Chief Technologist - Autonomy TRT UK

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.

Chief Technologist Autonomy TRT UK

Location: Reading, with up to 15% approx. domestic & international travel
Other: permanent, full-time, hybrid working with 2-3 days in the office, plus relocation support package available
Step into a role where your technical vision will shape the future of autonomy across the UK and beyond!

What the role has to offer

• Shape future autonomy at source as part of Thales Research & Technology [TRT], the spearhead of Thales’ advanced R&D

• Unbounded technical influence, with freedom to drive any autonomy area and access internal funding to accelerate innovation

• Global strategic impact, working across international teams and sitting on one of the Thales Key Technology boards, to shape enterprise‑level decisions

Our Opportunity
Reporting to the Technical Director of TRT, the Chief Technologist for Autonomy provides the strategic technical leadership for Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), defining the long‑term direction, critical capabilities, and differentiation needed for TRT and Thales UK. The successful candidate will shape investment, influence major captures, and guide market positioning through technical authority rather than operational control. Operating as part of the extended leadership team, the role drives enterprise‑level strategy while supporting - without owning - delivery, portfolio management, or line responsibilities.

You’ll bring deep expertise in Robotics and Autonomous Systems, backed by a strong technical degree and recognised professional standing. You’ll have a proven track record of shaping long‑term technology strategy, leading major R&D programmes, and influencing senior stakeholders across MOD and civil markets. Your ability to drive strategic investment, differentiate major captures, and communicate with authority will be key to succeeding in this enterprise‑level leadership role.

Building a Future, we can all trust.

Are you looking for the opportunity to directly shape and deliver world-class solutions to our customers? If so, then Engineering & Technical Management may be just the ticket. Whether focusing on leading large teams or working as a technical expert, roles in this area provide you with an opportunity to shape the world we live in today.
Thales Research & Technology (TRT) is the group’s multidisciplinary research organisation, supporting advanced R&D across defence, aerospace, security, transportation, and emerging technologies. It often appears in autonomy‑related contexts because TRT leads or contributes to upstream research in autonomy, AI, sensing, and intelligent systems.

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 annual bonus (VCP)

• Car allowance/car via salary sacrifice scheme

• 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

• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 1:00pm

• 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

• Relocation support available for eligible candidates

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• Owns RAS technology strategy and 3–5‑year roadmap, defining the critical capabilities

• Identifies capability gaps, shaping investment priorities, and setting competitive and strategic technology positioning across MOD and civil markets

• Shapes the technical direction of the TRT SFRD portfolio for RAS, recommending investment priorities, ensuring coherence across projects, and aligning work to future customer needs

• Provides selective strategic ownership of CFRD capture for major RAS opportunities, shaping the technical approach, differentiation narrative, win strategy, and competitive positioning

• Leads on high‑value strategic captures while supporting KAMs, bid teams, and delivery structures

• Provides strategic influence across MOD and civil markets by advising on resilience capability positioning, representing TRT’s autonomy expertise, and contributing to UK‑level thought leadership

• Supports cross‑BL advisory and customer scenario development to maintain vertical strategy leadership and horizontal domain authority

• Member of the TRT Extended Leadership Team, operating strategically, and challenging direction when needed

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.

Essential:

• Degree in a relevant engineering or technical discipline (e.g., Robotics, Autonomous Systems, Computer Science, Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical/Systems Engineering)

• Extensive professional experience in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), including autonomy architectures, SDE chains, AI/classical algorithms, and enabling technologies

• Recognised professional standing (e.g., CEng, CSci) or clear evidence of operating at an equivalent senior technical level

• Proven strategic technical leadership, including shaping long‑term technology strategy and leading major R&D programmes

• Strong understanding of MOD and/or civil autonomy markets, customer needs, and the competitive landscape

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.

• Experience supporting major capture campaigns, including technical shaping and differentiation

• Ability to identify capability gaps and recommend multi‑year R&D investment priorities, with strong communication and thought‑leadership skills

• Consistent demonstration of Lead@Thales behaviours – Think Big, Make it Happen, Together – while fostering strong teams and enabling impactful, entrepreneurial decision‑making

Beneficial:

• Postgraduate qualification (MSc/PhD) in Robotics, Autonomy, AI/ML, Control Systems, or a related advanced field

• Professional certifications in autonomy, systems engineering, safety, or AI/ML specialisations

• Formal training in enterprise or systems architecture, technology strategy, or equivalent strategic leadership programmes

• Recognised thought leadership through contributions to standards bodies, technical working groups, or national autonomy initiatives

• Cross‑domain experience (Maritime, Land, Air, Space, Cyber) with exposure to rapid experimentation, trials, and prototyping

• Experience representing an organisation in industry forums or advisory groups, with a track record of mentoring or guiding technical communities

If you’re ready to shape the future of autonomy and lead at enterprise scale, we’d love to hear from you.

Security Clearance Statement 

This role will require SC Clearance. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance.  Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance.

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.

For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the National Security Vetting (NSV) Agency - United Kingdom Security Vetting - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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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!