Senior Environmental Test engineer

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

12/6/2024

Location: Belfast, United Kingdom

Thales people architect solutions that are relied upon to deliver operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defensive systems for land, sea, and air. From early warning, to threat neutralisation, our platforms cover all levels from very short-range systems, to extended protection across the entire battle-space including Airspace Mobility Solutions, Vehicles and Tactical Systems and Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.

Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well-being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Primary Purpose of the Role:

Thales teams deliver cutting-edge solutions to armed forces the world over. We are Europe’s number one supplier of defence electronics and a leading provider of integrated air defence systems. The Trials & Environmental Test Department performs many activities related to testing and performance monitoring of the various defence projects. These activities include test and trial planning and analysis, development and qualification test and trials, missile acceptance processing and in-service support for UK MOD and overseas customers’ trials.

Working as part of the T&ETE team with work package responsibilities, reporting to the Head of Trials and Environmental Test, the Senior Trials and Environmental Test Engineer role is varied and rewarding and requires commitment and a willingness to travel.

Responsibility:

The Senior Trials and Environmental Test Engineer will be required to:

• Liaise with project teams and the Head of Trials and Environmental Test to assess and help manage the department's commitments to existing and future projects.
• Liaise with future business and other engineering departments to acquire any necessary technical information and determine hardware availability for planned tests and trials.
• Attend project meetings within the company and with outside agencies and customers.
• Plan and document trials and test activities.
• Support customer practice firings.
• Prepare and operate ground Instrumentation and data acquisition as required.
• Run and fault find environmental test equipment
• Prepare and carry out environmental, climatic, shock, vibration and structural tests.
• Carry out data analyses and formally report the findings.
• Carry out testing of missiles or missile systems in preparation for ground or flight trials.
• Install and set to work equipment associated with missiles and missile systems.
• Install equipment on customers' premises
• Support training at Thales and customers’ premises.
• Provide customer support.
• Work with other Thales departments and suppliers to design, manufacture and prepare special purpose test or trials hardware.
  
  
  

These responsibilities may be may be managed autonomously as part of a stand-alone package of work or by a Trials and Environmental Test manager as part of a larger body of work.

Candidate Requirements:

Qualifications:

Essential:

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Scientific/Engineering or Mathematical Discipline.
• Full driving license
  
  
  

Skills and Experience:

Essential:

• Demonstrable understanding and practical experience of instrumentation and signal conditioning methods.
• Demonstrable understanding and practical experience using data acquisition hardware
• Demonstrable understanding and practical experience using data analysis software.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills.
• Scientific/Engineering report and procedure writing.
• Proficiency in MS Office especially MS excel.
• Mechanical and electrical workshop skills.
  
  
  

Desirable:

• Practical vibration, climatic, sound and stress testing experience.
• Instrument calibration.
• Membership of a professional body
  
  
  

Personal Attributes:

Applicants should:

• Be able to work independently applying a pro-active approach, showing initiative and applying a creative approach to problem solving.
• Be flexible and willing to work as part of multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Demonstrate a willingness to learn new concepts and techniques
• Be highly motivated with a positive attitude.
  
  
  

Additional Information

The successful applicant will be required to work overtime, often at short notice, and agreed working patterns to comply with capacity demands. Long duration tests may have to be monitored outside normal working hours. This job will also require substantial business travel, sometimes at short notice and for durations of up to 4 weeks at a time.

In line with Thales' Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro-diverse applicants or those with a disability or long-term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

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