Location: Hengelo, Netherlands

The landscape of Thales as a major supplier in Defense is changing rapidly in a world with increasing instability and threats. Coming from a recent history with a more prototype and small series production approach, the vast amount of customer demands and deliveries now requires a reliable delivery rate and a transition to series production for Thales and its strategic partners and suppliers. This major ramp-up of activities started in Engineering, with a significant increase in personnel and activities, and is now continuing with Procurement and Industry, impacting all people in the organization.

About Naval Operations team

In this team, the Radar Ramp-up project is managed. The team orchestrates activities and initiatives across Product Segments, Engineering, Industry and Procurement, as well as all relevant Departments, in order to:

Achieve Thales Naval 2025 ramp-up objectives;Secure execution of critical paths and lead-time reductionDeploy structural and change management levers in order to ground Thales Naval transformation towards Series Production, tackle structural bottlenecks, reduce recurring costs of our radars, and prepare accordingly for 2026 onwards ramp-up objectives

About your future job

As a Change Manager, you will play a pivotal role in this transformation. This transformation comes as an addition to the already initiated TMT Leadership Program (Think Big, Make Things Happen, Together) in Thales Netherlands, which aims to transform the organizational culture to the new reality, embodying empowerment, responsibility, and proactivity.

Your position calls for a visionary and pragmatic leader who can inspire and guide the necessary ramp-up change, fostering an environment where individuals, teams, and leadership thrive on accountability and initiative to perform and deliver the results our customers expect from Thales today and tomorrow.

Some examples of the required change include:

Actions and messages changing our collective mindsetTransitioning from ‘intention to do’, through ‘can do’, to a ‘will do’ mentalityShifting from ‘hard-working individuals’ to ‘disciplined together’ and empowered through ‘Commanders Intent’.Moving from ‘everybody works’ to ‘everybody knows what he/she contributes to our mission’

Your first line of reporting will be towards the Naval Operations Director for the Ramp-Up of the Naval Activities. The second reporting line in the matrix will be to Dir HR Naval.

Overall:

As a Change Manager at Thales, you will collaborate closely with Thales leadership and program teams to develop an actionable change plan that seamlessly integrates into project management and workstreams. Your plans will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of desired behavioral outcomes, aiming to maximize organizational buy-in while minimizing business disruption.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop Change Plans: Work closely with Thales leadership to create robust change plans that align with strategic goals.Stakeholder Education: Educate and empower stakeholders, enabling them to lead change initiatives and enhance the organization’s overall change capability.Progress Tracking: Monitor and report on change progress, focusing on quality, risk management, KPIs, and success metrics.

Why you'd be a good match

Stakeholder Management: Capable of managing stakeholders, conducting change and workforce impact analyses, assessing change readiness, and implementing transition plans effectively.Collaboration: Collaborate with Business and HR Business Partners/leaders, providing proactive advice and support to managers in navigating transitions while fostering a unified leadership approach.Educational Background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or Change Management.Experience: Minimum of 10 years in a similar role or leading change initiatives in a High-Tech environment.Familiarity with Frameworks: Knowledge of change management frameworks (e.g., ADKAR, Kotter, Lewin) and project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, PRINCE2) is beneficial.Organizational Development: Proven experience and seniority in organizational development and change management.Leadership Insight: Strong understanding of leadership principles and cultural transformation strategies across all management levels.Inspirational Ability: Capability to inspire, energize, and motivate individuals and teams toward common objectives.Change Initiative Success: Demonstrated track record of leading successful change initiatives within complex technology organizations.

What's in it for you

A challenging job in a great team within our high-tech, innovative work environment. Includes the freedom for initiative and good ideas.Room for personal and professional growth within our organization, for example in regards to technical, commercial or international skills.Valuable international collaboration with coworkers from 68 different countries around the globe.A comfortable work space in a modern environment, with a focus on flexibility and the right work life balance.You can usually work where and when you want to be able to do your work as well and efficiently as possible. Within Thales we implement hybrid working, where you can, for example, work from home two days a week if your role allows it.A good salary, fitting travel allowance, and the ability to personalize your employment conditions: for instance, you can trade days off for internet costs, our bicycle plan, company fitness and relocation costs.

LR 09 VKG 70

Interested?

Reach out for more information to our Talent Acquisition Partner Gerlof Jan Heck, via gerlofjan.heck@thalesgroup.com.

Or Apply directly by clicking on the button below to upload your profile and show your interest.

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