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.
🚢 We’re Hiring: APRU/Production Manager
Lead a mission‑critical manufacturing team delivering products that protect and empower global naval capability.
Thales Templecombe is home to world‑class Under Water Systems manufacturing, and we’re looking for an APRU Manager (FMC) to lead one of our most critical operational units. This role is central to delivering high‑integrity naval products on time, on cost and to the highest levels of quality and safety.
If you're passionate about operational excellence, people leadership and making an impact that truly matters — this is your opportunity.
🔧 What You’ll Do
As APRU Manager, you’ll take full accountability for the end‑to‑end industrial delivery of key naval products. You will:
- Lead, develop and inspire a high‑performing team
- Drive daily production performance and achieve the Master Production Schedule
- Champion quality, lean methodology and continuous improvement
- Collaborate with Engineering, Procurement and wider site leadership
- Ensure a safe, compliant and high‑standards operating environment
- Shape the long‑term industrial vision for our Glasgow site
This is a role with real influence — where your leadership strengthens delivery to the Royal Navy and international partners.
🌟 What You’ll Bring
We’re looking for someone with:
- Proven experience leading in an industrial or manufacturing environment
- Strong operations management capability
- A track record of driving continuous improvement and change
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- The ability to coach, motivate and develop teams
- Knowledge of lean, quality, and industrial processes
Preferred experience in MRP2, supply chain disciplines or operational financials is beneficial but not essential.
🎯 Why Thales?
At Thales, your work contributes directly to safeguarding lives and strengthening national defence capability. You’ll join a collaborative, ambitious team committed to innovation, operational excellence and continuous improvement.
In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Lead a revenue‑critical operation
- Shape industrial strategy for the site
- Deliver meaningful impact that extends beyond the factory floor
- Develop your leadership capability in a globally respected organisation
🔍 Ready to Lead With Purpose?
If you want to deliver real impact, drive operational excellence and lead a team whose work truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.
📩 Apply now and help shape the future of naval manufacturing.
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!
Skills Required
- Proven experience leading in an industrial or manufacturing environment
- Strong operations management capability
- Track record of driving continuous improvement and change
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to coach, motivate and develop teams
- Knowledge of lean, quality, and industrial processes
- Experience in MRP2, supply chain disciplines or operational financials
Thales Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Thales and has not been reviewed or approved by Thales.
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Retirement Support — Retirement plans with employer contributions and matches, profit sharing, and share purchase opportunities are emphasized across multiple regions. These elements are positioned as competitive components of total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO that increases with tenure, paid holidays, and paid military, maternity, and paternity leave are described. This breadth supports work–life balance across locations.
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Flexible Benefits — Hybrid work options, flexible schedules, and parental supports such as childcare benefits and leave for sick children are available in several markets. Flexibility is presented as a core part of the employee experience.
Thales Insights
What We Do
Thales is a global high technology leader investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology – to build a future we can all trust, which is vital to the development of our societies. The company provides solutions, services and products that help its customers – businesses, organisations and states – in the defence, aeronautics, space, transportation and digital identity and security markets to fulfil their critical missions, by placing humans at the heart of the decision-making process.
