Technical Product Owner

Location: Crawley, United Kingdom

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.

Shape the Future of Digital Training & Simulation

At Thales, we develop advanced technologies that help armed forces gain operational advantage at every decisive moment. Our solutions span land, sea and air domains, supporting critical defence missions through cutting-edge training, simulation, intelligence and mission systems capabilities.

We are looking for an experienced Product Owner / Project Design Authority (PDA) to join our Training & Simulation team. This is an exciting opportunity to influence the development of innovative digital solutions, working at the intersection of customer needs, product strategy and technical delivery.

The Opportunity

As Product Owner / Project Design Authority, you will play a pivotal role in maximising product value and ensuring solutions meet both customer and business objectives.

Acting as the voice of the customer and end user, you'll work closely with Engineering, Design Authorities, Programme Managers and stakeholders to define priorities, guide development teams and ensure products are delivered with clear purpose and measurable value.

You'll be responsible for shaping product direction, managing priorities and ensuring the resulting solution remains aligned with customer expectations, programme goals and Thales' strategic vision.

What You'll Be Doing

• Acting as the primary representative of customer and user needs within the development team.
• Managing and prioritising the product backlog to maximise business value.
• Defining product requirements, acceptance criteria and functional expectations.
• Working closely with customers, users and stakeholders to understand priorities and future needs.
• Ensuring product development aligns with wider business and product strategies.
• Supporting verification, validation and acceptance activities throughout the development lifecycle.
• Gathering user feedback and translating insights into future product enhancements.
• Collaborating with Engineering Delivery Managers, Architects and Programme teams to ensure successful delivery.
• Providing technical leadership and design governance as Project Design Authority.

About You

You are comfortable balancing technical, commercial and customer considerations and enjoy working with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions.

You'll bring:

Essential Experience

• Experience working as a Product Owner, Design Authority, Systems Engineer or Technical Lead within a complex engineering environment.
• Broad knowledge of software and/or systems engineering.
• Understanding of software and systems development lifecycles.
• Experience supporting verification, validation and acceptance activities.
• Strong stakeholder management and customer engagement skills.
• Excellent communication, technical writing and analytical abilities.
• Experience with tools such as JIRA, IBM DOORS and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of balancing cost, schedule and technical considerations.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of software architecture principles.
• Experience within Training & Simulation environments.
• Exposure to Digital Twin, Synthetic Environments, Test & Evaluation or Research & Development programmes.
• Experience working within defence, aerospace or other highly regulated sectors.

Why Thales?

This role provides the opportunity to influence innovative digital products that support critical defence and training capabilities. You'll work alongside multidisciplinary teams, engage directly with customers and play a key role in shaping future product strategy and delivery.

At Thales, we are committed to helping our people grow through challenging work, continuous learning and flexible ways of working that support both career ambitions and personal commitments.

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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.

Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!