Location: Ottawa 1 Chrysalis, Canada

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

For decades, Ottawa has been a global technology leader. Today, Canada’s capital holds one of the brightest and most diverse technological ecosystems in North America. Voted as Canada’s best place to live 2017 by Maclean's, Ottawa offers a low cost of living with a high quality of life. The Thales Ottawa office has been a major supplier and long-term trusted partner to DND, enabling the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve mission success.

This role is Hybrid Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Solution Development Manager C5ISRT

Position Summary

As the Solution Development Manager in the C5ISRT Defence domain, you will play a pivotal role in defining and delivering cutting-edge, cyber-secured defence solutions. This leadership position involves driving technical strategy, capture management, and solution architecture to position Thales as a trusted partner in next-generation defence capabilities.

You will establish and lead multidisciplinary teams, ensuring seamless collaboration between engineering, cybersecurity, and business stakeholders to develop innovative, resilient, and mission-critical solutions. A key aspect of the role is shaping Thales’s product and solution roadmap, aligning technical excellence with customer needs while maintaining rigorous technical governance and cyber assurance.

Beyond solution delivery, you will nurture talent, build technical capabilities, and foster a culture of innovation and adaptability in a rapidly evolving defence and cyber landscape. Success in this role requires strategic leadership, strong stakeholder engagement, and the ability to influence at all levels—ensuring Thales remains at the forefront of secure, interoperable, and future-ready C5ISRT systems.

If you thrive in high-impact environments, possess deep technical and cybersecurity expertise, and are passionate about leading transformative defence solutions, this role offers the opportunity to shape the future of Thales’s C5ISRT capabilities while driving customer-centric innovation with integrity and excellence.

Regulatory Compliance Requirement

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List and/or the US the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Technical Capture & Delivery of C5ISR Solutions

Responsible for capture shaping across C5ISRT programs by:

• defining integrated solution architectures across defence domains
• driving alignment of platforms into a cohesive digital battlespace
• architecture leadership across cyber, data, and secure infrastructures
• engaging with NATO stakeholders to ensure interoperability and future-aligned solutions
• delivering with local teams in coordination with BLs and engineering
• supporting capability development and industrial team formation

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• Establish and lead cross-functional technical teams (including cyber and information assurance experts), encompassing local staff, remote resources, and external partners.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture with a focus on technical excellence, innovation, and knowledge sharing within and beyond the engineering community.

Product & Portfolio Contribution

• Partner with business line product management and solution architects to ensure solutions and products are cyber-assured and reflect current and anticipated customer requirements.
• Influence operational and strategic direction for product portfolio evolution, including secure-by-design principles.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Defence customers, industrial partners, internal/external cyber authorities, and Thales leaders.
• Act as Thales representative in industry or customer forums for both technical solution and cyber engineering matters.

Governance & Delivery

• Ensure compliance with Thales project, engineering, and cyber security standards and bid governance in all capture and solution development activity.
• Drive technical and cyber risk management, solution robustness, and operational excellence.

Minimum Requirements

• Extensive experience in technical leadership and cyber engineering roles, ideally in Defence (C5ISRT or related domains).
• Demonstrated experience as a technical authority, community leader, or discipline head within complex, high-security environments.
• Strong background in cyber security integration, technical governance, and best practice implementation.
• Skilled at developing teams, coaching technical talent and driving professional discipline growth.
• Deep knowledge of Defence customer needs, procurement, and cyber security compliance.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Defence Studies or related field; advanced degrees and professional certifications in Cyber Security (e.g., CISSP, CISM, etc.) preferred.

Special Position Requirements

• 40 Hours per week during Core Business Hours Monday-Friday.
• Occasional domestic or international travel will be required, which will include access to government facilities and assets, including naval vessels

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) $175,000– $200,000 -$225,000 CAD 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 5within 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.

We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools as part of our recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description.  All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters. Artificial intelligence does not make hiring decisions on our behalf.

Why Join Us?

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Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following: 

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.

• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave. 

• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.