Location: Reading, 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. Deputy Wireless Connectivity Tech Lead Location: Reading, with up to 5-10% approx. travel Other: permanent, full-time, hybrid, working with up to 3 days in the office Bring your wireless expertise, stakeholder insight, and innovation leadership together to shape next‑generation connectivity! What the role has to offer • Real influence: Shape next‑generation connectivity solutions that impact critical Thales systems across multiple domains • Leadership growth: Step into technical leadership with support — ideal for high‑potential engineers ready to level up • Innovation freedom: Work in an applied research environment with scope to experiment, prototype and drive breakthrough ideas Our Opportunity Ready to shape the future of wireless connectivity? Our Research, Technology and Solution Innovation team is growing fast, and we’re looking for a Deputy Wireless Connectivity Technical Lead to drive the next wave of breakthrough solutions. This is a chance to work at the sharp end of applied research - architecting advanced connectivity systems, steering high‑impact projects, and influencing the direction of innovation across Thales. You’ll contribute to technical strategy across a broad range of wireless domains, collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to shape research priorities, and guide a talented team in designing and demonstrating novel system‑level connectivity solutions. From proof‑of‑concept builds to supporting bids and generating new ideas, your work will directly influence safety‑ and security‑critical systems in civil and defence contexts. We welcome senior engineers with a technical research background ready to expand into leadership. If you bring strong capability, curiosity and the drive to innovate, we’re far more interested in your potential than a perfect sector match. In this role, you’ll help shape future connectivity architectures, steer high‑impact research projects, and guide a talented team in developing and demonstrating novel system‑level solutions that influence some of the UK’s most critical technologies. Building a Future, we can all trust. Thales’ Research and Technology (TRT) team is where breakthrough ideas become operational reality. As the UK’s hub for applied research, TRT explores next‑generation technologies across connectivity, AI, autonomy, sensing, cybersecurity and mission‑critical systems - shaping the future of Thales products and solutions. Working at the intersection of science, engineering and innovation, TRT partners with industry, government and academia to develop high‑assurance, high‑impact technologies that support some of the UK’s most important defence and security programmes. Joining TRT means working with experts across disciplines to push boundaries, prototype bold concepts and help define the technologies that will power tomorrow’s critical systems. What we offer you We offer a competitive salary and benefits package designed to support our employees’ wellbeing and professional growth, which includes: Performance-related bonus Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) with opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata) 24 hours volunteering paid for Private healthcare Pension scheme Life cover 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers Gym membership discounts Main Responsibilities Provide expertise on wireless connectivity solutions and architectures, supporting technical strategy around early concepts or challenging issues Generate and evaluate new ideas that bring value to Thales business lines Drive engagement with internal and external stakeholders, shaping ideas, agreeing outcomes Leading and managing projects Manage and contribute to bids for research and technology projects, as well as the realisation of proof-of-concepts and integration projects to validate and demonstrate new ideas (typically small teams of 3-5 people) Work within a group of other research staff, as well as being self-motivated to work individually, and be flexible to adapt into new research areas and ways of working Share knowledge within a motivated and curious technical team About You At Thales, we are committed to equal opportunities and welcome all talented individuals to consider joining our team. So even if you don't match every statement below but feel you have some of the experience, knowledge or skills needed for this role, we encourage you to apply. It will take all of us working together to deliver solutions to the world’s most critical challenges. Essential Experience & Skills Honours degree, master’s degree or PhD in Electronic Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Telecommunications, Physics or Mathematics Demonstrated experience in technical research and innovation within wireless connectivity Proven technical team leadership or strong evidence of leadership potential Effective stakeholder engagement, including shaping requirements and influencing direction Experience managing technical projects Strong grounding in wireless fundamentals across SATCOM and terrestrial technologies (from academia and/or industry) Hands‑on experimental or practical work in wireless connectivity, with the ability to contribute at concept and architectural level and understand how connectivity concepts translate into system architectures Desirable Experience & Skills Experience with domain‑specific wireless technologies (defence, civil security, avionics, or similar safety‑critical sectors) Understanding of wireless connectivity in defence environments Exposure to cloud technologies and architectures, particularly where relevant to connectivity solutions Experience bidding for research funding or contributing to proposals If you’re ready to push boundaries, shape breakthrough technologies and make a real impact on the future of connectivity, we’d love you to join us. Security Clearance Statement This role will require SC Clearance. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance. 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. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the National Security Vetting (NSV) Agency - United King dom Security Vetting - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) LI-VG1 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!