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Systems Architect / Project Design Authority (PDA) (f/m/d)
Thales in Germany is part of an internationally leading technology group in the defence and security, aerospace as well as cyber security and digital identity markets.
In Ditzingen, you’ll find security solutions for border surveillance and protection, border controls, the protection of civilian and military facilities, and tactical communications. This is the right place for you if you want to work with us on battle-proven, highly mobile radars for ground and coastal surveillance, or on night vision goggles and multifunctional thermal imaging devices. Join the Thales team of experts specializing in radars, optronic sighting systems for armored military vehicles, or the security of Bundeswehr field camps. We look forward to meeting you!
Your Mission as Systems Architect / Project Design Authority:
- Understand customer requirements, business context and project objectives;
- Provide technical leadership, guidance and oversight throughout the bid and project lifecycle, acting as a trusted advisor to project teams;
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and alignment on technical matters;
- Review, challenge and validate solution architectures and technical designs, such as: what is the adequacy of the solution in terms of architecture and technology maturity according with the solution requirements; compliance with the contractual requirements (including offsets), what is the applicable legislation & regulation (i.e. export restrictions, safety, security); evaluation of the technical risk assessment and the related mitigation plan...;
- Ensure compliance with product strategies, standards and policies, promoting the reuse of approved building blocks and existing solutions where appropriate;
- Lead technical risk assessments, identify potential issues and drive the definition and implementation of mitigation plans;
- Collaborate with production and service organizations to ensure manufacturability, maintainability and alignment between development and production objectives and costs;
- Work closely with architects to ensure solutions meet customer needs, product strategy and organizational objectives;
- Partner with Engineering Delivery Managers to plan and facilitate technical reviews and integrate risk management actions into project delivery plans.
What We Are Looking For:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline;
- Several years of experience in product architecture, system design, and complex technical solution development, ideally within the cryptography, cybersecurity, or secure communications domains;
- Proven expertise in defining, documenting, and communicating system and software architectures for both application software and embedded systems;
- Strong ability to translate customer and business requirements into secure, scalable, and robust technical solutions;
- Advanced knowledge of cryptographic technologies, including symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS), secure communications, key lifecycle management, and security certification frameworks;
- Solid understanding of industry standards, accreditation processes, and regulatory frameworks relevant to secure and cryptographic systems;
- Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies and tools such as Capella, Enterprise Architect, SysML, UML, and requirements management platforms including Polarion (plus);
- Strong knowledge of key management standards and interfaces, including DS-101/102, EKMS 308/603, NKMIS, SCIP, NINE, and StaCIS (plus);
- Good awareness of technology trends, market developments, and competitive landscapes within the cybersecurity and cryptography sectors;
- Professional proficiency in English and German, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
The Group invests more than €4,5 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies.
In 2025, the Group generated sales of €22.1 billion.
For our more than 85,000 employees in 65 countries we open up visionary perspectives, realise individual career paths and enable creative freedom. This is achieved with courage, versatility and the firm intention to make the demanding challenges of our time safer and more inclusive. With our sustainable value-focused management we support diversity actively.
Beatriz Botelho - Talent Acquisition Partner #LI-BB-1
+351 919 993 972
*Human Intelligence
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline
- Several years of experience in product architecture, system design, and complex technical solution development
- Experience in cryptography, cybersecurity, or secure communications domains
- Expertise defining, documenting, and communicating system and software architectures for application software and embedded systems
- Ability to translate customer and business requirements into secure, scalable, and robust technical solutions
- Advanced knowledge of symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, PKCS, secure communications, key lifecycle management, and security certification frameworks
- Understanding of industry standards, accreditation processes, and regulatory frameworks for secure and cryptographic systems
- Experience with MBSE methodologies and tools including Capella, Enterprise Architect, SysML, and UML
- Experience with requirements management platforms such as Polarion
- Knowledge of key management standards and interfaces including DS-101/102, EKMS 308/603, NKMIS, SCIP, NINE, and StaCIS
- Awareness of technology trends, market developments, and competitive landscapes in cybersecurity and cryptography
- Professional proficiency in English and German with excellent written and verbal communication skills
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.
