Test Design Engineer

Location: Cheadle, United Kingdom

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

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.

We are seeking an experienced Test Design Engineer/Architect with a focus on Test Solutions to join our engineering function. In this role, you will define and deliver innovative, robust, and scalable test architectures to support the development, verification, and validation of complex aerospace and defence systems.

As a key member of the engineering team, you will ensure that our test strategies align with customer requirements (including MOD standards), programme needs, and long-term product sustainment. You will shape the technical direction of test systems across the product lifecycle, working at the interface between design engineering, integration, and our customers.

Location(s): Crawley or Reading or Cheadle or Bristol or Glasgow or any other Thales site in the UK

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of test solutions for complex aerospace and defence systems, ensuring compliance with MOD and industry standards

• Define test strategies, frameworks, and architectures to support product development, verification, qualification, and in-service support

• Translate system and customer requirements into effective test system requirements and architectures

• Ensure test solutions integrate seamlessly with hardware, software, and system environments

• Work closely with design engineers, test engineers, and programme managers to ensure traceability and compliance throughout the lifecycle

• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to multidisciplinary engineering teams

• Contribute to bid and proposal activity, providing technical input to estimates, schedules, and solution concepts

• Engage directly with key stakeholders to ensure alignment with defence standards, policies, and best practices

• Drive innovation in test methods, including automation, digital twins, and model-based test approaches

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Test Systems Architect / Test Systems Engineer

• Strong background in test system design and architecture

• Experience of integrating hardware, software, and COTS solutions into test

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to interface with customers

• Demonstrable ability to work across the full system lifecycle – from concept through to in-service support

Desirable Skills

• Experience with test automation

• Knowledge of safety, security, and information assurance in defence systems

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape next-generation test systems for critical aerospace and defence programmes

• Work on challenging projects with direct impact on UK defence capability

• Professional development support, including chartership and advanced training

• Hybrid and flexible working options.

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.  Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance.

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.

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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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