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.
Software DevOps Engineer – Maritime Mission Systems
Location: Cheadle
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.
Shape the future of DevOps for mission-critical maritime systemsWe are looking for a Software DevOps Engineer to join our Maritime Mission Systems team in Cheadle. In this role, you'll help modernise and evolve the DevOps platforms that support the development and delivery of world-class sonar capabilities for the Royal Navy and international customers. Working closely with software engineers, you'll improve developer experience, enhance platform performance and availability, and introduce modern DevOps tooling that supports the delivery of mission-critical defence technology.
Our purpose is to deliver trusted underwater sensing and decision advantage, working hand-in-hand with navies around the world to safeguard people and nurture global security. Our work spans four sectors: Mine Countermeasures, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Services and Future Capabilities.
Main ResponsibilitiesSupport software development teams by maintaining and enhancing DevOps platforms and development tooling.
Develop, maintain and optimise CI/CD pipelines to improve software delivery and deployment.
Modernise and migrate legacy development environments using contemporary DevOps practices and technologies.
Investigate, evaluate and implement modern DevOps tools, automation solutions and Infrastructure as Code.
Develop and support in-house tooling while improving platform performance, availability, monitoring and security.
Experience working within Agile and DevOps environments, supporting software delivery through CI/CD pipelines.
Strong Linux (Red Hat preferred) administration skills with experience of container technologies such as Docker or Podman.
Experience with automation and scripting using tools such as Ansible, Bash, Python or Go.
Knowledge of container orchestration, infrastructure automation and modern DevOps practices.
Understanding of networking, cybersecurity principles, monitoring, logging and Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs).
Performance-related bonus (grade dependent)
Car cash allowance (grade dependent)
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 paid volunteering leave
Private healthcare (grade dependent)
Pension scheme
Life cover
24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and access to a mental wellbeing app
Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
Gym membership discounts
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 sole British National from birth 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.
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: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.
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
- Experience working within Agile and DevOps environments, supporting software delivery through CI/CD pipelines
- Strong Linux administration skills (Red Hat preferred)
- Experience with container technologies such as Docker or Podman
- Develop, maintain and optimise CI/CD pipelines
- Experience with automation and scripting using Ansible, Bash, Python or Go
- Knowledge of container orchestration, infrastructure automation and modern DevOps practices
- Understanding of networking, cybersecurity principles, monitoring and logging
- Knowledge of Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs)
- Ability to modernise and migrate legacy development environments and implement Infrastructure as Code
- Sole British National from birth and ability to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC) without caveats
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.
