Product Support Engineer

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.

We're looking for a Product Support Engineer to join our Service Operations team, supporting the Crowsnest Mission System and associated laboratory, network and support environments. This is an excellent opportunity for a technically capable and self-motivated engineer who enjoys solving problems, supporting customers, and ensuring the availability, reliability and supportability of mission-critical systems.

Location: Crawley

What the role has to offer

As a Product Support Engineer, you'll play a key role in the through-life support of complex defence systems. You'll provide technical expertise across product support, laboratory management, network administration and customer support activities, helping to ensure systems remain operational, secure and fit for purpose.

Working closely with engineering teams, programme stakeholders and customers, you'll support service delivery, implement product improvements and act as a technical authority for product-related queries.

What you'll be doing

Product & Technical Support

• Acting as a focal point for engineering and technical support queries relating to supported products and systems.
• Providing technical advice to engineering teams, programme teams, manufacturing, repair organisations and customers.
• Supporting product investigations, fault diagnosis, repairs and corrective actions.
• Identifying and implementing design and supportability improvements throughout the product lifecycle.

BMN Administration

• Administering and maintaining Business Management Network (BMN) environments.
• Managing system security, software updates, patches and configuration control.
• Maintaining network integrity, user access controls and accreditation requirements.
• Supporting audits and implementing corrective actions where required.
• Diagnosing and resolving network and system faults.

Laboratory Management

• Maintaining a safe, secure and effective engineering laboratory environment.
• Manage the crypto associated with the Crowsnest laboratory
• Managing lab access controls, equipment configuration and utilisation.
• Supporting the setup, maintenance and operation of test rigs and lab infrastructure.
• Managing shared resources and coordinating laboratory activities across projects.
• Supporting procurement, calibration, maintenance and repair of laboratory equipment.

Customer & Field Support

• Providing product support and technical guidance to customer-facing teams.
• Supporting activities at customer facilities when required.
• Acting as an interface between engineering teams, support organisations and customers.
• Participating in trials, demonstrations and technical engagements when required

Engineering Leadership

• Supporting risk, opportunity and obsolescence management activities.
• Contributing to support solutions, reliability and maintainability improvements.
• Working collaboratively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Coaching and sharing technical knowledge with colleagues and developing engineers.

About you

We're looking for someone with a strong engineering background and a passion for delivering effective support solutions.

You'll ideally have:

• Experience supporting complex electronic, networked or mission systems.
• Strong hardware fault-finding and diagnostic skills.
• Experience administering and maintaining secure networked environments.
• Knowledge of product support, service management and through-life support principles.
• Experience working within engineering laboratories or test environments.
• An understanding of configuration, asset and equipment management.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• The ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.
• Happy to work from the Crawley office 3-4 days per week.

Highly desirable

• Knowledge or experience of the Crowsnest Mission System.
• Defence, aerospace or mission-critical systems experience.
• Experience in field service or customer support environments.
• Understanding of reliability, maintainability and supportability engineering principles.
• Experience with DRACAS, LSA, RM&T or obsolescence management activities.

Security Clearance Requirement:

UK Eyes Only:

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

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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.

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