Delivery Director Project Engineering

Thales • Irvine, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Thales is looking for a Delivery Director, Project Engineering who will lead a team of Project Engineers (PEs) while driving the successful execution of multiple customer and product programs. In this position, you will oversee engineering project delivery across cross-functional teams supporting the development and management of advanced in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, aircraft communication systems, and related technologies. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of highly complex, high-value projects, with full accountability for technical performance, schedule, and budget. You will play a key role in identifying inefficiencies, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring engineering outputs meet both internal standards and customer requirements. Additionally, you will interface closely with program and product teams to support project tracking, reporting, and risk management, while maintaining ownership of scope, schedule, and financial performance for programs with engineering non-recurring expenses (NRE) exceeding $6M.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with 10+ years of experience in engineering program/project leadership, including strong knowledge of engineering development processes.
• Proven experience managing complex engineering programs within aerospace, communications, or IT environments, with the ability to plan, execute, and deliver multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong financial acumen with experience in budgeting, headcount planning, financial tracking, reporting, and overall program cost management.
• Technical background with experience in electronic, software, and/or mechanical systems design and development, including knowledge of software development methodologies and engineering design principles.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing multi-disciplinary engineering teams, with the ability to mentor, motivate, and drive performance in dynamic and complex environments.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders, make decisions in ambiguous situations, and translate complex challenges into actionable strategies and results.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Project Engineers, establishing priorities, performance expectations, and development plans while ensuring alignment with organizational goals and HR processes.
• Direct cross-functional, multi-disciplinary engineering teams in the development and deployment of aircraft entertainment and connectivity solutions, providing both technical and programmatic leadership critical to project success.
• Own end-to-end project execution, ensuring delivery against scope, schedule, budget, and technical performance, including development of execution plans, schedules, and financial oversight of engineering activities.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders, customers, and subcontractors to ensure requirements are met, risks are managed, and projects remain aligned with system constraints, design authority, and program objectives.
• Drive engineering excellence and continuous improvement through KPI tracking, root-cause analysis, technical reviews, and active participation in design, validation, and acceptance milestones (PDR, CDR, DDQ, certification, and final acceptance).
• Manage resource planning and program commitments by identifying staffing needs, assigning appropriate skill sets, serving as Work Package Manager, and ensuring accountability for engineering deliverables across bids, projects, and product programs.

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, 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director