we offer you

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package designed to support our employees’ wellbeing and professional growth, which includes:

• Performance-related bonus

• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00

• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)

• 24 hours volunteering paid for

• Private healthcare

• Pension scheme

• Life cover

• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app

• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers

• Gym membership discounts

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• Lead Mechanical Hardware Development: Manage the end-to-end hardware development lifecycle, ensuring alignment with project and system requirements, dependencies, and co-engineering activities. Embed and drive key mechanical engineering processes and best practices (e.g., DFx, DFMEA) while ensuring compliance with company standards

• Develop the Engineering Environment: Tailor mechanical engineering processes, tools, and practices to meet project and business needs

• Team & Resource Management: Lead the day-to-day activities of a team of engineers, allocating and prioritising work, managing resources across projects, and ensuring delivery against cost, schedule, and milestone commitments

• Architecture & Planning: Collaborate with Technical Authorities and stakeholders to define system architecture, identify resource requirements, and develop detailed delivery plans

• Work Package & Bid Management: Act as Work Package Manager when required, leading cross-functional delivery, bid generation, estimating activities, and providing mechanical engineering consultancy

• Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance, manage risks and challenges, and lead investigations, reviews, fault-finding, and continuous improvement initiatives

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with systems, electronics, software, safety, and other disciplines to develop effective engineering solutions

• People Development: Support the growth of the wider mechanical engineering team through coaching, mentoring, performance and development discussions, peer reviews, and process improvements

About You

At Thales, we are committed to equal opportunities and welcome all talented individuals to consider joining our team. So even if you don't match every statement below but feel you have some of the experience, knowledge or skills needed for this role, we encourage you to apply. It will take all of us working together to deliver solutions to the world’s most critical challenges.

• Acquired a Bachelor's or master’s degree in mechanical engineering (or equivalent higher-level qualification) with proven experience leading mechanical design and engineering teams to deliver complex projects and programmes

• Proven expertise across the full mechanical product lifecycle, from bid and concept development through design, integration, qualification, verification, validation, and in-service support, with a strong understanding of engineering lifecycle processes

• Demonstrated success in delivering innovative technical solutions while balancing cost, schedule, quality, and risk, with the confidence to challenge existing approaches and influence engineering processes and ways of working

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, resources, and stakeholders simultaneously, providing technical oversight, governance, assurance, and audit support to ensure successful delivery outcomes

• Demonstrated strong collaboration, communication, and customer engagement skills, with experience working effectively across multidisciplinary teams and internal and external stakeholders

• Proven experience selecting and implementing engineering technologies, tools, and methods, including Mechanical CAD platforms such as CATIA, Creo, or equivalent, and contributing to the development of engineering policies, standards, and best practices

• Demonstrated commitment to people and organisational development through mentoring and coaching engineers, with knowledge of structured engineering management systems (e.g., Chorus 2.0 or ISO 9001-compliant processes), Lean and Agile methodologies, and ideally Chartered Engineer status and experience leading geographically dispersed teams

If you're an experienced Mechanical Engineering leader looking to combine technical excellence, people leadership, and strategic influence in a role where your work truly matters, we'd love to hear from you!

Security Clearance Requirement:

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if 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.

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.

Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: .

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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.

Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!