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.
Head of Industrial Excellence
Lead Transformation. Drive Performance. Shape the Future of Manufacturing.
We are looking for an experienced Head of Industrial Excellence to lead our continuous improvement, digital transformation, data analytics, and performance management activities.
Leading a multidisciplinary team of Lean Leaders, Digital Engineers and Data Analysts, you will champion Lean principles, embed a culture of operational excellence, and deliver measurable business improvements through digitalisation and data-driven decision making.
Key Responsibilities
✅ Lead Lean, Digital, Data and Performance functions across the organisation
✅ Drive continuous improvement through Kaizen, Gemba Walks and structured problem-solving
✅ Develop and deliver the digital transformation roadmap
✅ Build high-performing teams through coaching and leadership
✅ Partner with senior stakeholders to improve operational performance
✅ Manage transformation projects, budgets and business cases
About You
Degree qualified in Engineering, Manufacturing or a related discipline
Proven experience in complex manufacturing environments
Strong Lean expertise (Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S or equivalent)
Experience leading business transformation and digital initiatives
Exceptional leadership, coaching and stakeholder management skills
#LI-AH1
If you're passionate about operational excellence, digital innovation and leading transformational change, we'd love to hear from you.
#IndustrialExcellence #Manufacturing #Lean #ContinuousImprovement #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #EngineeringJobs #OperationsExcellence
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
- Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing or related discipline
- Proven experience in complex manufacturing environments
- Strong Lean expertise (Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S or equivalent)
- Experience leading business transformation and digital initiatives
- Exceptional leadership, coaching and stakeholder management skills
- Experience managing transformation projects, budgets and business cases
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
.png){kind=logo}
