Head of Manufacturing

Location: Gorgonzola, Italy 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, Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.
Gorgonzola hosts the Navigations Air Systems (NAS) domain.
The activity of the NAS domain includes avionics, navigation, and radar systems for civil air traffic and technologies supporting the activities of civilian and military pilots, ATC controllers, and technicians of several airlines, air traffic control agencies, and Air Forces around the world.
Italy is the Group’s Competence center for the design, production, and delivery of Navigation Aids products and the Competence Centre for the delivery of non- Radar Surveillance Products.
JOB OBJECTIVE The Head of Manufacturing at Thales is a member of the Industry team and acts as the manufacturing subject matter expert with end-to-end visibility and responsibility over shopfloor Integration Testing activities for the Italian manufacturing plant, implementing Lean practices in coordination with the Business Segment international organization.
He/ She is responsible for overseeing and managing all operations on the manufacturing shop floor.
This role involves ensuring production targets are met, maintaining quality standards, managing the shopfloor workforce, and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
The IT Manager will work closely with other departments to ensure smooth production flow and adherence to safety protocols.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES The Head of Manufacturing covers the following domains: Shopfloor management, Production Control, and Incoming Inspection.
In this role, he/she will plan, coordinate, and control manufacturing processes to ensure production schedules are met, monitor production activities, and make adjustments as necessary to meet production targets and deadlines.
He/she will ensure the efficient use of resources, including labor, materials, and equipment.
He/she will implement and maintain quality control standards and procedures to ensure products meet quality specifications and will address and resolve any quality issues that arise during production.
In this role, he/she is in charge of lean deployment, participating in the construction of the lean approach, ensuring methodological support for operational teams, and animating lean dynamics through coaching and communication.
He/ She will identify opportunities for process improvements and implement lean manufacturing techniques.
As Manager, he/she will supervise, train, and evaluate shopfloor employees, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge and foster a positive work environment, promoting teamwork and employee engagement.
SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS APICS certification is an advantage.
A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in an engineering field is preferred.
Experience (5 years) in production management and Lean projects implementation within preferably electronics, automotive, or mechanical environments is mandatory.
Electronic sourcing and automotive background will be considered a plus.
Skills required include the ability to manage and motivate a diverse team, strong organizational and time management skills, and the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
Strong leadership capabilities and the ability to federate teams and drive consensus in a transversal dynamic and perform in an international environment are essential for liaising with foreign counterparts as well as dealing with internal customers located in different regions of the world.
Good ERP knowledge (MRP/MPS/ Forecast management) is important for the role.
Fluency in English, both written and spoken, and IT savvy are also mandatory for the role.
As far as soft skills are concerned, willingness to take over responsibilities, openness to challenges, an agile and proactive approach, with a demonstrated ability to take ownership of projects, as well as a collaborative, solution-focused approach, and strong written and spoken communication skills are important for this team-oriented role.
At Thales, we provide CAREERS and not only jobs.
With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries, our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields.
Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.
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