Program Manager

Role Overview

Program Manager at Thales, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This role supports the Emirates Portfolio Director and USA-based Program Directors in executing Emirates Programs from sales handover through final aircraft delivery and commitment letter closure.

Company Overview

Thales is a global aerospace and defence company with over 50 years of partnership with the United Arab Emirates. The company provides innovative solutions in Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital. Thales maintains a strong local presence in the UAE with more than 500 employees across three offices and operates as a key industrial enabler for national sovereignty and innovation. The organization employs 80,000 people across 68 countries and supports employee mobility and career development globally.

Role Purpose

Lead and coordinate the execution of Emirates Programs locally while partnering with USA-based leadership. Manage program cost, schedule, risk, and customer relationships. Direct Discovery Dubai team members including Content Integration, Lab Facility Management, and local engineers. Ensure technical accuracy, consistency, and profitability across all program deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead the Discovery Dubai team to ensure defined work scope with clear deliverables aligned to customer and program requirements and milestone objectives for hardware and software topics.
• Coordinate with functional managers to identify and establish a cross-functional program team in accordance with the established Work Breakdown Structure.
• Direct and oversee program activities to assure accomplishment of program objectives in a profitable way that meets or exceeds customer and Thales expectations.
• Conduct the internal program Kick Off Meeting to facilitate communication of airline customer expectations and delivery schedules for parts, services, and documentation.
• Conduct regular program team meetings to review schedule performance, cost performance, Bill of Materials status, risk areas and customer satisfaction.

Stakeholder Communication & Customer Relations

• Support the Program Directors in meeting on a regular basis (daily preferred, at least once per week) with key Emirates representatives at the Emirates Offices or within Discovery Dubai and clearly communicate key messages from Emirates to Thales teammates.
• Represent the USA Program Management Team by attending Dubai morning meetings in person as needed and passing key information and actions back to the USA PM and engineering teammates.
• Represent the USA Program Management Team by attending In-Service performance reviews at Emirates with AGS teammates and serve as the PM focal for in-service issues while keeping USA teammates informed and securing USA support as required.
• Correspond directly with the external airline customer, aircraft manufacturer, and seat supplier as directed and approved by the supervising Program Manager.
• Ensure all correspondence is high quality, accurate, timely and respects intellectual property agreements in place.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from various stakeholders.

Planning & Program Execution

• Support the bid process for Sales and Bid Management by developing Program Management bid inputs, identifying risks, and coordinating technical responses.
• Participate in the handover meeting from Sales and Bid Management to Program Management.
• Lead the Discovery Dubai team to coordinate with Irvine hardware and software development activities as required by local labs.
• Develop the program Bill of Materials and identify risk areas to stabilize the Bill of Materials as early as possible to satisfy contractual deliveries.
• Ensure Internal Change Orders are released in a timely manner within normal production lead times to the maximum extent allowed by the customer agreement.
• For new programs, implement the Manage Program tracking tool and maintain and update it on a frequent basis.
• Ensure accurate program records are maintained in accordance with current document retention and filing processes.
• Maintain a program master schedule including key program milestones, technical data deliverables, and critical path decision gates.

Financial & Risk Management

• In coordination with the USA PM Leadership, be responsible for cost and schedule performance and risk management for the Emirates Programs.
• Risk management is a key role inclusive of documentation in accordance with current risk management tracking tools.
• Routinely assess program financial profit and loss data for the assigned program.
• Monitor non-recurring cost expenditures to ensure alignment with program budgets and spending plan.
• Manage budget changes, monitor actual expenditures, and estimate financials at program completion as well as work remaining to complete the program.
• Coordinate closely with finance.
• Assist the Finance Department in the receipt of Purchase Orders from airline customers and aircraft manufacturers.
• Ensure Purchase Orders are received in advance of committed shipping dates to avoid potential revenue gaps and customer satisfaction issues.

Design Reviews & Program Milestones

• Prepare for and participate in program milestone meetings such as Preliminary Design Reviews, Critical Design Reviews, First Article Inspections, Program Management Reviews, and other applicable meetings.

Program Closure

• Close the project by archiving documents, closing expenditure authorizations, capitalizing and sharing enterprise experience.

Internal Coordination

• Coordinate with internal Thales organizations to communicate customer requirements and execute the program with technical accuracy, consistency, and profitability.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in a related field with a minimum of 7–9+ years of experience, or a Master's degree in a related field with a minimum of 5+ years of experience.
• A minimum of 5 years of program management or PMO experience.
• Experience working in the aviation industry or on international avionics projects.
• Demonstrated customer-facing skill set with high-level decision makers.
• Proven financial savvy specifically in business case development and value proposition.

Skills & Competencies

• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining accuracy and efficiency.
• Strong numerical skills and expert capabilities with analyzing large data sets using Excel.
• Able to proficiently operate MS Office applications: Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Visio.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to motivate others.
• Ability to manage multiple time-sensitive projects and work independently.
• Demonstrates accountability and leadership competencies to lead teams as well as individual business results.
• Project Planning: able to consolidate and document the fundamental components of a project such as requirements, scope, schedule, resource planning, budgets, risks, and quality requirements to produce a quality change order.
• Customer Relations Management: understand the customer through hard and soft information to ensure bid and project deliverables mirror the customer's vision and philosophy as closely as possible.

Additional Information

Preferred Qualifications

• IPMA or PMP Certification preferred.
• Regional experience within UAE or Qatar.
• FAA Certification experience.
• Familiarity with SAP, Primavera, and Microsoft Project tools.

Career Development

Thales provides careers and not only jobs. The organization's mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad in existing areas of expertise or by branching into new fields.