Product Assurance / Quality Assurance Manager

Location: Oxford, United Kingdom

A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering, for more than 40 years, high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thanks to our diversity of skills, talents and cultures, our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators), therefore have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate.

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.

The TAS in the UK Product Assurance, Quality Assurance  Manager will be in charge of the Product and Quality Assurance activities for units, subsystems and systems designed and/or manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in the UK or procured.

The role will also involve supporting bid teams and coordinating Quality Engineering experts.

Principal Relationships:

Internal Relationships

• Reporting to the Head of Propulsion and Module Integration TAS;

• Working closely with the Project Managers and Project Engineers;

• Working closely with Procurement and Supplier Operations;

• Supporting the Manufacturing activities and AIT teams;

• Coordinating the Quality Engineering experts (RAMS, Radiations, EEE parts quality, Materials and Processes) and Software PA.

• Interfacing with TAS in the UK management and TAS JV employees;

External Relationships

Liaising with:

• Customer Product Assurance, and Quality Experts;

• suppliers of hardware, software and manufacturing services;

• UK and European Space Agency (and other institutional customers) Product Assurance and technical experts;

• commercial customer

• third party auditors.

Key Responsibilities and tasks

Management of Quality Assurance / Product Assurance Activities

• Performing and/or coordinating the Quality Assurance / Product Assurance activities for TAS in the UK (Bristol and Harwell) and its suppliers/subcontractors (write/review Data packs, participate to/lead reviews, participate to inspections, manage NCRs,…);

• Perform Procurement Quality Assurance: activities (definition/cascading of Quality Requirements to subcontractors/ suppliers, review of Data packs, participate to/lead reviews, participate to inspections, manage NCRs,..)

• Management of Work Packages;

• Interfacing with TAS in the  UK management;

• Supporting bid teams by reviewing product and quality assurance requirements, creating or amending product assurance procedures in line with the bid requirements and preparing the estimates;

• Internal and external audit performance, including sub-contracts & suppliers;

• Interface with other TAS Quality organizations.

Quality Management System

• Customer’s satisfaction improvement

• Quality Management System implementation and review

• Improvement Plan definition and follow up

• Quality reporting including Veto right and duty of alert

• Alerts (following non-conformance) management

• Claims management

• Company Quality dashboard

• support Company Certifications

• Lessons learnt implementation

The job holder will be required to perform ad-hoc additional duties that will arise from time to time that are consistent with the nature of this position.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience;

The candidate has few years of experience and a demonstrable positive performance record in the following activities;

• Management of quality or product assurance in a complex multifunctional manufacturing or engineering context;

• Experience in any of the areas on follows is desirable:

• Satellite/subsystem AIT

• GSE

• Propulsion subsystems

• A working knowledge of European Space Agency or UK MoD quality and product assurance expectations

• Communication and influencing skills to build productive relationships at all levels of the business

• Knowledge of one or more of the following disciplines would be advantageous: RAMS, Radiations, EEE Parts Quality, Materials and Processes

• The job holder would be expected to be educated to degree level in an Engineering or QA discipline

• A professional qualification from an institution with relevance to Quality & product assurance is desirable.

• While specific knowledge of the French Language is not a prerequisite for this position it would be advantageous to facilitate activities across the TAS Joint Venture organisation.

• Security Clearance or ability to obtain it would be advantageous.

#LI-DB1

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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