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 the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, 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.
Senior Manufacturing Engineer
(internally known as Senior Industrial Process Engineer)
Location: Crawley, full-time (5 days/ week) onsite
If you’re ready to shape how cutting‑edge products are built and want real influence in a high‑impact engineering environment, we’d love to hear from you!
What the role has to offer
End‑to‑end influence: Ownership from late‑stage industrialisation through to steady‑state production, shaping how new products are manufactured
High‑impact environment: Work within a multidisciplinary industrial engineering function (IPEs, Architects, Cost Engineers) on complex, high‑reliability defence products
Continuous improvement & innovation focus: Opportunity to embed Industry 4.0, lean methodologies, and advanced manufacturing practices across the shopfloor
Our Opportunity
Reporting to the Manufacturing Engineering Manager and working within the Industrial Engineering function, this role leads the late stages of industrialisation and supports the production of released products while driving continuous improvement. As a Senior Industrial Process Engineer, you will deliver the industrial capability for new products, support existing ones, and lead MRL 6–8 activities, ensuring compliance with MRL, APQP and safety standards. You’ll optimise shopfloor processes through data‑driven improvements, contribute to earlier industrialisation phases, identify Industry 4.0 opportunities, and mentor the wider IPE team.
We’re looking for someone with proven industrial engineering, manufacturing or NPI experience, strong lean and DFM/DFA capability, and the communication and influencing skills needed to work effectively across teams and drive delivery. This role offers the chance to work on highly technical, low‑volume products across four business areas, providing both depth and variety in a cutting‑edge engineering environment.
If you’re an experienced manufacturing or industrial engineering professional who thrives on solving complex problems, shaping how products are built, and driving real improvements on the shopfloor, this is a role where you can make a genuine impact and grow your career.
Building a Future, we can all trust.
Thales relies on our skilled talent in Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, LEAN, and Logistics to deliver our products and services to existing and new customers all over the world. From production of credit cards, drivers licenses, and passports to maintenance, repair and operations activities on electrical and mechanical equipment coming out of commercial aircrafts, this robust job family is a launching pad to develop your technical and behavioural skills to prepare you for future career growth.
Industrial Process Engineering plays a pivotal role in bringing new products to life - guiding them from the Bid Phase, through Design, into full Production, and then supporting them throughout their operational lifecycle. It’s a discipline where innovation meets practicality: designing the tooling, processes, skills and technologies that ensure every product, component and repair is delivered efficiently, reliably and to the highest quality standards.
The function brings together Industrial Process Engineers, Senior IPEs, Industrial Architects and Cost Engineers, forming a collaborative team that shapes how products are industrialised and manufactured. From early concept through to steady‑state production, the team ensures solutions are robust, competitive and economically manufacturable, applying ‘Design for Manufacture’ and ‘Design to Cost’ principles while working within the capabilities of the organisation and its wider supply chain.
What we offer you
We offer a competitive salary and benefits package designed to support our employees’ wellbeing and professional growth, which includes:
Annual bonus (VCP)
Pension – match like-for-like up to 7% of annual base salary
Life Assurance – 2 x base salary minimum (8 x salary if part of the pension scheme)
Income Protection – 50% of salary less state benefits for 5 years
Annual Leave – 201 hours, bank holidays, plus 1 company day
Private Medical Insurance - Couples cover
4 day working week – 9.25 hours per day
24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
24 hours paid leave for volunteering activities
Access to flexible benefits and discounts – dental insurance, buying & selling annual leave, cycle to work, and many more
Key Responsibilities and Tasks
Lead and own the late‑stage industrialisation process (MRL 6–8), ensuring products are ready for full‑scale manufacture
Support earlier industrialisation phases in collaboration with the Industrial Architect
Set best‑practice standards and provide technical leadership across the Industrial Engineering team
Provide ongoing IPE support for production post‑launch (MRL 8+), resolving issues and optimising flow
Drive continuous improvement through VSM, 5S, TPM, PFMEA, control plans, and InCIght methodologies
Develop and optimise production processes, including BOMs, routings, MES routes, ERP setup, and MI creation
Ensure compliance with all health, safety, environmental and regulatory requirements across manufacturing processes
Identify and implement Industry 4.0 opportunities to enhance capability, efficiency, and data‑driven decision‑making
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.
Proven relevant experience in a similar role and/or transferable skills
Background in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering or process engineering
Experience of establishing new products into an industrial manufacturing environment
HNC or HND in a relevant discipline, an engineering apprenticeship, and/ or equivalent proven experience
Strong understanding of lean principles and continuous improvement
Skilled in Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA)
Proven ability to convey information clearly, confidently and appropriately to different audiences
Demonstrated experience of working across departments, building strong relationships and ensuring alignment
Proven presence, credibility and the ability to influence decisions and stakeholders constructively
Experienced in presenting data, updates and recommendations in a structured, concise and easily understood manner
Proven structured reasoning and sound judgement abilities
Experienced in driving progress for both team and project objectives, ensuring milestones are met
Join us as a Senior Industrial Process Engineer to shape new product industrialisation, drive continuous improvement, and build your career in manufacturing engineering!
UKEO (UK Eyes Only)
Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires you to be a UK National and achieve Security Clearance (SC) without any caveats. 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. If approved by the MOD, a dual national from a non-ITAR country may be considered.
Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.
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.
#LI-VG1
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!
