Director Engineering (m/f/d) Secure Communication and Information Systems Location: Stuttgart, Germany Your mission as Director Engineering: Lead and develop an organization of highly skilled engineering professionals (300+) across two sites, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation. Drive the engineering strategy for complex system development, involving hardware, software and integrated systems, in both national and international contexts. Structure and grow the engineering organization with a clear vision and operational discipline, aligning local needs with global engineering objectives. Guide and mentor a multidisciplinary engineering leadership team, ensuring alignment with program goals and long‑term business objectives. Deploy and oversee the group’s engineering transformation and competitiveness roadmap. Enhance organizational maturity by evolving engineering processes, tools, practices and governance structures to support delivery excellence. Lead the digital transformation of engineering practices – automation, micro‑services architecture and digital continuity across the lifecycle. Anticipate skill needs and manage engineering resources across projects, promoting diversity, inclusion and continuous learning. Represent the engineering function in group‑wide strategic processes – 10‑Year Strategic Plan, multi‑year budgeting and Strategic Technology Plan. Drive process and performance improvements to support delivery of large‑scale projects. We are looking forward to: Educational background in Engineering (e.g., Electronics, Aerospace, Computer Science) or equivalent; Master’s degree preferred. Visionary leader with a strong industrial mindset, capable of delivering structure, scaling organisational capability, and driving transformation. 10+ years of experience in engineering leadership roles. Proven track record in leading complex system development projects that integrate software, hardware and systems engineering. Skilled in organisational development, capable of building and evolving engineering structures in a fast‑paced, high‑growth, international environment. Strong grasp of engineering fundamentals, resource management and project governance – ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget and within scope. Demonstrated success working in matrix organisations and across international teams. Exceptional leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills – capable of influencing across functions and levels. Industrial and strategic thinking mindset, with the ability to drive innovation and transformation in engineering practices. Seniority level: Not ApplicableEmployment type: Full‑timeJob function: Engineering and Information TechnologyIndustries: Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing; Defense and Space Manufacturing Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Thales by 2x. Say HI* – Your journey to us. Your Talent Acquisition contact Christian Frey is looking forward to your online application on our Career portal.Christian Frey – Head of Talent Acquisition+49 174 173 73 61 #J-18808-Ljbffr