Job Description:

Location: Syracuse, United States of America

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.

Program Manager

Grand Forks, ND (Onsite) and or Syracuse, NY (Hybrid)

*THIS POSITION IS NOT R

Position Summary

Thales is looking for a Program Manager who will be part of a dynamic, growing team in an emerging aviation sector – unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) integration.  With an emerging population of next generation aviators emerging, Thales is well positioned as a “systems-of-systems” integrator to work from concept design to full implementation of infrastructure and air space management tools enabling beyond visual line of sight flights for UAS operators.  The company is addressing everything from technical solution design, policy and regulatory evolution to the implementation of a new financial model to help States and municipalities realize the positive economic impact of unmanned systems within our communities.  For Thales to properly address these challenges and to maintain its leadership position in the industry, dynamic professionals with proven leadership skills and a deep interest in working in an entrepreneurial environment is a must. This Program Manager will be responsible to facilitate project planning including but not limited to; general project oversite, resource management, organization of meetings, managing project financials, processing change orders, working with project management tools for control and status management, coordination of various teams, communications, and presentations. 

In this position, this person will oversee and multiple projects that are ongoing with the ATC team across the United States and will play a critical role in flawless execution that will reshape aviation for generations to come. The Thales Air Traffic Control and Digital Aviation Solutions team is currently expanding its team in the Syracuse, NY and Arlington, VA and has identified an immediate need for a Program Manager who will oversee several ongoing, cutting-edge aviation programs.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Manage the customer relationship for the program. Lead customer interactions for the project. Inform the customer regularly and with full transparency of the program progress. Maintain customer liaison customer to ensure the on time delivery of items under the responsibility of the customer. Prepare and realize reviews with the customer, in particular acceptance reviews. Negotiate the amendments in the scopes of the contract in keeping with company rules and process. Handle change requests. Cultivate and maintain strong partnerships with decision-makers across operations groups (Procurement, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, Logistics and Ops Finance) to build and continuously improve process to ensure high quality and on-time delivery.

• Guarantee the delivery of the solution within the deadlines. By respecting the clauses of the contract and by meeting the requirements and expectations of the customer. By respecting the cost objective (assigned costs) and thus the margin, while trying constantly to reduce the costs, to manage the risks with caution and to take advantage of internal and external opportunities.

• Set up and manage the baseline of the program. Drive the project to ensure customer satisfaction by meeting deadlines, quality specifications, and project profitability. Staffing, budget and plans defining for all aspects of the program, the timetable and workload, risks and opportunities. Regular and reliable updates of the Estimated Cost At Completion. Build project schedule and cost baseline and update project forecast regularly (at-least every month). Provide visibility of the project progress, making sure to obtain the necessary resources and identifying/resolving issues. Deliver solutions that are cost effective, easy to operate, and generate value.

• Manage risks and opportunities. Oversee project risks and related action plans. Identify, quantify, attribute responsibilities, and manage the risks. Take the necessary measures to cover risks and contingencies. Focus on precise planning, forecast, continuous risk and contingency management, change management and timely escalation.

• Manage the program team. Organize the team and delegate the tasks to the individuals in charge of the work packages. Fix collective and individual objectives for the team members. Ensure that all the team members share relevant, coherent information and up to date information. Manage the financial aspects of projects including costs and revenue.

• Detect bids. Collect information and ensure visibility for Thales on upcoming bids. Ensure team is ready to address upcoming opportunities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be a US Person as defined in applicable law.


• Must be a U.S. Person as defined in applicable law, or otherwise authorized or eligible for authorization, to access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).


• Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline with a minimum of 15+ years of relevant experience in program management, or Master’s degree in field with 10+ years of relevant experience in program management. Working knowledge of the national airspace system and an understanding of unmanned aircraft systems.


• Delegates tasks and holds the team accountable for meeting cost and schedule goals.


• Adept at building project schedules using Asana, MS Project or other scheduling tools. Experience with PM tools – Confluence or equivalent, JIRA or equivalent.


• Experience performing risk management activities. Experience planning for the various stages of transformational and transitional change, recognizing how people react to it and how it affects the organization.

Special Position Requirements

• Travel: Ability to travel 25 – 30% of the time, primarily within US. Occasional travel to international locations (France) as required.


• 5 years of experience in technical program management, preferably in related industry. Advanced knowledge of the full life-cycle of product development.


• Experience in product development planning and providing leadership. Experience in project management with the US DoD, FAA or international ANSP’s.


• Knowledge and experience with Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisitions Regulations (DFAR).


• PMP certification. MBA or equivalent.


• Experience of managing projects in an international context. Working knowledge of French / Spanish .

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

What We Offer

For NY Applicants: The anticipated TTC range for this role is $103,542.32 – 195,512.96 USD Annual. The Company reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, state, or federal law.

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 30 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following: 

• Elective Health and Dental plans. 


• Retirement Savings Plan with a company contribution and a match, and without vesting period. 


• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave. 


• Company provided Life Insurance.

Why Join Us?

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This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with (a) criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal law, state law, and local ordinances.

Successful applicant must comply with federal contractor vaccine mandate requirements.

Thales champions inclusion and we believe diversity strengthens the fabric of our culture. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales, please contact us at talentacquisition@us.thalesgroup.com.

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