Director, Site & Operations - SRA US

Thales is seeking a Director, Site & Operations – SRA US to lead day-to-day site operations and operational execution for a critical US Federal Government program in the Greater Kansas Area. This role involves overall responsibility for the Kansas City site, ensuring alignment with domestic and international stakeholders, driving efficiency, performance, and business growth, and partnering with the SRA US Business Segment Director and the ATC and Coastal Radars (ACR) Operations Director in France.

Must Have

• Lead day-to-day Kansas City site operations and management.
• Ensure compliance with Thales policies and government regulations (HSE, security, OSHA, Public Trust).
• Enhance and enforce site security systems and policies (DOT, DoD, Customer, Thales).
• Drive operational and quality performance, manage Quality Manager, support ISO 9001.
• Lead business planning, operational execution, and transformation activities.
• Collaborate across Global Business Unit and SRA France for process optimization.
• Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years in operations/production/after-sales management in manufacturing.
• Experience with US Federal Government support and regulated environments.
• Experience managing a quality organization in production.
• Strong leadership, continuous improvement, and collaboration skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be a US Person as defined in applicable law.

Good to Have

• Experience in a complex global organization.
• Knowledge of aviation and air traffic management business.
• Experience with LEAN practices.
• Proficiency in a second language, ideally French.

Perks & Benefits

• Elective Health, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA
• Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance
• Legal Plan, Identity Theft, Pet Insurance
• Retirement Savings Plan (after 30 days, company contribution and match, no vesting)
• Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off
• Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, Well-being Program

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.

Position Summary

Thales is looking for a Director, Site & Operations – SRA US, who will be responsible for leading day-to-day site operations and operational execution for a critical US Federal Government program. This role carries overall responsibility for the Kansas City site and serves as a key operational interface across the SRA US organization, ensuring alignment with both domestic and international stakeholders.

In this position, you will leverage a strong background in operations and site leadership to drive efficiency, performance, and business growth, while acting as a self-motivated, strategic leader who partners closely with the SRA US Business Segment Director and collaborates with the ATC and Coastal Radars (ACR) Operations Director in France to support global operational alignment.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

• 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).

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Kansas City site, with overall responsibility for site operations, facility budget, and ensuring a safe and positive working environment; the Facility Manager reports to this role and manages site and facility functions.
• Ensure site operations comply with Thales policies and government regulations, including Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE), security aspects, OSHA compliance, and Public Trust requirements.
• Enhance, maintain, and enforce site security systems and policies to meet DOT, DoD, Customer, and Thales needs, including access control systems and conducting audits to ensure compliance with security protocols.
• Drive operational and quality performance across SRA US, anticipating risks, reducing cost of poor quality, establishing key performance indicators, ensuring a holistic quality management approach, supporting ISO 9001 certifications, and managing the Quality Manager who reports to this position.
• Lead business planning, operational execution, and transformation activities, including Sales and Operations planning, workload coordination, forecasting with cross-functional leaders, supervising estimates for offer reviews, supporting US bids and projects, and implementing transformation plans to increase competitiveness and profitability.
• Collaborate across the Global Business Unit and SRA France, optimizing operational processes, sponsoring continuous improvement, supervising sourcing policy and supplier performance, coordinating outsourcing and obsolescence management, optimizing inventory management, implementing Group ESG and HSE practices, leading common tool implementation, and supporting annual risk assessments, audits, and action tracking.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in engineering, science, or a relevant discipline, with a minimum of 8 years of proven experience in a similar role within a manufacturing organization, including direct experience managing operations, production, or after-sales support.
• Experience working within an organization supporting the US Federal Government, with demonstrated ability to operate in regulated and compliance-driven environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing a quality organization in a production environment, with accountability for organizational performance and results.
• Strong leadership capability with experience driving growth, continuous improvement, and collaborative working in a global and matrix environment, including leading through influence.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including experience interacting with senior management and the ability to present, explain, defend, and adapt strategy based on input.
• Result-oriented, self-starting professional with a high degree of initiative, rigor, motivation, and the ability to perform under pressure in a dynamic environment, applying sound logic, strategic thinking, and a solution-focused, agile approach.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a complex global organization.
• Knowledge of aviation and air traffic management business.
• Experience with LEAN practices preferred.
• A second language (ideally French) will be a plus.

Special Position Requirements

• Schedule: 9/80 or 5/40 work schedule.
• Travel: Domestic and international travel is required; approximately 30% of the time.

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

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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.

We are an equal opportunity employer, including disability and veteran status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, 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.

The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

Total Target Cash (TTC) 131,800.00 - 281,149.00 USD Annual

This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including – but not limited to – the employee’s career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company’s annual salary budget, the customer’s program requirements, and the company’s internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, state, or federal law.

(For Internal candidate, if you need more information, please reach out to your HR Shared Service, 1st Point)

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, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, Voluntary Life and AD&D, Whole Group Life w/LTC, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft, and Pet Insurance
• Retirement Savings Plan after 30 days of employment with a company contribution and a match, and with no vesting period
• Company paid holidays and Paid Time Off
• Company provided Life Insurance, AD&D, Disability, Employee Assistance Plan, and Well-being Program