Principal Project Engineer

Location: Irvine, United States of America

Thales people architect solutions that enable two-thirds of planes to take off and land safely. We create in-flight entertainment systems that engross 50 million fliers every year and we develop the avionics that control the world’s largest commercial aircrafts. Our simulators train the next generation of pilots for fighter jets, transporters and search and rescue helicopters. And, together, each and every member of our aerospace team makes a difference.

Principal Project Engineer

Irvine, CA (Onsite)

Position Summary

Thales is looking for an experienced Principal Project Engineer (Principal PE), that will, with minimal supervision of the Program/Project Leader, lead various teams of engineers and technical staff in the development and management of advanced in-flight entertainment Products and Systems, aircraft communication systems, and supporting systems. 

In this position, you will be accountable for one or more projects of significant complexity and/or cost that are of high significance to the enterprise. You will also be responsible for delivering a quality product/system that meets both the technical and customer requirements, perform project-level scheduling, reporting, and financial tracking of the projects, working across various functional groups to accomplish goals, and you must be capable of locating inefficiencies and making improvements. Risk and Opportunity management is key.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Lead multi-discipline project teams in the development and fielding of aircraft entertainment and connectivity products. Responsible for leading all engineering activities related to project success and to ensure overall project success including cost, schedule, technical performance and management.
• Responsible to identify Risks and Opportunities with engineering leaders, to define and to execute the related action plans. Generate and maintain execution plans, schedules, and supporting budgets for projects. Guarantees commitments to the project including satisfaction of stakeholders’ requirements within constraints provided by the Hardware and/or Software Development team and the Project Design Authority.
• Identifies and staff’s projects with the proper skill sets from within the engineering pool needed to ensure Bid / Project / Product delivery. Identify and manage project dependencies with anticipation to ensure smooth execution. Provide the programmatic and technical interface to key subcontractors.
• Optimizes technical work by organizing System (*), Hardware and Software engineering reviews and participating to those of lower level solution elements from design to validation and acceptance. Tracks competitiveness KPI, performs root cause analysis of problems and conduct associated corrective actions (Performance initiatives) at his/her level.
• Responsible to Design, Develop and Qualify the Solution (DDQ)
• Other duties as assigned by the employee’s manager. Exercises as a Work Package Manager, responsible for scope, budget and schedule of the assigned Work Packages.

(*) System includes Integration, Verification and Validation (IVV) activities

Chorus Role

• Solution Engineering Manager.
• Work Package Manager.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or related Engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in Engineering and a minimum of 2 years in leadership or project management position.
• In-Depth Knowledge of Product/System/Solution Development processes with strong analytical abilities,
• Experience with headcount/budget management and financial tracking methods and tools. High level of proficiency in MS products such as Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint, and Project.
• Logical approach to problem solving. Ability to motivate and deliver results. Self-starter / Team leader / Mentor / Coach.
• Is flexible and adaptable to different environments. Able to understand complex situations, create appropriate strategies and simplify them for execution. Is able to use situational leadership skills to work collaboratively and influence key stakeholders.

If you’re excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

Special Position Requirements

• Schedule: Core Business Hours Monday-Friday and will occasionally involve working some Saturdays and Sundays.
• Travel: Very limited travel potentially to other Thales manufacturing sites within the USA.
• Regulatory Compliance Requirements: None.

What We Offer