PCB Manager

We are seeking a PCB Discipline Manager to join the UK Engineering Competence Centre (ECC), playing a central role in delivering complex PCB design programmes across multiple business domains. This is a senior leadership position combining technical expertise, people management, and delivery accountability within a highly collaborative engineering environment.

Location: Crawley, Reading, Cheadle, Bristol, Templecombe, Belfast, Glasgow or other UK sites

The Role:

You will lead the PCB Design discipline across the UK, ensuring high-quality delivery of PCB-based projects while developing capability, improving processes, and driving engineering excellence. Operating within a multi-site, multi-stakeholder environment, you will influence both project outcomes and long-term engineering strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and optimise PCB design, development, and verification capability across the organisation
• Own delivery performance across cost, schedule, quality, and resource management
• Drive continuous improvement through enhancement of processes, tools, and engineering practices
• Provide technical leadership across the full PCB lifecycle, from concept through to production
• Manage and develop engineering teams, including line management and remote leadership
• Collaborate with UK and international stakeholders, including global ECC teams (France, Romania, India)
• Ensure adherence to engineering governance, quality standards, and best practices
• Monitor performance metrics and proactively manage risks, escalations, and stakeholder expectations

About You:

• Strong background in PCB design and digital electronics, with full lifecycle experience
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering teams and complex project delivery
• Experience working in structured, regulated environments such as defence, aerospace, or similar
• Demonstrated ability to improve engineering processes, tools, and delivery performance
• Confident stakeholder manager with the ability to influence across engineering and business functions
• Proactive, adaptable, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Why Join Thales?

This is an opportunity to lead and shape a critical engineering capability within a global organisation. You’ll have the platform to influence how PCB solutions are delivered across diverse, high-impact programmes, while driving innovation, efficiency, and technical excellence across the UK engineering community.

Benefits:

• Performance-related bonus
• 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 volunteering paid for
• Private healthcare
• Pension scheme
• Life cover
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app
• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
• Gym membership discounts

Security Clearance Requirement:

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 UK National 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. If approved by the MOD, a dual national from a non-ITAR country may be considered.

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.