RAM System Engineer

Location: Hengelo, Netherlands

Reliability Specialist

At the headquarters in Hengelo, the System Engineering department is responsible for designing new products and guiding both software and hardware development. Within this department, the Specialty Engineering team—consisting of around 30 engineers—handles the specification, analysis, and design of various system aspects, including system safety, eco-design, reliability, availability, maintainability (RAM), human factors, diagnostics, data analytics, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

About the Job

At Thales, our advanced radar and combat management systems must meet high standards for operational availability. As a Reliability Engineer, you’ll be an integral part of the System Engineering team, significantly contributing to system availability. Acting as an expert in reliability, availability, and maintainability, you play a key role in the design process. Currently, three full-time reliability engineers work in this specialized team, alongside other designers involved in ensuring system reliability.

In the design phase, you’ll model solution approaches, analyze design alternatives, and assess them for reliability and maintainability. When appropriate, you’ll advise on alternative solutions that could offer better outcomes. You’ll skillfully balance effort, risks, other considerations, and the final result.

Your work will involve collaboration with other system engineers and professionals across disciplines such as design, testing, logistics, and product teams. You’ll study both theoretical and practical failure behaviors of systems at the component integration level, creating reports in the required customer format.

Reliability analyses of Thales Netherlands’ system components are conducted at the printed circuit board level through reliability prediction, and you’ll contribute to these processes, providing insights to the engineers involved. You’ll also incorporate practical insights from real-world data on reliability and maintainability into future analyses and recommendations.

As an expert, you’re expected to stay up-to-date with developments in your field, gain experience with software tools and modeling techniques, and proactively engage with related engineering disciplines.

About You

We’re looking for a new colleague who:

• Holds a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a technical field
• Has a strong interest in RAM engineering (DfR, RBD, FMECA, MTBF, MTBCF, MTTR, 217Plus, parts stress, etc.)
• Can perform failure rate and MTBF calculations using tools and information provided by design engineers or suppliers
• Has an affinity for electronic components and electronics in general
• Wants to be part of the design process for complex technical systems
• Can see the big picture while also diving deep into technical details
• Possesses strong analytical and conceptual skills
• Is communicative, proactive, and comfortable discussing technical details as well as abstract concepts
• Works well both independently and as a team player in multidisciplinary teams
• Has a good command of English, both spoken and written

What’s in It for You

• You’ll be part of a dynamic team in a high-tech, innovative, international environment
• Opportunities for growth within the organization, whether technical, managerial, commercial, or international
• Space for personal development and individual initiative
• A modern workplace with attention to work-life balance and flexibility
• 40 vacation days per year, travel allowance, and the option to personalize your employment conditions (e.g., buying/selling hours, internet costs, bike plan, corporate fitness, union contributions, or relocation costs)